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HISTORY AND
LEGENDS
IN AND AROUND THE PRESELI
HILLS
Rhydwilym
Baptist Chapel (OS114248)
Hidden away in a valley next to a fast flowing
stream the chapel is believed to be the oldest
in West Wales,
having been founded in founded originally in 1688
at Rushacre, near Narberth by William Jones. About
1700 the church rmoved to Rhydwilym where it has
remained. Since 1662, Act of Uniformity, it had
been illegal for those dissenting from the National
Church
to meet for public worship. William Jones himself
spent four years in Carmarthen Castle as a prisoner.
The river separated Pembrokeshire
from Carmarthenshire and, besides being useful
total immersion during
baptism, it also meant that lookouts on each
bank could keep a watch for constables from Carmarthen
or Pembroke. If one was spotted, the congregation
simply moved to the opposite bank to continue
their
service in open defiance of the law. Here and
at nearby Llandilo chapel the “Pwnc” is
still sung each Whitsun. It is a chant of great
antiquity in which the words are now the Old Testament
translated
into Welsh, but the music, is more ancient - some
authorities say it may be the last remnants of
Iron-age music.
Penrhos Cottage (OS102258)
This is the last surviving thatched cottage in
Pembrokeshire and a fine example of a ‘ty unnos’ (a
one night cottage). This meant that if a cottage
was built overnight on common land, and a roof
put on it and a fire lit before dawn, it could
be claimed
as a right. Furthermore, the land around it also
could be claimed as far as the owner could throw
a stone or axe from the door. Once built, such
cottages were later rebuilt in stone as Penrhos
is. The cottage
has survived almost unchanged since the 19th
century and became a museum in 1972 and is open
to the
public on some days.
Carreg Samson
Carreg Samson is a Neolithic Cromlech located
at Ty Hir (long house) farm, overlooking the
village
of Abercastle. It has the look of a large table
and the legendary Samson is supposed to have
lifted the
capstone with his little finger! Perhaps you
can stop off here on your way to St David’s.
< Back
Also in this
section:
- History
and Legends
- St David's Peninsula
- Pembrokeshire's Secret Waterway
- Narberth and the Landsker Borderlands
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