Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for BUILTH

BUILTH, a small town, a parish, a subdistrict, a district, and a hundred in Brecon. The town stands on the river Wye, and on the Llanidloes and Brecon rail. way, 12 miles SW of New Radnor. It is sometimes called Llanfair-in-Buallt. It occupies the site of the Roman station Bullæum; it had a castle in the 11th century, said to have been built by Bernard Newmarch; and it was the favourite residence and the final retreat of the last Llewelyn. That prince was betrayed by the inhabitants, who continue to be reproached as "the traitors of Builth;" and he was slain in a dingle 3 miles to the north, since called Cwm-Llewelyn. The town consists chiefly of two parallel streets, which form irregular terraces on the side of a steep declivity. The castle and the greater part of the town were destroyed by fire in 1690. The foundations of the keep, measuring about 150 feet in circuit, can still be traced. A bridge of six arches spans the Wye, and connects the town with Radnorshire. The parish church is a neat modern edifice, with an old tower; and contains an ancient monument of a Lloyd, removed from a previous church. There are four dissenting chapels and an educational charity, the latter with £60. The Park Wells, three mineral springs, severally saline, chalybeate, and sulphurous, are about 1¾ mile to the NW, and draw visitors from a distance, who lodge in town. The environs generally are picturesque, the climate salubrious, and the sport for anglers good. The town enjoys ready communication with all parts of Wales and England from the intersection near it of the line of railway from Llanidloes to Brecon with the line from Knighton to Llandovery; and it has a r. station at the r. j unction, and another station at the Wells, a head post office,‡ two chief inns, a weekly market on Monday, and fairs on the third Monday of Feb., the Friday before 12 May, 27 June, 2 Oct., and 6 Dec.; and is a seat of petty sessions.—The parish includes the town, and comprises 712 acres. Real property, £2,906. Pop., 1,110. Houses, 226. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of St. Davids. Value, £204.* Patron, T. Thomas, Esq.

The sub-district contains the parishes of Builth, Llanganten, Llanynys, Maes-Mynis, Llanddoewi'rewm, Alltmawr, Llangynog, and Crickadarn, most of Gwanddwr and parts of Llanafan-fawr and Llanfihangel-Bryn-Pabuan; also the parish of Llanelwedd, which is electorally in Radnor. Acres, 31,789. Pop., 3,444. Houses, 641. The district comprehends also the subdistrict of Colwyn, containing the parishes of Disserth, Llandrindod, Llansaintfraed-in-Elvel, Cregrina, and Aberedw, and the parochial chapelries of Bettws-Disserth, Rhulen, Llanvareth, and Llanbadarn-y-Garreg, all electorally in Radnor; and the subdistrict of Abergwessin, containing the parishes of Llanddewi-Abergwessin, Llanfihangel-Abergwessin, Llangammarch, Llanlleonvel, Llanafan-fechan, and parts of the parishes of Llanafan-fawr and Llanfihangel-Bryn-Pabuan. Acres, 102,953. Poor-rates in 1866, £5,528. Pop. in 1861, 8,305. Houses, 1,533. Marriages in 1866, 61; births, 292,-of which 40 were illegitimate; deaths, 130,-of which 28 were at ages under 5 years, and 6 at ages above 85. Marriages in the ten years 1851-60, 577; births, 2,545; deaths, 1,539. The places of worship in 1851, were 26 of the Church of England, with 3,050 sittings; 12 of Independents, with 1,101 s.; 5 of Calvinistic Methodists, with 1,282 s.; 5 of Baptists, with 830 s.; and 1 of Primitive Methodists, with 20 attendants. The schools were 9 public day-schools, with 300 scholars; 8 private day-schools, with 174 s.; 30 Sunday schools, with 1,736 s.; and 1 evening school for adults, with 5 s.-The hundred contains twenty parishes. Acres, 97,607. Pop., 6,492. Houses, 1,208.


(John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72))

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "a small town, a parish, a subdistrict, a district, and a hundred"   (ADL Feature Type: "cities")
Administrative units: Builth CP/AP       Builth Hundred       Builth SubD       Builth RegD/PLU       Brecknockshire AncC
Place names: BUILTH     |     LLANFAIR IN BUALLT
Place: Builth Wells

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