Tregaron
Encyclopedia
Tregaron is a market town
in the county
of Ceredigion
, Wales
, lying on the River Brenig
(also Brennig), a tributary
of the River Teifi
. The town is twinned with Plouvien
, in Finistere
, France. According to the 2001 Census
, Tregaron's population
was 1,183, of whom 68.8% spoke Welsh
fluently.
In the middle of the 18th century, Matthew Evans kept an inn in the town. He had two sons and a daughter who were celebrated robbers and collectively known as Plant Mat ( Matthew's children in English
). They lived for several years in a cave near Devils Bridge which still bears their name. They terrorized the district and would give to their friends a glove to act as a passport and identify them to their brethren. It was difficult to apprehend the trio because of the narrowness of the entrance to the cave which made it impossible to storm. After several years of success, they committed a murder and eventually being taken, were sentenced to death and executed.
Tregaron was a main gathering place for the drovers who, before the advent of rail transport, herded large numbers of cattle, sheep and even geese hundreds of miles to the markets of south-east England. Many Tregaron men were drovers and accumulated considerable wealth in the process. They acted as news carriers and unofficial postmen and some were adept at avoiding tollgates
.
The Tregaron area had a number of water-driven woollen mills and was a centre for the manufacture of hosiery
. Woollen socks were knitted at home by men, women and children and sold at the market, often to dealers who resold them in the industrial valleys of South Wales
.
Other notable buildings in the town include the 13th-century Talbot Hotel, which supposedly has an elephant buried in its grounds. The remote chapel
Soar y mynydd
is close to Tregaron. In March, 1977, a cottage near Tregaron was one target of an Operation Julie
police raid in which vast quantities of the drug LSD
were seized.
Nearby Cors Caron
(Tregaron Bog), is known for its adder
s, buzzard
s and red kite
s. The River Brenig is noted for its brown trout
and eel
s. The river has been the subject of dredging and flood-protection works to provide 1-in-100-year flood protection to the town and improve the environment for wildlife along a stretch of river.
During the Second World War, the War Office
used a site near Tregaron for training exercises. Continuation of such use after the war was the subject of protest by Plaid Cymru
.
in August, which also attracts racegoers from across the UK. This was started in 1980 by the Tregaron Trotting Club. A race day is now also held early in May each year.
The Tregaron Rugby Football Club performs creditably in League Six West of the Welsh Rugby Union.
and supported by Joseph Jenkins
, capital was subscribed for a station at Tregaron. The section from Pencader
to Lampeter
was completed in January 1866 and the grand opening of the entire line was held at Aberystwyth
on 12 August 1867. providing a boost to the economy of the town.
Unfortunately, Tregaron's train service was withdrawn and the station closed in 1965 after the line was badly damaged by flooding. There is an approximately two-hourly bus service to Aberystwyth and Lampeter and a more sporadic service to other neighbouring small towns and villages, but as with many rural areas, there are no buses after approximately 18.00 in the evening and none at all on Sundays and Bank Holidays.
.
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...
in the county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
of Ceredigion
Ceredigion
Ceredigion is a county and former kingdom in mid-west Wales. As Cardiganshire , it was created in 1282, and was reconstituted as a county under that name in 1996, reverting to Ceredigion a day later...
, 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...
, lying on the River Brenig
River Brenig
The River Brenig is a tributary river of the River Teifi and runs through the market town of Tregaron in Ceredigion, Wales. It is formed from the confluence of the Afon Groes and Afon Berwyn in the foothills of the Cambrian Mountains....
(also Brennig), a tributary
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the River Teifi
River Teifi
The River Teifi forms the boundary between the counties of Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire in south-west Wales for most of its 75 mile length, flowing into the sea below the town of Cardigan. The catchment of the river is estimated to be 1,008 square kilometres yielding an average flow at Glan...
. The town is twinned with Plouvien
Plouvien
Plouvien is a commune in the Finistère department in Bretagne in northwestern France.-Breton language:The municipality launched a linguistic plan through Ya d'ar brezhoneg on May 24, 2007....
, in Finistere
Finistère
Finistère is a département of France, in the extreme west of Brittany.-History:The name Finistère derives from the Latin Finis Terræ, meaning end of the earth, and may be compared with Land's End on the opposite side of the English Channel...
, France. According to the 2001 Census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
, Tregaron's population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
was 1,183, of whom 68.8% spoke 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...
fluently.
