Presteigne
Encyclopedia
Presteigne is a town and community
in Powys
, Wales
. It was the county town
of the historic county of Radnorshire
, and is in the Diocese of Hereford
. Despite lying on a minor B road the town has, in common with several other towns close to the Wales-England border, assumed the motto, "Gateway to Wales".
The town
sits on the River Lugg
, having nearby towns such as Kington
and Knighton as neighbours, as well as surrounding villages like Norton
and Stapleton
.
Presteigne is considered by Country Life
magazine editor Clive Aslet
to be one of Britain
's top 10 small towns.
and formed part of the manor
of Humet.
By the mid-12th century it was known as 'Presthemede' or 'the border meadow of the priests'. A century later, it passed into the control of the Mortimers, powerful Marcher
lords, and on their fall passed into the hands of the Crown
.
At the end of the 13th century, the majority of the town's inhabitants, mainly English, enjoyed some prosperity but the Black Death
and the Glyndŵr
rebellion had destroyed this and by the end of the 15th century, the now largely Welsh, population lived in a struggling village. A significant victory in their rebellion was won by the forces of Owain Glyndŵr
nearby at the Battle of Bryn Glas
in 1402.
The development of a thriving cloth industry in the Tudor period
brought short-lived prosperity, ended by three new epidemics of plague in three successive generations. Thereafter it became a market town
and, until the later 16th century, a centre for processing locally grown barley
into malt
.
By the Acts of Union, Presteigne - at first jointly with New Radnor
- became the county town
of Radnorshire
and its administrative and judicial centre, housing the county gaol and the Shire Hall.
By the end of the 19th century its newer and larger neighbour, Llandrindod Wells
, had usurped the role of administrative centre, but Presteigne remained the venue for the Assizes
until these were abolished in 1971.
After a period of stagnation in the first half of the 20th century, the town has developed a diverse manufacturing base and has begun to exploit its tourism potential while its environment and the development of its social, cultural and leisure facilities have helped to attract people to settle.
ess, Peggy Fraser-Scott to enforce a curfew
on the town's youth.
in 1565 to ring a 'day bell' at 8am, and a curfew
at 8pm. Beddoes specified that in the event of the custom being abandoned for more than a year, (except in plagues) the funds set aside for this position would revert to his heirs.
Beddoes - a wool merchant - also gave his name to Presteigne's secondary school - John Beddoes School
- which he established in 1565, and endowed with land.
opened a work camp for long-term unemployed young men. Many of the inmates came from the crisis-hit coal mining
, steel
and heavy industry communities of South Wales
. Presteigne was one of a number of Instructional Centres created by the Ministry, and it also had a satellite camp in Shobdon
, Herefordshire
. By 1938, the Ministry had 38 Instructional Centres across Britain. The camp was situated in Slough Lane near Hill Farm and is now a small private housing site. Land owned by Capt Lewis RN, of Clatterbrune House, was used to hold first Italian
and then German
POW's during the Second World War and is now the home of Presteigne St. Andrews Football Club.
provide a service (Monday to Saturday) to Kington
with connections from there to Hereford
on services operated by Sargeants
, and bus
es in the opposite direction to Knighton. A once daily service from Ludlow
to Builth Wells
is also operated via Presteigne. Lugg Valley Travel provide bus links to Leominster
.
on 9 September 1875. The railway line commenced at Titley Junction, passed through Leen farm, to Staunton-on-Arrow, in front of the Rodd farm via Corton into Presteigne. By 1929 it was possible to join one of the three steam trains a day - each way - and make the 6 hour journey to London
. The passenger service on this line ended in 1951, but a freight service continued to run every other day until the line was finally closed for good in 1961. The line lives on as a video and as a model railway!. Currently, Knighton
is the nearest train station, serviced by Arriva Trains Wales
.
Festival dedicated to contemporary music; and the Presteigne Festival of Music and the Arts which casts a broader cultural net. It attracts composers of the calibre of Ian Wilson
.
