LLANGADOCK (LLAN-GADOG-FAWR), a market-town and parish, comprising the hamlets of Above-Sawdde, Dyfryn-Cydrich, and Gwynve, in the union of LLANDOVERY, lower division of the hundred of PERVETH, county of CARMARTHEN, SOUTH WALES, 21 miles (E. N. E.) from Carmarthen; and 188 (W. by N.) from London, and containing 2604 inhabitants. This parish, which derives its name from the dedication of its church to St. Cadog, is of very remote antiquity; and the town, which was formerly of much greater importance than at present, was anciently distinguished for its castle, of which frequent notice occurs in the Welsh annals. By whom, or at what period, this fortress was originally erected is not known; but in the various struggles of the native chieftains of South Wales, for the extension of their territories, and in the frequent dissensions which arose among them, it was invariably an object of the greatest importance, and the occupation of it was eagerly contended for by the adverse parties. In 1204, the castle of Llangadock was strongly fortified by Rliks ab Grufydd, from whom, however, it was soon taken by his uncle Maelgwyn, assisted by Gwenwynwyn, Prince of Powys; but these chieftains did not long remain in possession of it, as it was recovered in a successful assault by Rhks, who continued to hold it for some time. About the year 1208, Rh-s Vychan, otherwise Rhys Grkg, brother of Maelgwyn, having quarrelled with his nephews Rhks and Owain, turned his arms against them, and dispossessed them of this fortress, in which he placed a strong garrison; but the latter chieftains, on being apprised of the circumstance, marched against it with all their forces, and, putting the garrison to the sword, levelled it with the ground. The town suffered materially from the ravages of the English vassals, during the continuance of hostilities between them and the native inhabitants of this part of South Wales. The Welsh prince Llewelyn, having made his submission to Edward I., expectations were fondly entertained that the country would have enjoyed a respite from the continual depredations committed by the English who had settled in this part of the principality; but soon after the accession of that monarch to the throne, the oppressive tyranny of his officers at Aberystwith drove the inhabitants once more into open rebellion; and the brave Llewelyn again had recourse to arms. On this occasion, the archbishop of Canterbury endeavoured to adjust the differences which had arisen between the natives and the English; and to this prelate Rhys Vychan complained that, among other excesses, the English had attacked and plundered the church of Llangadock, wounded the priest, whom they left expiring before the high altar, converted that sacred edifice into stabling for their horses, and burned the houses in the town. After the entire subjugation of Wales by Edward, and the dispersion of the family of Dynevor, to whom the castle of Llangadock belonged, that fortress was most probably neglected, and suffered to fall into decay. The TOWN is beautifully situated between the rivers Bran and Sawdde, over the former of which it has a neat stone bridge of three elliptic arches; and near its confluence with the river Towy, by which the parish is bounded on the west: it consists principally of one spacious street, containing several well built houses of respectable appearance, and is abundantly supplied with water, but neither paved nor lighted. Within the last few years Llangadock has been constituted a post-town and a new lineof road, over the Black Mountain h'as been completed, connecting it with the coal and limestone works in that district, and with the Swansea canal at Pont-arDawy. The road from Carmarthen and Llandilo to Llandovery and Brecon also passes through it; and among other improvements which have taken place, may be mentioned the erection of a stone bridge of five arches over the river Towy, which was completed in 1819, at an expense of £2300, defrayed by this parish and those of Llandilo, Llansadwrn, Llanthoysaint, and Mothvey, adjoining. The parish contains coal, limestone, and lead and iron ores, the two former of which are wrought on a moderate scale, employing from fifty to sixty persons each during the summer months: the coal is conveyed by the new road to the Swansea canal, by which it is forwarded to the port of Swansea, where it is shipped to various parts of the kingdom; and the lime is carried in waggons to Cardiganshire, the upper parts of this county, and to Brecknockshire. The market is on Thursday; and fairs are held annually on January 16th, March 12th, the last Thursday in May, July 9th, the first Thursday after September 1 1 th, the second Thursday after old Michaelmas day, and December 11th. The town is under the jurisdiction of the county magistrates; and at the court leet of the lord of the manor, a portreeve is annually chosen and sworn into office, whose duties consist in collecting the tolls of the market and fairs, the mortuaries of freeholders, deodands, and other dues. The PARISH comprises 22,642a. 3r. 7p., of which, by computation, 7000 acres are common, and, by admeasurement, 6812a. 3r. 7p. arable, 8000 pasture and meadow, and 830 woodland; the soil is a