LLYWEL, a parish, in the hundred of DEVYNOCK, union of BRECKNOCK and county of BRECKNOCK, SOUTH WALES; comprising the
townships of Tmian-Gliis, Traian-Mawr, and Is-Clydach (in one of which is situated the town of Trecastle, an ancient ward
of the borough of Brecknock, from which the rest of the parishioners obtain their letters); and containing 1684
inhabitants. The name of this place, originally " Lle Wyllt," or "the place of Wyllt," appears to be derived from its
having been selected as a station for his army by ldio Wyllt, or the Wild, an Irish nephew of Rhks ab Tewdwr, to whom, in
gratitude for his services in suppressing the rebellion of his turbulent subjects, that prince granted the lordship of
Llywel, comprising all the lands on the east of the river Towy, from Llangadock to Abergwessin. Idio, with a view to
strengthen himself against the opposition of the original inhabitants, Who submitted to his authority with reluctance,
married the daughter of Bleddyn ab Maenarch, Prince of Brycheiniog, and maintained a powerful force upon the heights of
Llywel, which were well suited to his purpose, as a station from which he could repel any attacks either from
Brecknockshire or Carmarthenshire, and from which he could easily descend at any time into the vales on either side, for
the suppression of rebellions, the procuring of supplies, or the enforcement of the payment of taxes. To the occupation of
these heights by Idio, and the strong position of his army, may be attributed the preservation of the lordship of Llywel
from falling into the hands of Bernard Newmarch, upon his conquest of the other parts of the ancient Brycheiniog. The
parish lies in the western part of the county, on the confines of Carmarthenshire, and is skirted by the river Usk. The
turnpike-road from London to Milford, through Brecknock, passes through the village, which is distant about a mile north-
northwestward from Trecastle, and is also intersected by a small rivulet named Nant-y-Gwared: this rivulet here divides
into two streams, which run in different directions, one south-eastward into the Usk, and the other westward into the
Towy. The surface is hilly, and in some parts even mountainous; and from the highest elevation in the parish, called
Trecastle Mountain, and situated near its southern confines, descend numerous rivulets, that have worn themselves deep
furrows, through which they flow in almost every direction. Of these, such as issue from the north side of the mountains
join the river Gwydderig, which, flowing through the narrow Vale of Cwm-y-Dwr, circumscribes its base on that side, and,
pursuing its course westward, falls into the Towy. The streams that descend on the south side of these heights are
received by the river Usk, which, running through a vale of greater breadth than that of Cwm-y-Dwr, although the level
meadow land on each side of the river seldom exceeds a .few yards in breadth, continues in an easterly direction. The Usk,
so distinguished for the picturesque beauty of its banks, has its source in a pool termed LUn-yVan, between the lofty
summits of two adjacent mountains, designated respectively Ban Brycheiniog and Ban Sir Geer, the Brecknockshire and the
Carmarthenshire Beacon, near the spot where this pariah unites with that of Llanthoysamt, in the county of Carmarthen. A
range of hills connected with the Eppynt chain rises to the north of Trecastle, and is intersected from north to south by
two valleys, through one of which flows the river Cilieni, that separates this parish from Llandeilio'r-Van; and through
the other the river Clydach, that rises in this parish, and falls into the Usk a little above the bridge on the turnpike-
road to Trecastle, and gives name to the hamlet of Is-Clydach, situated on its south-eastern banks. The sides of the deep
narrow dells, which in several parts furrow the mountains, meet almost abruptly, and, though partly amble, are in some
places adorned with underwood: the various bridges in the parish, being generally on the turnpike-road, are kept in repair
at the expense of the county. The woollen manufacture is carried on here upon a limited scale, affording employment to a
small number of the inhabitants; there are two small factories, in each of which the wool is carded, spun, and woven into
coarse cloth and blankets. The annual value of the rateable property in the parish has been returned at £6543. The living
is a vicarage, rated in the king's books at £9. 10. 5.; present net income, £152; patron, Bishop of St. David's;
appropriators, Precentor and Chapter of St. David's. The church, once called Llantrisant, from its dedication to three
saints, viz., David, Padarn, and Teilo, is an ancient structure, consisting of a nave and chancel, with a strong tower at
the west end, and is situated on ground of more lofty elevation than perhaps any other church in Brecknockshire, except
that of Penderin; the interior displays some vestiges of antiquity in the original roof, and the old rood loft is still
remaining. The parish-clerk, or sexton, claims and receives mortuaries on the interment of every person, except paupers,
and the residents in Trecastle, who pay four-pence in lieu of them, which claim was recognized by a terrier signed by the
vicar and principal inhabitants of the parish, in 1800, and confirmed by the ecclesiastical court: these mortuaries
consist of the best hat, wig, cravat, gloves,girdle, breeches, shoes, and stockings of the deceased, if a male; and if a
wife or widow, of the best hood, cap, riband, handkerchief, gloves, and shoes and stockings; for which a composition may
be made at the option of the surviving relatives of the deceased. In the hamlet of is-Clydach is the endowed chapel of
Rhyd-yBriw, the living of which is a perpetual curacy, formerly in the gift of the inhabitants of the hamlet, but now
established to be in the gift of the Incumbent of the mother church; net income, £186. There are three places of worship
for Calvinistic Methodists, and one each for Baptists and Independents. About 55 children of both sexes are instructed in
two day schools at the expense of their parents; and there are eight Sunday schools conducted gratuitously, in three of
which are about 250 males and females, who attend the Established Church; the rest appertain to dissenters, and consist of
about 420. The parish has also frequently enjoyed the benefit of one of Mrs. Bevan's circulating schools, and on one
occasion, commencing in 1822, for four years successively. John Jeffreys, of London, in 1706, or about that time,
bequeathed £5 per annum to the poor of the parish, charged upon the impropriate tithes of Merthyr-Cynog; which has since
become a rent-charge on a tenement called Cwmllwyvog, and a meadow named Waunddii, in this parish, and is paid by John
Lloyd Vaughan Watkins, Esq., of Pennoyre, near Brecknock, whose ancestor purchased that property. Roger Jeffreys, of
Berthddii, in the parish, in 1714, charged certain lands near RhSrd-y-lkiw, with the annual payment of 20s., to be
distributed among the poor of the hamlet of Is-Clydach. The Via Julia Montana, from Caerlleon to Carmarthen, passed
through the parish from east to west; but its exact course has not been clearly ascertained, although some vestiges of it
were seen near Rhyd-y-Briw about half a century since.