The town is fortunate to have an award winning museum
- the Judges Lodgings.
The Church of St Andrew permanently houses a 16th century Flemish
Tapestry
.
Presteigne was also host to the World's first competitive electric bicycle race
Finally, the town has inspired twelve songs for voice and piano - A Garland for Presteigne
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 was the county town
County town
A county town is a county's administrative centre in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...
of the historic county of Radnorshire
Radnorshire
Radnorshire is one of thirteen historic and former administrative counties of Wales. It is represented by the Radnorshire area of Powys, which according to the 2001 census, had a population of 24,805...
, and is in the Diocese of Hereford
Diocese of Hereford
The Diocese of Hereford is a Church of England diocese based in Hereford, covering Herefordshire, southern Shropshire and a few parishes within Worcestershire in England; and a few parishes within Powys and Monmouthshire in Wales....
. Despite lying on a minor B road the town has, in common with several other towns close to the Wales-England border, assumed the motto, "Gateway to Wales".
The town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
sits on the River Lugg
River Lugg
The River Lugg , rises near Llangynllo, Powys. It flows through the border town of Presteigne, Wales then through Herefordshire, England, including the town of Leominster, south of which it is met by a tributary, the River Arrow, then to a confluence with the River Wye, which it joins at Mordiford,...
, having nearby towns such as Kington
Kington, Herefordshire
Kington is a market town and civil parish in Herefordshire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 2,597.-Location:Kington is near the Wales-England border and, despite being on the western side of Offa's Dyke, has been English for over a thousand years. The town is in the...
and Knighton as neighbours, as well as surrounding villages like Norton
Norton, Powys
Norton is a village in Powys, Wales, approximately from the Welsh border town of Presteigne....
and Stapleton
Stapleton, Herefordshire
Stapleton is a small hamlet and civil parish in Herefordshire near the Welsh border town of Presteigne. The hamlet itself has approximately 25 residents as well as the ruins of a medieval castle.-History:...
.
Presteigne is considered by Country Life
Country Life (magazine)
Country Life is a British weekly magazine, based in London at 110 Southwark Street, and owned by IPC Media, a Time Warner subsidiary.- Topics :The magazine covers the pleasures and joys of rural life, as well as the concerns of rural people...
magazine editor Clive Aslet
Clive Aslet
Clive Aslet is editor-at-large of Country Life magazine, a writer on British architecture and life, and a campaigner on countryside and other issues.-Career:...
to be one of Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's top 10 small towns.
Overview
The town probably began as a small settlement around a Minster church dedicated to St Andrew and at the time of the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
and formed part of the manor
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
of Humet.
By the mid-12th century it was known as 'Presthemede' or 'the border meadow of the priests'. A century later, it passed into the control of the Mortimers, powerful Marcher
Welsh Marches
The Welsh Marches is a term which, in modern usage, denotes an imprecisely defined area along and around the border between England and Wales in the United Kingdom. The precise meaning of the term has varied at different periods...
lords, and on their fall passed into the hands of the Crown
The Crown
The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...
.
At the end of the 13th century, the majority of the town's inhabitants, mainly English, enjoyed some prosperity but the Black Death
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
and the Glyndŵr
Owain Glyndwr
Owain Glyndŵr , or Owain Glyn Dŵr, anglicised by William Shakespeare as Owen Glendower , was a Welsh ruler and the last native Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales...
rebellion had destroyed this and by the end of the 15th century, the now largely Welsh, population lived in a struggling village. A significant victory in their rebellion was won by the forces of Owain Glyndŵr
Owain Glyndwr
Owain Glyndŵr , or Owain Glyn Dŵr, anglicised by William Shakespeare as Owen Glendower , was a Welsh ruler and the last native Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales...
nearby at the Battle of Bryn Glas
Battle of Bryn Glas
The Battle of Bryn Glas, was fought on 22 June 1402, near the towns of Knighton and Presteigne in Powys...
in 1402.