History
Tregaron received its royal charter as a town in 1292. It owes its origin and growth to its central location in the upper Teifi Valley. It was the market town for the scattered agricultural communities in the broad, fertile countryside to the south and the rich landowners with extensive holdings in the uplands to the east, the home of many sheep and few people. To the north was Cors Caron which was a fertile land when drained, and to the west a hilly region with self-sufficient farmers on smallholdings of a few acres. These people all converged on Tregaron for the weekly market and the annual fair, Ffair Garon, where the sale of poultry, pigs, cattle and horses took place. Sheep fairs were held in May and June and two hiring fairs took place in November. A large number of taverns and inns in the town catered for the influx of country folk to these events.In the middle of the 18th century, Matthew Evans kept an inn in the town. He had two sons and a daughter who were celebrated robbers and collectively known as Plant Mat ( Matthew's children in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
). They lived for several years in a cave near Devils Bridge which still bears their name. They terrorized the district and would give to their friends a glove to act as a passport and identify them to their brethren. It was difficult to apprehend the trio because of the narrowness of the entrance to the cave which made it impossible to storm. After several years of success, they committed a murder and eventually being taken, were sentenced to death and executed.
Tregaron was a main gathering place for the drovers who, before the advent of rail transport, herded large numbers of cattle, sheep and even geese hundreds of miles to the markets of south-east England. Many Tregaron men were drovers and accumulated considerable wealth in the process. They acted as news carriers and unofficial postmen and some were adept at avoiding tollgates
Toll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
.
The Tregaron area had a number of water-driven woollen mills and was a centre for the manufacture of hosiery
Hosiery
Hosiery, also referred to as legwear, describes garments worn directly on the feet and legs. The term originated as the collective term for products of which a maker or seller is termed a hosier; and those products are also known generically as hose...
. Woollen socks were knitted at home by men, women and children and sold at the market, often to dealers who resold them in the industrial valleys 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...
.
Culture and community
The church is dedicated to St Caron. He was a man of lowly origins but "his courage and generous deportment obtained him the sovereignty in Wales: he made war against the Romans, reigned seven years and was buried in Tregarron". The church has a tower and stands on a rocky eminence. It consists of a simple nave and chancel.Other notable buildings in the town include the 13th-century Talbot Hotel, which supposedly has an elephant buried in its grounds. The remote chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
Soar y mynydd
Soar y mynydd
Soar-y-mynydd is a Calvinist Methodist chapel and perhaps the most remote chapel in Wales. It was the subject of a painting by Ogwyn Davies in 1993- Location :It stands near the banks of the river Camddwr on the road from Tregaron to Llyn Brianne....
is close to Tregaron. In March, 1977, a cottage near Tregaron was one target of an Operation Julie
Operation Julie
Operation Julie was a UK police investigation into the production of LSD by two drug rings during the mid-1970s. The operation, involving 11 police forces over a two-and-a-half year period, resulted in the break-up of one of the largest LSD manufacturing operations in the world...
police raid in which vast quantities of the drug LSD
LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide, abbreviated LSD or LSD-25, also known as lysergide and colloquially as acid, is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug of the ergoline family, well known for its psychological effects which can include altered thinking processes, closed and open eye visuals, synaesthesia, an...
were seized.
Nearby Cors Caron
Cors Caron
Cors Caron, also known as the Tregaron Bog, is a raised bog in Ceredigion, Wales which covers an area of approximately . Cors Caron represents the most intact surviving example of a raised bog landscape in the United Kingdom...
(Tregaron Bog), is known for its adder
Vipera berus
Vipera berus, the common European adder or common European viper, is a venomous viper species that is extremely widespread and can be found throughout most of Western Europe and all the way to Far East Asia. Known by a host of common names including Common adder and Common viper, adders have been...
s, buzzard
Common Buzzard
The Common Buzzard is a medium to large bird of prey, whose range covers most of Europe and extends into Asia. It is usually resident all year, except in the coldest parts of its range, and in the case of one subspecies.-Description:...
s and red kite
Red Kite
The Red Kite is a medium-large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards, and harriers. The species is currently endemic to the Western Palearctic region in Europe and northwest Africa, though formerly also occurred just...
s. The River Brenig is noted for its brown trout
Brown trout
The brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....
and eel
Eel
Eels are an order of fish, which consists of four suborders, 20 families, 111 genera and approximately 800 species. Most eels are predators...
s. The river has been the subject of dredging and flood-protection works to provide 1-in-100-year flood protection to the town and improve the environment for wildlife along a stretch of river.
