Meifod

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Meifod
The King's Head Inn, Meifod - geograph.org.uk - 214705.jpg
The King's Head Inn
Meifod is located in Powys
Meifod
Meifod
Location within Powys
Population1,322 (2011)[1]
OS grid referenceSJ154133
Community
  • Meifod
Principal area
Ceremonial county
CountryWales
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townMEIFOD
Postcode districtSY22 8
Dialling code01938
PoliceDyfed-Powys
FireMid and West Wales
AmbulanceWelsh
UK Parliament
Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament
  • Montgomeryshire
List of places
UK
Wales
Powys
52°43′N 3°15′W / 52.71°N 3.25°W / 52.71; -3.25Coordinates: 52°43′N 3°15′W / 52.71°N 3.25°W / 52.71; -3.25

Meifod, formerly also written Meivod (About this soundWelsh pronunciation (help·info)), is a small village, community and electoral ward 7 miles north-west of Welshpool in Montgomeryshire, Powys, Wales, on the A495 road and located in the valley of the River Vyrnwy. The River Banwy has a confluence with the Vyrnwy approximately two miles to the west of the village. The village itself had a population of 317.[2] The community includes the village of Bwlch-y-cibau and the hamlet of Allt-y-Main.

History[]

Although the Mediolanum of the Antonine Itinerary has since been identified as Whitchurch in Shropshire, Meifod is sometimes identified as the Mediolanum among the Ordovices described in Ptolemy's Geography,[3][4] although others argue for Llanfyllin[3] or Caersws.[5]

Meifod is about a mile north-east of the royal residence of the Princes of Wales at Mathrafal, and it was an early Christian centre known at Caer Meguaidd or Meguaid;[6] It is associated with St Gwydafarch in the 6th century and St Tysilio in the 7th.[7] Tysilio's father was Brochwel Ysgithrog, a prince of Powys, who made Meifod his summer residence. The first Christian foundation was probably a clas and a monastery in the early medieval period.[8] A church built by Madog ap Maredudd, the last prince of the entire Kingdom of Powys, and dedicated to St Fair, was consecrated in 1156.[7] The same churchyard once contained three separate churches; Eglwys Gwydafarch, Eglwys Fair and Eglwys Tysilio.[9]

The churchyard is said to contain the royal tombs of Madog ap Maredudd (d. 1160) and his son Gruffydd Maelor (d. 1191), Prince of Powys Fadog.[7] There is also a stone slab in the church dated late-9th or early-10th century, although very weathered the decorations on it are still clear and include a large cross and a smaller cross in a circle, it is assumed that it once covered a tomb.[10][11]

The village has never been served by a railway. However the Llanfyllin Branch line ran a few miles north east of the village and the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway terminus is in the nearby town of Llanfair Caereinion.

Religion[]

The church of SS. Tysilio and Mary

At the village centre is the parish church of St Tysilio and St Mary, which occupies a very large site, the building includes material with a wide range of ages some dated to the 12th century.[7][12] In addition, in common with many Welsh villages, there are a number of Nonconformist chapels within the village and its catchment area.

The Calvinistic Methodist Chapel

Buildings[]

The village has one pub, the King's Head and a convenience store (with a post office). In 2006, local rugby union team C.O.B.R.A built a new rugby clubhouse and two pitches. The club house has two bars and a balcony. The village football team plays in the amateur division. The village also has a primary school, Ysgol Meifod (formerly Meifod County Primary (or CP) School) and a modern village hall located next door which provides facilities for a wide variety of clubs and societies.

Dyffryn Hall, a Georgian period manor house, is situated to the west of the village and was home to Clement Davies, the Montgomeryshire MP and leader of the post-war Liberal Party between 1945 and 1956.[citation needed]

Demographics[]

57% of the population of Meifod were born in England. However, this is not in itself evidence of any large-scale immigration from England; it may simply reflect the preference of local parents for using larger hospitals more conveniently situated in nearby Shropshire for giving birth. The United Kingdom Census 2001 revealed that some 38% of the population over 3 years old had some knowledge of the Welsh language with almost 20% able to speak, read and write in Welsh.[13] The Meifod valley hosted the National Eisteddfod in 2003 and 2015.[14]

References[]

  1. ^ "Ward/Community population 2011". Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  2. ^ "Custom report - Nomis - Official Labour Market Statistics". www.nomisweb.co.uk.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Williams, Robert. "A History of the Parish of Llanfyllin" in Collections Historical & Archaeological Relating to Montgomeryshire, Vol. III, p. 59. J. Russell Smith (London), 1870.
  4. ^ Newman, John Henry & al. Lives of the English Saints: St. German, Bishop of Auxerre, Ch. X: "Britain in 429, A. D.", p. 92. Archived 21 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine James Toovey (London), 1844.
  5. ^ Roman Britain Organisation. "Mediomanum?" at Roman Britain Archived 2007-04-01 at the Wayback Machine. 2010.
  6. ^ Nennius; Mark the Anchorite; Gunn, Bill (1819). Historia Brittonum. J. and A. Arch. p. 105. Caer Meguaidd.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Parish Church of St Tysilio and St Mary, Meifod". British Listed Buildings.
  8. ^ "Early Medieval Ecclesiastic and Burial Sites in Mid and North-East Wales: An Interim Report". CPAT. Retrieved 25 April 2015. PDF document, see page 5
  9. ^ "Early Medieval Ecclesiastic and Burial Sites in Mid and North-East Wales: An Interim Report". CPAT. Retrieved 25 April 2015. PDF document, see page 11
  10. ^ "Meifod Church (St Tysilio and St Mary), cross slab". CPAT. CPAT. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  11. ^ "Meifod - Ancient Cross in Wales in Powys". The Megalith Portal. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  12. ^ "ST TYSILIO AND ST MARY'S CHURCH, MEIFOD". Coflein. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  13. ^ 2001 Census Neighbourhood Statistics: Meifod
  14. ^ "Past locations | National Eisteddfod". eisteddfod.wales.

External links[]

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