The development of a thriving cloth industry in the Tudor period
Tudor period
The Tudor period usually refers to the period between 1485 and 1603, specifically in relation to the history of England. This coincides with the rule of the Tudor dynasty in England whose first monarch was Henry VII...
brought short-lived prosperity, ended by three new epidemics of plague in three successive generations. Thereafter it became a market town
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
and, until the later 16th century, a centre for processing locally grown barley
Barley
Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...
into malt
Malt
Malt is germinated cereal grains that have been dried in a process known as "malting". The grains are made to germinate by soaking in water, and are then halted from germinating further by drying with hot air...
.
By the Acts of Union, Presteigne - at first jointly with New Radnor
New Radnor
New Radnor is a village in Powys, mid Wales. It was the original county town of Radnorshire. The population today is around 400, a higher than normal proportion of which are pensioners...
- became the county town
County town
A county town is a county's administrative centre in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...
of Radnorshire
Radnorshire
Radnorshire is one of thirteen historic and former administrative counties of Wales. It is represented by the Radnorshire area of Powys, which according to the 2001 census, had a population of 24,805...
and its administrative and judicial centre, housing the county gaol and the Shire Hall.
By the end of the 19th century its newer and larger neighbour, Llandrindod Wells
Llandrindod Wells
Llandrindod Wells , colloquially known locally as "Llandod", is a town and community in Powys, within the historic boundaries of Radnorshire, mid Wales, United Kingdom. It was developed as a spa town in the 19th century, with a boom in the late 20th century as a centre of local government. Before...
, had usurped the role of administrative centre, but Presteigne remained the venue for the Assizes
Assizes
Assize or Assizes may refer to:Assize or Assizes may refer to:Assize or Assizes may refer to::;in common law countries :::*assizes , an obsolete judicial inquest...
until these were abolished in 1971.
After a period of stagnation in the first half of the 20th century, the town has developed a diverse manufacturing base and has begun to exploit its tourism potential while its environment and the development of its social, cultural and leisure facilities have helped to attract people to settle.
Notable buildings
These include:- The parish church, parts of which are Anglo-SaxonAnglo-SaxonsAnglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
- The JacobeanJacobean architectureThe Jacobean style is the second phase of Renaissance architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. It is named after King James I of England, with whose reign it is associated.-Characteristics:...
Radnorshire ArmsRadnorshire ArmsThe Radnorshire Arms is a well-preserved Jacobean building in the Welsh border town of Presteigne, in Powys, and the hub of its tourist industry. It is unique for an extensive network of subterranean passages and dungeons, used during the English civil war for the torture of Parliamentarian...
hotel - The Judge's Lodging, decorated in mid-VictorianVictorian architectureThe term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
style.
Curfew
Presteigne attracted national attention in 2004 for an unsuccessful campaign by its MayorMayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
ess, Peggy Fraser-Scott to enforce a curfew
Curfew
A curfew is an order specifying a time after which certain regulations apply. Examples:# An order by a government for certain persons to return home daily before a certain time...
on the town's youth.
John Beddoes
Henry Edward's Old English Customs: Curious Requests and Charities mentions the bell-ringer appointed by John BeddoesJohn Beddoes School
John Beddoes School is a secondary or comprehensive school for boys and girls. The school is based on one site in the town of Presteigne. It has a complement of approximately 425 pupils aged 11 – 18 years. It has a largely rural catchment area in east Radnorshire including the towns and villages of...
in 1565 to ring a 'day bell' at 8am, and a curfew
Curfew
A curfew is an order specifying a time after which certain regulations apply. Examples:# An order by a government for certain persons to return home daily before a certain time...
at 8pm. Beddoes specified that in the event of the custom being abandoned for more than a year, (except in plagues) the funds set aside for this position would revert to his heirs.
