The History of the Local Area
Trefeglwys
The first house to be built in Trefeglwys was Tymawr, which is to the South West of the village. Not so far from the house on the side of a little stream are the remains of a Roman blacksmith, which can still be plainly seen today. There is also some evidence of the Roman road from Caersws to Trefeglwys. It is believed that there was a small fortress near the Castell and that Ystradfaelog was a Roman street for bartering and the exchange of goods, both of which are near to the main Trefeglwys/Caersws road.
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Details of St Michael's Church date back over many years and it has a very interesting plaque inside which gives some history of Trefeglwys. The church was founded by Bleddrws in the second quarter of the 12thC, when it was referred to as a 'monasterium', perhaps indicating some monastic link. It was subsequently granted to the Augustinian Abbey of Haughmond, probably just before 1150. The church is recorded in the Norwich Taxation of 1254 as 'Ecclesia de Treveglos' at a value of 13s 4d. Considerable work at the west end of the church was required in 1932. The west wall was presumably rebuilt at this time and the bell-turret was much renewed. Further restoration took place in 1970 and the church is currently having additional features added as well as maintenance.
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Montgomeryshire churches survey
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In 1875, the old school was built which really was the turning point in Trefeglwys's history. During that time, the railway was built from the mainline at Caersws to the Van so that it could carry the lead that was being mined in the Van Lead Mines. The mines were one of the most productive in the whole of Europe and up to 200 men worked there. The Mine was closed in about 1920-1922, the train which travelled up to the mines was called the 'Van Donkey'. In the 1920's lots of young men left the area to work in the coal mines in South Wales.
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There are a number of Black and White half timber houses in our community, some of which are important listed buildings. "Berthlas", is a fine example of a timber-framed farmhouse, circa 16th century. This stands outside the village and in 1797 a Sunday school was held there and in 1803 a free school established, making Berthlas the real beginning of schooling in this part of the community.
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The Trefeglwys area is becoming increasingly popular as a holiday area and has much to offer the visitor. Access to a variety of countryside walking from moorland and mountain to wooded valley. There is much for those whose interests are art, history, folklore, ancient buildings or the study of wildlife.
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At the beginning of the last century most farms in the Trannon valley were owned by a few wealthy landowners, the tenant farmers struggled to make a living. The Valley land was very wet and around 1870/1880 it was all drained. The government of the day supplied the pipes and the land owners the labour, which resulted in it becoming one of the most fertile valleys inWales. The decade 1870-1880 was very important in the Village's history. Early in that decade a new bridge and Methodist Chapel was built in Gleiniant, which is at the northern end of the village and a new Wesleyan Chapel in the centre of the village was also built.
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The first Wesleyan church to be built in the village of Trefeglwys was in 1808 but was re-erected and opened in 1872. The majority of members at that time were Welsh speaking. "Zoar" celebrated its centenary in 1972.
Click HERE for the church's website.
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The church was rebuilt on the foundations of the old church in 1864-5. The Perpendicular east window was retained, as were the old (reputedly 17thC) oak posts that support the turret. Also retained from the earlier church, as was a 15thC bell.
Hywel Harris visited the area and held preaching meetings at Upper Fridd and the Argoed.
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There were 2 Corn Mills in the area driven by a water wheel off the Trannon River. Also 2 public Houses, the Red Lion and next door, the Belleview. There was a blacksmith, 2 wheelwright shops, 2 grocer shops and 2 shoemakers' shops, a garage and a butchers business. There was a full time policeman who lived in the centre of Trefeglwys who looked after the areas of Trefeglwys, Llawryglyn and Staylittle, unfortunately only the Red Lion and garage are still present.
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Before the railway the nearest point of delivery was the Shropshire Union Canal at Newtown where everything came up on the barges and had to be transported up to Trefeglwys by horse and cart.
Towards the end of the millennium, the old memorial hall and old school had come to the end of their functional life so plans were made to build new ones positioned together on a new site. This was completed in time for the millennium celebrations.
There are many folk tales in this delightful area of mid-Wales, for instance, a locally well known 'white witch' is reputed to have lived in a tiny one up and one down house in the woods above Llynebyr (Lake Ebyr), the ruins of such a cottage can be seen in the woods. Llynebyr also has its own legends and is a beautiful place with its redwood trees.