During the Second World War, the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
used a site near Tregaron for training exercises. Continuation of such use after the war was the subject of protest by Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru
' is a political party in Wales. It advocates the establishment of an independent Welsh state within the European Union. was formed in 1925 and won its first seat in 1966...
.
Music and the arts
An annual eisteddfod is held in the town each September, drawing performers from all parts of Wales and beyond. Eisteddfodau have been conducted at Tregaron for a century or more. The Caron Male Voice Choir was formed in 1969 and has performed in Europe and America as well as the UK.Sports
The town holds an annual festival of harness racingHarness racing
Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait . They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, although racing under saddle is also conducted in Europe.-Breeds:...
in August, which also attracts racegoers from across the UK. This was started in 1980 by the Tregaron Trotting Club. A race day is now also held early in May each year.
The Tregaron Rugby Football Club performs creditably in League Six West of the Welsh Rugby Union.
Public transport
In 1860, government subsidisation was approved for the construction of a railway from Manchester to Milford Haven. At the urging of local people led by David DaviesDavid Davies (industrialist)
David Davies was a Welsh industrialist and Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1874 and 1886. Davies was often known as David Davies Llandinam , in order to differentiate him from others of the same name.Davies was the son of David Davies and his wife Elizabeth...
and supported by Joseph Jenkins
Joseph Jenkins
Joseph Jenkins , was an educated tenant farmer from Tregaron, Ceredigion, mid-Wales who, when aged over 50, suddenly deserted his home and large family to seek his fortune in Australia...
, capital was subscribed for a station at Tregaron. The section from Pencader
Pencader, Carmarthenshire
Pencader is a small village in the Welsh county of Carmarthenshire, and is part of the Community and Parish of Llanfihangel-ar-Arth. It is located around 5 km south-east of Llandysul and 10 km south-west of Llanybydder....
to Lampeter
Lampeter
Lampeter is a town in Ceredigion, South West Wales, lying at the confluence of the River Teifi and the Afon Dulas.-Demographics:At the 2001 National Census, the population was 2894. Lampeter is therefore the smallest university town in both Wales and the United Kingdom...
was completed in January 1866 and the grand opening of the entire line was held at Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth is a historic market town, administrative centre and holiday resort within Ceredigion, Wales. Often colloquially known as Aber, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol....
on 12 August 1867. providing a boost to the economy of the town.
Unfortunately, Tregaron's train service was withdrawn and the station closed in 1965 after the line was badly damaged by flooding. There is an approximately two-hourly bus service to Aberystwyth and Lampeter and a more sporadic service to other neighbouring small towns and villages, but as with many rural areas, there are no buses after approximately 18.00 in the evening and none at all on Sundays and Bank Holidays.
Education
The Tregaron district has one secondary school, Tregaron Secondary School, and seven primary schools, Tregaron, Lledrod, Bronnant, Llangeitho, Penwuch, Pontrhydfendiagaid and Llanddewi Brefi which are administered by the Ceredigion County CouncilCeredigion County Council
Ceredigion County Council is the governing body for the county of Ceredigion, one of the unitary authorities of Wales.-Political makeup:Elections take place every four years...
.
Notable people
Notable people from Tregaron include:- Joseph JenkinsJoseph JenkinsJoseph Jenkins , was an educated tenant farmer from Tregaron, Ceredigion, mid-Wales who, when aged over 50, suddenly deserted his home and large family to seek his fortune in Australia...
("the Welsh Swagman") - the so-called "Welsh Robin HoodRobin HoodRobin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
", Twm Siôn CatiTwm Siôn CatiTwm Siôn Cati is a figure in Welsh folklore, often described as the Welsh Wizard.- Background :...
. - Henry RichardHenry RichardRev. Henry Richard MP , "the Apostle of Peace", was a Congregational minister and Welsh Member of Parliament, 1868-88. The son of the Rev...
(1812–1888) lived in Tregaron. He was known as the Apostle of Peace and was a Member of ParliamentMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, a minister and Secretary of the Peace SocietyPeace SocietyThe Peace Society, International Peace Society or London Peace Society originally known as the Society for the Promotion of Permanent and Universal Peace, was a society founded on 14 June 1816 for the promotion of permanent and universal peace; it advocated a gradual, proportionate, and... - Still living and working in the town is artist Ogwyn DaviesOgwyn DaviesOgwyn Davies is a Welsh artist, born in Trebanos in the Swansea Valley. He studied at the Swansea School of Art before living and working in Tregaron, Ceredigion. He taught art at Tregaron comprehensive school for many years, while also maintaining and developing his independent career as an artist...
. - Ceramic artist Julie Richards lives and works near the town.