Beddoes - a wool merchant - also gave his name to Presteigne's secondary school - John Beddoes School
John Beddoes School
John Beddoes School is a secondary or comprehensive school for boys and girls. The school is based on one site in the town of Presteigne. It has a complement of approximately 425 pupils aged 11 – 18 years. It has a largely rural catchment area in east Radnorshire including the towns and villages of...
- which he established in 1565, and endowed with land.
World War 2
During the 1930s, the Ministry of LabourMinistry of Labour
The Ministry of Labour was a British civil service department established by the New Ministries and Secretaries Act 1916. It was renamed the Employment Department in 1988, and finally abolished in 1995...
opened a work camp for long-term unemployed young men. Many of the inmates came from the crisis-hit coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
, steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
and heavy industry communities of South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
. Presteigne was one of a number of Instructional Centres created by the Ministry, and it also had a satellite camp in Shobdon
Shobdon
Shobdon is a small village in Herefordshire, England situated north of Hereford and west of Leominster. It is also only 2 miles north of the Mortimer's Cross. According to the 2001 Census, the population of the parish of Shobdon was 769, consisting of 386 males and 383 females.- Village places :The...
, Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
. By 1938, the Ministry had 38 Instructional Centres across Britain. The camp was situated in Slough Lane near Hill Farm and is now a small private housing site. Land owned by Capt Lewis RN, of Clatterbrune House, was used to hold first Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and then German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
POW's during the Second World War and is now the home of Presteigne St. Andrews Football Club.
Buses
Veolia Transport CymruVeolia Transport Cymru
Veolia Transport Cymru is a division of the Veolia Transport group , part of the French multinational Veolia Environnement. Formed by the purchase of a number of smaller independent coach and bus firms, the company has its headquarters in Parc Nantgarw, mid way between Cardiff and...
provide a service (Monday to Saturday) to Kington
Kington, Herefordshire
Kington is a market town and civil parish in Herefordshire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 2,597.-Location:Kington is near the Wales-England border and, despite being on the western side of Offa's Dyke, has been English for over a thousand years. The town is in the...
with connections from there to 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...
on services operated by Sargeants
Sargeants of Kington
Sargeants Bros Ltd is a limited company based in Kington, Herefordshire, UK.They are a bus operator whose main operations concentrate on stage service and schools contract work for Herefordshire County Council and Powys County Council....
, and bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
es in the opposite direction to Knighton. A once daily service from Ludlow
Ludlow
Ludlow is a market town in Shropshire, England close to the Welsh border and in the Welsh Marches. It lies within a bend of the River Teme, on its eastern bank, forming an area of and centred on a small hill. Atop this hill is the site of Ludlow Castle and the market place...
to Builth Wells
Builth Wells
Builth Wells is a town in the county of Powys, within the historic boundaries of Brecknockshire, mid Wales, lying at the confluence of the River Wye and the River Irfon, in the Welsh of the Wye Valley. It has a population of 2,352....
is also operated via Presteigne. Lugg Valley Travel provide bus links to Leominster
Leominster
Leominster is a market town in Herefordshire, England, located approximately north of the city of Hereford and south of Ludlow, at...
.
Trains
The Kington & Presteigne Railway opened as an extension of the Leominster and Kington RailwayLeominster and Kington Railway
Leominster and Kington Railway was one of four branches which served the Welsh Marches border town of Kington, Herefordshire.Opened in August 1857, its peak was during World War II, when it served two US Army hospitals...
on 9 September 1875. The railway line commenced at Titley Junction, passed through Leen farm, to Staunton-on-Arrow, in front of the Rodd farm via Corton into Presteigne. By 1929 it was possible to join one of the three steam trains a day - each way - and make the 6 hour journey to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The passenger service on this line ended in 1951, but a freight service continued to run every other day until the line was finally closed for good in 1961. The line lives on as a video and as a model railway!. Currently, Knighton
Knighton railway station
Knighton railway station serves the market town of Knighton in Powys, Wales, although the station itself is located in Shropshire, England . It lies south west of Shrewsbury ....
is the nearest train station, serviced by Arriva Trains Wales
Arriva Trains Wales
Arriva Trains Wales is a train operating company, owned by Arriva, that operates urban and inter urban passenger services in Wales and the Welsh Marches...
