190 



CAERMARTHENSHIRE. 



Caermar- 



CAERMARTHENSHIRE, one of the coun- 

 . t j es j n g outh Wa j eSj is bounded on the south by St 

 George's Channel, on the west by Pembrokeshire, 

 on the north by Cardiganshire, and on the east by 

 Brecknockshire and Glamorganshire. The general 

 appearance of this county is hilly ; and towards the 

 north and east these hills rise into mountains. The 

 county is almost every where intersected with small 

 narrow vallies, from the skirts of which the hills rise 

 abruptly. The principal of these vallies is the vale of 

 Towy, which extends thirty miles up the country, and 

 in some places is above two miles broad. It abounds 

 in picturesque beauties ; and from the classical spot 

 of Grongar-hill, immortalised by Dyer, and the ruined 

 castle of Dynevor, the richest prospects are to be seen. 

 The principal rivers in this county are the Towy, 

 the Taw, the Cothy, the Dulas, and the Gwilly. The 

 Towy, which rises in Cardiganshire, enters Caermar- 

 thenshire at the north-east side, and running south 

 south-west, it empties itself into a large bay formed 

 by the whole coast of the county, and inclosed by 

 the projecting shores of the counties of Pembroke 

 and Glamorgan. The river Cothy rises on the north 

 side of the county, and runs chiefly in a southern 

 direction, till it falls into the Towy, about six miles 

 above Caermarthen. The Taw, Tave, or Teivy, 

 has its origin in Cardiganshire, and afterwards forms 

 the boundary between that county and Caermarthen- 

 shire : After watering the north-west side of the 

 county, it receives the Reach, and then bends its 

 course into the county of Pembroke. 



The climate and soil of this county are much cele- 

 brated. The air is reckoned milder and more salu- 

 brious than that of most of the adjacent counties ; 

 and the soil, which is less rocky and mountainous, 

 is more fruitful in grass and corn. The flat tract of 

 ground near JLangharne, which is embanked from 

 the sea, is singularly fertile. The climate, however, 

 is not favourable to wheat. Barley succeeds better ; 

 and very considerable quantities of oats are annually 

 exported to Bristol and other places. Horses and 

 black cattle are reared in great abundance on the 

 hills, and forms the chief article of trade in the dif- 

 ferent fairs. The county affords good pasturage ; 

 and a great deal of butter is made for exporta- 

 tion. The rivers of the county abound in fish ; and 

 excellent salmon, and a delicious species of trout, 

 called Suen, are obtained in great quantities. The 

 county was formerly clothed with a very considera- 

 ble quantity of wood, but of late years it has suffered 

 a great diminution. Limestone is very plentiful ; and 

 there are several mines of lead and iron. There are 

 great lead mines some miles to the north of Llandovery. 

 The working of these mines, and the manufacture of 

 woollen stockings, form the principal employment of 

 the inhabitants. A considerable quantity of pitcoal, 

 and tinned iron plates, are exported from Llanelly, 

 which is situated upon an arm of the sea called Burry 

 River, which runs between this county and Glamor- 

 ganshire. The exportation of coals has been greatly 

 facilitated by a canal, which has been cut from some 

 collieries to Kidwelly, a small town situated on a 

 ^reek near the mouth of the Towy. 



The length of Caermarthenshire, from east to west, 

 it. about 45 miles ;.and its extent, from north to south, 



is about 20 miles. It contains about 26 square Caermar. 

 miles, or 590,640 acres, of which 228,000 acres are themhire. 

 in pasturage, 114,000 in tillage, and the rest in a """"" "*""" ' 

 state unfit for cultivation. It is divided into eight 

 hundreds, viz. Carnwallon, Carthinog, Cayo, Dorl- 

 lis, Elvett, Iskennen, Kirkwelly, and Perfedd. It 

 has five market towns, Kirkwelly, Llandilovaur, Lla- 

 nclthy, Llangarne, and Llandovery; and contains 145 

 parishes, 13,449 inhabited houses, 67.317 inhabitants, 

 31,439 males, and 35,878 females, of whom 434." 

 were returned as employed in trade, and 32,862 in 

 agriculture. The money raised for the maintenance 

 of the poor in 1803 was 17,046, at the rate of 

 12s. 9d. in the pound ; and the amount of the as- 

 sessments under the property tax for 1806 was 

 378,8 14. 



Several vestiges of Roman roads, and other remains 

 of antiquity, are still visible in this county. In Can- 

 trebychan, to the east of Caermarthen, are the ruins 

 of Kastelh- Karrey. It was once a large fort, and is 

 situated on a steep and almost inaccessible mountain, 

 near which, at a place called Kaio, are some immense 

 caverns, which are conjectured to have been copper 

 mines wrought by the Romans. At Kastelh- Karrey 

 there is also a fountain which ebbs and flows twice in 24 

 hours. In the neighbourhood, at a place called Pont-y- 

 Polion, were found two sepulchral stone monuments 

 with inscriptions. One of these lay flat on the ground, 

 and was placed across a gutter ; the other, which 

 seems to be of a later date, is about a yard high, and 

 is placed on one end. In the parish of Llan Newydh, 

 or Llanegwad, a rude stone pillar, about six feet high 

 and one and a half feet broad, is erected near the 

 highway, with the inscription Severinini Jllii Severi. 

 There are also several other pillars of this kiiud in 

 different parts of the county, with Roman inscrip- 

 tions. In the parish of Trelech, about 8 or 9 miles 

 north of Caermarthen, there is a barrow called Krig 

 if Dyrn, consisting of a large heap of stones about 

 18 feet high, 150 feet in circuit, and covered with 

 turf. It rises with a gradual ascent from the circum- 

 ference to the centre. It is hollow on the top, upon 

 which there is a rude flat stone of an oval form, about 

 9 feet long, 5 feet broad, and one foot thick. This 

 stone covers a kind of stone chest, consisting of six 

 other stones. 



A considerable quantity of silver coins of several 

 Roman emperors were discovered about the beginning 

 of the 17th century, at Kilmaen Lhwyd, and in the 

 neighbourhood of a place called Bronyskawen, is a 

 large camp named y Gaer. It is of an oval form, 

 and about 300 yard a in circumference. The rampart 

 or bank near the entrance, is about three yards high, 

 but in other parts generally much lower. There is a 

 barrow on each side of the camp. The smallest one 

 is near it, and the other at the distance of 300 yards, 

 and both of them are hollow at the top. In the en- 

 trance to the camp, which is four yards wide, and 

 near the surface, two rude leaden boxes were dis- 

 covered in 1*192, They contained 200 Roman silver 

 coins, several of which were very ancient. See De- 

 scription of England and Wales, vol. i. p. 178j 

 Evan's Tour through South Wales ; Barber's Tour 

 though South JVa/e-!', and Malkin's Scenery, An- 

 tiquities, and Biography of South Wales* (*) 



