LLANIGON (LLAN-IGON), a parish, comprising the township of Glynv&ch, in the union of HAY, hundred of TALGARTH, county of
BRECKNOCK, SOUTH WALES, 2 miles (S. S. W.) from Hay; and containing 547 inhabitants, of which number 488 are in the body
of the parish, and the rest in Glynvich. This place, which derives its name from the dedication of its church either to
Elgen, a female saint, or to Eigion, the son of Caw, a saint who flourished in the sixth century, is situated on the
turnpike-road leading from Ha y to Tilgarth, and comprises a considerable tract of land, of which the greater portion is
amble, though much consists of excellent meadows in the valleys, and of elevated commons. The surface is finely varied,
and the soil, though in some parts of a rocky nature, in the lower districts is tolerably fertile, affording good crops of
grain and excellent pasturage for cattle and ahem, upon the rearing of which the farmers principally depend; one of the
chief manures employed is lime, burned on the hills above. Of the rateable annual value, the return made amounts to £2493
for the whole parish, of which £2139 is for the portion exclusively of the township of Glynvich. The surrounding scenery
is pleasingly diversified, and in many parts beautifully picturesque; some of the vales and hills are richly clothed with
wood; and the distant views are strikingly distinguished by 'features of grandeur and magnificence. Llanthomas, an
ancient mansion in the parish, was occupied, during the time of Henry by Walter Devereux, Earl Ferrers, Lord Chief Justice
of South Wales, and in the following reign by William Thomas, one of the clerks of the council, and the principal
instructor of the young King Edward VI., and who, in the reign of Mary, was arraigned and executed for treason: it has
been modernized with great taste, and now forms a handsome and prominent object in the scenery of the village, close to
which it is situated. Upon a high bank to the south-east of the church is Penyrwrlodd, now a farm-house, originally built
in 1651 by William Watkins, an active partisan and an officer in the army of the parliament during the reign of Charles
I., and one of the principal agents of the propagators of the Gospel in South Wales. In this mansion, where he resided
till his death, he left a great number of coats of mail and other armour, which were preserved here till the middle of
the last century. From the grounds, and more especially from the well-wooded hill immediately above the house, is obtained
one of the most magnificent views in South Wales, for grandeur, richness, and variety of picturesque beauty: in this
splendid prospect are combined features of the most interesting and romantic character; hills of varied elevation and of
diversified 'aspect recede in long succession towards the town of Brecknock, beyond which towers the majestic chain of the
Beacons; and on the declivity of .a barren hill, at the distance of seven or eight miles, the white-washed village of
Llanvilo forms a conspicuous object. On the west and north-west are seen Maesllwch Castle, with the beautiful grounds by
which it is surrounded; the numerous villas that -enrich the scenery about GlAsbuly; and the graceful .windings of the
river Wye, which, after a devious course through a tract of highly picturesque country, is at length lost among the
majestic woods of Llangoed. Some small veins of lead-ore have been discovered at various times in the hilly parts of the
parish, but not of sufficient value or extent to justify the establishment of any permanent works. The tram-road from
Brecknock to Hay and Kington passes within little more than a mile of the village. The living is a discharged vicarage,
rated in the king's books at £7. 12. Si., and in the patronage of the Crown; present net income, £202: it is endowed
with one-half of the tithes, and the other half belongs to Viscount Hereford and J. Spencer, Esq. The church is a spacious
and lofty edifice, though not distinguished by any architectural details of importanee, and is situated on a gentle
eminence, sheltered on one side by the hill above Penyrwrlodd, and on the other by an abrupt eminence called Wenallt: the
belfry, containing three bells, is a'kiud of loft over the porch. In the "hamlet of Glynvich is a chapel, called Capel-y-
Vin, or the chapel of the boundary, which has been rebuilt within the last few years; and there is a place of worship for
Calvinistic Methodists. Lewis Watkins, in 1712, gave an estate named Cae'r Bwla, consisting of about thirteen acres of
arable, meadow, and copse, now producing from £10 to £12 per annum, for the endowment of a free school; the only school,
how.- ever, until recently, was one of about 15 children, who were instructed at the expense of their parents; but one on
the National plan has been built by subscription, to the master of which the endowment is paid. The parish also enjoys the
benefit of the Boughrood charity in St. David's, Brecon, for apprenticing poor children, under the liberal bequest of Rice
Powell; and generally two are so put out from this place. Of the antiquities with which it has been said the parish
formerly abounded, there are but very few remains: on the hills are some circular intrenchments; and near the spot where
the counties of Brecknock, Hereford, and Monmouth unite, is a large barrow, called Twyny-Beddau, or the 4‘ Mound of the
'Graves," two hundred and seventy feet in circumference, and twelve feet high, which is supposed to have been raised to
commemorate some battle fought here, and also as a place of interment for the warriors who fell in the conflict,. In the
hamlet of Cilonw, a little to the south-west of the village, are the ruins of an old chapel, thought to have been
dedicated to Celin, an eminent British saint, who flourished in the sixth century, from which circumstance the hamlet
derived its name.