.
Notable people
- Royal Naval Captain Peter PugetPeter PugetPeter Puget was an officer in the Royal Navy, best known for his exploration of Puget Sound.-Mr. Midshipman Puget:Puget's ancestors had fled France for Britain during Louis XIV's persecution of the Huguenots. His father, John, was a successful merchant and banker, but died in 1767, leaving Puget's...
and his contemporary, Captain Joseph BakerJoseph Baker (captain)Joseph Baker was an officer in the Royal Navy, best known for his role in the mapping of the Pacific Northwest Coast of America during the Vancouver Expedition of 1791-1795. Mt. Baker is named after him.-Voyaging with Vancouver:...
, another naval officer and map-maker - Sir Christopher HattonChristopher HattonSir Christopher Hatton was an English politician, Lord Chancellor of England and a favourite of Elizabeth I of England.-Early days:...
a courtierCourtierA courtier is a person who is often in attendance at the court of a king or other royal personage. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the residence of the monarch, and social and political life were often completely mixed together...
of Queen Elizabeth I - Mary MorganMary MorganMary Morgan was a young servant in the early 19th century in Presteigne, Radnorshire, Wales, convicted and hanged for killing her newborn child.While Morgan was from Glasbury, her story has been associated with Presteigne since her execution in 1805...
, a 19th century murderer. - Grand Prix motorcycle racer & 2011 world supersport champion Chaz DaviesChaz DaviesChaz Davies , is a Welsh motorcycle racer. He is the 2011 World Supersport champion.-Early years:...
, born in Presteigne in 1987 - BowlsBowlsBowls is a sport in which the objective is to roll slightly asymmetric balls so that they stop close to a smaller "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a pitch which may be flat or convex or uneven...
player and Commonwealth GamesCommonwealth GamesThe Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
gold-medallist, Robert WealeRobert WealeRobert Weale is a Welsh Bowls player.Weale is originally from Presteigne and was educated at John Beddoes School, but now lives in Hereford, Herefordshire.-Bowls career:Weale made his international debut in 1982...
was raised and educated in the town. - Sir Standish Hartstonge, 2nd BaronetSir Standish Hartstonge, 2nd BaronetSir Standish Hartstonge, 2nd Baronet was an Anglo-Irish landowner and politician; his teenage marriage caused a bitter family feud which led to years of controversy and litigation.- Early life :...
, politician, lived in Presteigne in the 1690s.
Art and culture
The town has become a local cultural centre. It hosts 2 indigenous festivals. First, the oddly named Sheep MusicSheep Music
Sheep Music is an internationally acclaimed three-day world music festival which takes place during July each year in Presteigne . It has more than 15 years of history to its name, starting as a party on The Warden around 1992. Since moving to its current site at Wentes Meadow in the mid 90’s it...
Festival dedicated to contemporary music; and the Presteigne Festival of Music and the Arts which casts a broader cultural net. It attracts composers of the calibre of Ian Wilson
Ian Wilson (composer)
Ian Wilson is a prolific, award-winning Irish composer of classical music. He also served as the music director of the Sligo New Music Festival from 2003 to 2011....
.
The town is fortunate to have an award winning museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
- the Judges Lodgings.
The Church of St Andrew permanently houses a 16th century Flemish
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
Tapestry
Tapestry
Tapestry is a form of textile art, traditionally woven on a vertical loom, however it can also be woven on a floor loom as well. It is composed of two sets of interlaced threads, those running parallel to the length and those parallel to the width ; the warp threads are set up under tension on a...
.
Presteigne was also host to the World's first competitive electric bicycle race
Finally, the town has inspired twelve songs for voice and piano - A Garland for Presteigne