TREGARON, or TREF-GARON (CARON), a market-town and parish (formerly a borough), and the head of a union, partly in the
hundred of ILA but chiefly in the lower and upper divisions of the hundred of PENARTH, county of CARDIGAN, SOUTH WALES,
39 milesE. by N.) from Cardigan, and 202 (W. by N.) from ndon; comprising the chapeirY of Caron-Uwch-Clawdd, or Strata-
Florida, and containing 2573 inhabitants, of whom 692 are in the town of Tregaron. This place is said to derive its name
from being the burial-place of Caron, a Welsh king, who, from a low situation in life, raised himself, by his bravery and
generous deportment, to the sovereignty, which he held for seven years; after his death, in the year 219, he was
canonized, and became the tutelar saint of the church. The town, which is small and indifferently built, presenting only
the appearance of a village, is situated on the high road from Lampeter to Rhaiadr, at the south-eastern extremity of the
parish, and on the small river Berwyn, within a short distance of its conflux with the Teivy, which runs about half a mile
to the west; a new _bridge of stone has just been erected over the former, at an estimated expense of £120, defrayed
partly by subscription, and partly from the county rate. In the vicinity are two small lakes, one called Berwyn, about a
mile and a half in circumference, which contains abundance of trout, and the other Maes LlSrn, " the Lake of the Field,"
where tradition reports the town to have once stood; the latter is situated about two miles to the east, is a mile in
circumference, and produces trout and eels. Silver and lead-ore are stated to exist in small quantities in Cwm y Graig
Goch, but the mines have not been worked for many years. The market is on Tuesday, for the sale of provisions, stockings,
flannel, &c.; and one annual fair is held on March 15th, 16th, and 17th, and another on the first Tuesday in May, chiefly
for the sale of pedlery, homespun cloth, hose, horses, pigs, &c. Tregaron was formerly incorporated, and its burgesses, in
common with those of Aberystwith, Atpar, and Lampeter, had the privilege of voting in the election of a parliamentary
representative for the county town; but, in consequence of some acts of corruption, it was deprived of that liberty by a
committee of the House of Commons, on the 7th of May, 1730; and the only electoral right now exercised by the inhabitants
is that of the freeholders in the choice of a county member, for which this town, by the act of 1832, to " Amend the
Representation," is constituted a polling-place. It is under the jurisdiction of the county magistrates; and a court leet
is held twice a year by the lord of the manor. The living is a discharged vicarage, rated in the king's books at £8;
present net income, £156, with a glebe-house; patron, Bishop of St. David's: the prebend of Tregaron, an impropriation
formerly attached to the college of Llandewy-Brevi, is rated at £13. 6. 8. The church, dedicated to St. Caron, is a neat
structure, agreeably situated on a rocky elevation in the middle of the town, and consists of a nave, chancel, and an
embattled tower sixty feet in height, in the later style of English architecture; the churchyard contains four ancient
monumental stones, supposed to have been set up in the sixth century, two of which have inscriptions. There is a place of
worship for Welsh Calvinistic Methodists. A day school affords instruction to 40 children at the expense of their parents;
another school, supported by subscription, is attended by about 35 children daily, and about 50 on Sundays; and there is
also a Sunday school, appertaining to Calvinistic Methodists, maintained by subscription, and containing 180 males and
females. The poor law union, of which this town is the head, was formed May 15th, 1837, and comprises the following
twenty-two parishes and townships; namely, Tregaron,,BettwsLeike, Blaeu-Penal, Caron-Uwch-Clawdd, DothieCamddwr, Dothie-
Pysoottwr, Gartheli, Garth with Ystrad, Cugian, Godwidd, Gwynvil, Upper and Lower Gwnnws (forming Llanwnws parish), Upper
and Lower Llanvihangel-Lledrod, Llangeitho, Llano, Nantcwnlle, Prisk with Carvan, LlanbadarnOdwynne, Yspytty-Ystwith, and
Yspytty-YstradMeuric. It is under the superintendence of 23 guardians, and contains a population of 10,253. At the
distance of three miles northward from the town is a large encampment, called Castell Flemys, forming the greater segment
of a circle, and defended on three sides by an impassable morass, thought to have been constructed by a body of the
Flemish invaders of South Wales; and there is another, designated Castell Sunnyhill, from its proximity to a farm of that
name. In the parish also are several sepulchral heaps of stones, termed earneddau; a curious bank of earth, extending
several miles in length, styled Cwys Ychain Banawg, or " the furrow of the Bannog oxen," supposed by Dr. Meyrick to be the
remains of an ancient British road; and an artificial mound, encompassed by a moat, denominated Tommen Llanio, but by
whom or for what purpose erected is uncertain. Thomas Jones, a Welsh antiquary and poet, who flourished about the
commencement of the 17th century, was born at a house called Porth Fynnon, a little to the east of Tregaron. In addition
to his literary reputation, he enjoyed, according to tradition, a less enviable distinction, from his practice of
plundering his neighbours, being represented, under the name of Twm Sion Catti, as an expert and dexterous robber; he
acquired a considerable fortuneby marrying the heiress of Ystrad-Fin by an ingenious stratagem, and was subsequently
appointed sheriff of the county.