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Notable People born in Trefeglwys:
John Breynton 1719 -1799: Chaplain in the Royal Navy & Minister in Halifax, Nova Scotia
Nicholas Bennett 1823 -1899 Historian & Musician, Born in Glanrafon
Maldwyn Jones Griffith O.B.E 1940 - 2020: Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon
Phil Mills b.1963 Welsh Rally Racing Co-driver
David Higgins b. 1972: 8 time Rally America Champion
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Staylittle
Staylittle, or Penfforddlas (its Welsh name), which means common at the top of the green road, is a lovely hamlet close to the head of the Clywedog Reservoir, with its spectacular dam. Legend has it that two local blacksmiths were so quick at shoeing a horse that riders and stagecoach travellers needed only to 'stay a little' before continuing their journeys.
The village is set in the shallow upland basin of the River Clywedog on the B4518, equidistant from Llanidloes andLlanbrynmair. There are several sites of Bronze Age tumuli in the area. A chalice was found when one was opened. An important 11th century battle took place at Maesmedrisiol. Today the site is a modern sheep farm still bearing the name. A nearby farm, Dolbachog, was mentioned in the Domesday Book. The present farmhouse stands on the site of the one mentioned and was once a Quaker Meeting House.
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Staylittle's first school was opened in January 1874. It seems that among the adults of the area there was a thirst for education for among those who attended the day school was a married woman. Several men also attended the evening school including a number of married men. It does seem, however, that a significant number of children did not attend. Prominent among the reasons their parents proffered for this was their inability to provide suitable clothes for their
children to attend in. Others 'desired leave for their children to attend every other week, their services being required to nurse baby, or a sick mother'.
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In the early 18th century the farm at Esgair-goch became a Meeting House for the Religious Society of Friends. Under the care of John Goodwin, it subsequently played a significant role in the development of Quakerism in Montgomeryshire. Quakerism in Montgomeryshire declined in the latter part of the 18th century.
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Later, in the 19th century, Staylittle played an important role in the provision of non-conformist places of worship - Baptist and Methodist (originally at Rock Villa) for the nearby farming and mining communities. Though Staylittle was not a mining village it owed some of its population growth, in the Victorian period, to the importance of lead mining in the area. From 1851 its population grew steadily if not spectacularly with people migrating from out of the area to work in the nearby mines of Dylife and Dyfngwn.
After 1881 with the decline of lead mining the population of the community in Trefeglwys, in which Staylittle is found, declined rapidly dropping by over 30% in the course of 20 years. Many of the men who left the area did so to find work in the South Wales coalfields.
To the south of the village lies Clywedog reservoir where, under the auspices of Clywedog Sailing Club, it is possible to sail. Similarly, angling is available under the auspices of Llanidloes and District Angling Association.
There are many opportunities to walk and cycle in the area. The National Cycle Route NCR 8 and the long-distance footpath Glyndwr's Way pass through Staylittle.
The Hafren Forest is a short distance from Staylittle, where picnic sites and woodland walks encourage you to linger by the river Severn.
Llawr y Glyn
Llaw y glyn lies at the head of the wooded valley of the River Trannon between the villages of Trefeglwys and Staylittle.
It was here that the very first Board School in the old county of Montgomeryshire was opened in 1873. The community at the time the school opened was almost exclusively Welsh speaking and mainly agricultural though there were lead mines nearby. The valley sides had much oak wood cover and the farms were largely situated above. For the children of farmers, farm labourers, lead miners and quarrymen the school offered full-time education for the first time. In 1912 the school had 82 pupils but by 1947 the number had dropped to 19.
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With the closure of the mines at Van and the decline in agriculture, whole families had moved away. Like many rural schools in Powys, Llawryglyn School's wartime experience was that of playing host to evacuees. Finally after 100 years of education in the valley the school closed on July 13th 1972.
The first chapel was the building now called Ivy Cottage being built in 1844. The little chapel eventually became too small and the present chapel was built and opened in 1872. The Chapel is in the heart of this pretty village. When the doors are open in summer, you can hear the stream, birdsong and the baaing of lambs. Green hills and woodland encircle the village.
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The Woodland Trust owns Coed Gwernafon, which is one of an isolated cluster of 8 blocks of valley side ancient woodland around the headwater valleys of the River Trannon immediately west of the village. Llawryglyn is steeped in history and has a very strong village community spirit. One of its buildings, "The Smithy", has been re-erected as a working one, and a blacksmith can be watched shaping horseshoes and farm tools at The Welsh Folk Museum at St. Fagan’s in Cardiff.