good loam, and the chief produce, wheat, barley, and oats. The appearance of the immediate vicinity of the town is much enlivened by the several streams passing through it, and the numerous gentlemen's seats on the banks of the Towy. The Sawdde, which has its source in the Black Mountain, and is celebrated for its fine trout, is crossed by a neat bridge of one arch, covered with ivy; underneath, the foaming stream, hurrying along the rich and beautiful valley leading to the interesting village of Pontarllechan, forms a striking feature in the diversified scenery; and the bold hills surrounding the hamlet, with the prospect of the Black Mountain in the distance, complete a picture comprehending several near and distant views of a highly pleasing character. Within two miles of the town are the mansions of Llansevin and, Mandinham, the former of which has a lawn in the front, with an oak tree of immense bulk and venerable aspect; in the hamlet of Gwynve is a seat of the same name; and near the town also is Tanyr-Allt. The LIVING is a vicarage, with Llanthoysaint annexed, rated in the king's-books at £9; present net income, £181, with a glebe-house; patron, Bishop of St. David's: the tithes have been commuted for a rent-charge of £549. 8. 9., of which a sum of £244. 3. 51. is payable to the Bishdp, £122. 2. to the Prebendary of Llanvynydd, and £183. 3. 2. to the vicar, who has also a glebe of 5 acres, valued at £3 per annum. The church, an ancient cruciform structure, was designed, in 1283, to be made collegiate in honour of St. Maurice and his companions, and St. Thomas the Martyr, by Dr. Thomas Beck, Bishop of St. David's, for a precentor and twenty-one canons or prebendaries, of whom seven were to be priests, seven deacons, and seven sub-deacons, together with five clerks; but this design was frustrated by that prelate's death. The edifice, which has suffered much by injudicious repairs and alterations, measures 65 feet by 25, and contains 46 sittings, all of which are free; it was furnished with a good organ, built by the late David Jones, watchmaker, of this town, in 1804, at the expense of the parish, which, however, has been allowed to fall into dilapidation and disuse: the north transept has been converted into a private burial-place. In the hamlet of Gwynve is an endowed chapel, in the gift of the Vicar of Llangadock. There are places of worship for Baptists, -Independents, Wesleyans, and Calvinistic Methodists; and in the different hamlets of the parish are five day schools, in which about 170 children are taught at the expense of their parents; and six Sunday schools, conducted by voluntary teachers, and affording instruction to more than 500 persons. The ancient castle of Llangadock occupied the area of a large oval intrenchment on the eastern side of the waste of Carreg-Sawdde, called CastellMeiris; and the keep was built on the summit of a high rock, upon the north side, scarped conically all round, and very deeply molded; the river Sawdde anciently defended the castle on the north- west side, and a morass, with the confined waters of the Feuris or Meiris brook, protected it on the southeastern side: the materials of the castle were used many years since for building the farm-houses of Glan Sawdde and Caerhen, and no vestiges of it are now visible. The town is by some writers considered to have been the site of an arx speculatoria, or Roman watch-tower; and the Roman road called the Via Julia Montana took its course through the parish, or its immediate vicinity, in which it is thought there was probably a Roman station; but no traces of such a work are now discernible. To the south-east of the parish is a hill, called Tri Chrfig, or the " Three Hillocks," from three large carneddau, or heaps of stones, on its summit, which formed conspicuous objects in the distant view of this place, and are supposed to be the graves of some British chieftains, or of numerous warriors that may have fallen in some unrecorded battle foughtnear the spot; but only one of the tumuli now remains. Near this eminence are some remains of an ancient encampment termed Garn GOch, enclosing a quadrangular area of considerable extent, defended by a rude rampart of loose stones, in some places ten feet high. In a field named Cae Castel], on the farm of Tir Mawr, is a circular intrenchment, near which is Cwm Gwern-y- Gad, an appellation denoting the scene of a battle. At Capel Tydist is an old chapel of ease, now used as a barn; Llansevin Issav is another, now used as a farm-house; on Cae Capel is the site also of a chapel of ease; and Cwrt-y- Plas, near the church, was originally a nunnery, and afterwards a college for the education of candidates for the order of priesthood, which at the Reformation was suppressed, and granted to the proprietor of the Abermarles' estate: the portion of the roof of the refectory, still remaining, is an interesting specimen of ancient timber work. Both in the town and the immediate neighbourhood are also the ruins of several mansions of superior dimensions and style of architecture, evidences of the former grandeur and importance of this place, in which is thought anciently to have been situated a mansion called Llks Brychan, or " Brychan's Palace."