Everything about Carmarthen totally explained
Carmarthen (
Welsh Caerfyrddin -
caer fort +
Myrddin Moridunum, Merlin
[origindisputed]) is the
county town of
Carmarthenshire,
Wales. It is built on the
River Towy and has a population of about 13,148
Carmarthen railway station is on the
West Wales Line. Carmarthen is served by rail links through to
Cardiff via
Swansea, as well as road links to the surrounding areas, and has a number of surviving heritage attractions including the
Roman amphitheatre and the
castle. The
Gwili Railway, a section of the former railway line to
Aberystwyth, has also been re-opened as a heritage railway for tourists.
Carmarthen has a large proportion of
Welsh speakers, with the county of
Carmarthenshire as a whole having the largest population of such by number (the largest Welsh-speaking population by proportion is in
Gwynedd). Although Carmarthen is on navigable water the harbour no longer sees commercial use, in part due to the treacherous approaches. Carmarthen is location of the headquarters of
Dyfed-Powys Police, home to
Trinity College Carmarthen - an associate higher education provider of the
University of Wales as well as the
West Wales General Hospital.
Carmarthen is
twinned with:
Lesneven,
Brittany,
France
Santa Marinella,
Italy
As Pontes,
Spain
History
Roman
When
Britannia was a
Roman province, Carmarthen was the
civitas capital of the
Demetae tribe, known as
Moridunum (meaning
sea fort). Carmarthen is possibly the oldest
town in
Wales and was recorded by
Ptolemy and in the
Antonine Itinerary. The
Roman fort is believed to date from
AD75-77. A
coin hoard was found nearby in
2006 (External Link
). Near the fort is one of seven surviving
Roman amphitheatres in the
United Kingdom. It was excavated in
1968. The arena itself is 46 by 27 meters; the circumference of the
cavea seating area is 92 by 67 meters.
The name became Carmarthen (
Caerfyrddin in
Welsh). Someone may have treated the name as meaning "
Royal residence of a man called
Myrddin".
Medieval
The strategic importance of Carmarthen was such that the
Norman William fitz Baldwin built a
castle probably around 1094. The existing castle site is known to have been used since 1105. The castle was destroyed by
Llywelyn the Great in
1215. In
1223 the castle was rebuilt and permission was received to wall the town (a murage). Carmarthen was probably the first medieval
walled town in Wales. In
1405 the town was taken and the castle was sacked by
Owain Glyndŵr. The famous
Black Book of Carmarthen, written around
1250, is associated with the town's Priory of St John the Evangelist and
Teulyddog.
During the
Black Death of 1347-49 the plague was brought to Carmarthen via the thriving river trade. The Black death 'destroy'd' and devastated villages such as
Llanllwch. Local historians place the plague pit, the site for mass burial of the dead, to be the graveyard that adjoins the 'Maes-yr-Ysgol' and 'Llys Model' housing at the rear of St Catherine Street.
Early modern
Following the Acts of Union Carmarthen became the judicial headquarters of the
Court of Great Sessions for south-west Wales.
In the
16th and
17th centuries the dominant business of Carmarthen was still
agriculture and related trades including
woolen manufacture. Carmarthen was made a
county corporate by charter of
James I in
1604. The charter decreed that Carmarthen should be known as the 'Town of the County of Carmarthen' and should have two
sheriffs. This was reduced to one sheriff in
1835, and the (now largely ceremonial) post continues to this day.
Both the Priory and the Friary were abandoned during the dissolution of the monasteries in the reign of
Henry VIII, the land being return to monarchy. Likewise the chapels of St Catherine and St Barbara were lost, the church of St Peter's being the main religious establishment to survive this era.
During the
Marian persecutions of the
1550s Bishop Ferrar of St David's was burnt at the stake in the market square - now Nott Square. A Protestant martyr, his life and death are recorded in John Foxe's famous book of martyrs.
18th century to present
In the mid
18th century the
iron and
coal trades became much more important although Carmarthen never developed
ironworks on the scale of
Dowlais or
Merthyr Tydfil. Carmarthen hosted the
National Eisteddfod in
1867,
1911 and
1974 although, at least in the case of the
1974 Eisteddfod, the Maes was at
Abergwili.
The Boy's
Grammar school was founded in
1587 on the site that's now occupied by the old hospital in Priory Street. This school moved in the
1840s to Priory Row before relocatiing to Richmond Terrace. It was here at the turn of the century that a local travelling circus was given permission to bury one of their elephants after it fell sick and died:the elephant's final resting place is under what was the school rugby pitch.
During
World War II prisoner of war camps were situated in Johnstown (where the Davies Estate now stands) and at Glangwilli - the POW huts being utilised as part of the hospital at its inception.
Famous Citizens
Arthurian legend
According to some variants of the
Arthurian legend Merlin was born in a cave outside Carmarthen, with many noting that Merlin may be an
anglicised form of
Myrddin. Historians generally disagree with this interpretation of the name, preferring that
Myrddin is a corruption of the Roman name, but the story is popular. Many areas surrounding Carmarthen still allude to this, such as the nearby
Bryn Myrddin (Merlin's Hill).
Legend also had it that when a particular tree called '
Merlin's Oak' fell it would be the downfall of the town as well. In order to stop this the tree was dug up when it died and pieces are now in the museum. The occasional flooding of the appropriately-named Water Street has been attributed to ongoing redevelopment of the area.
The
Black Book of Carmarthen includes poems with references to Myrddin (
Ymddiddan Myrddin a Thaliesin) and possibly to Arthur (
Pa ŵr yw'r Porthor?). The interpretation of these is difficult because the Arthur legend was already known by this time, and many details of the modern form of the legend had been described by
Geoffrey of Monmouth before the book was written. In addition some of the stories appear to have been moved into Wales at some point before their recording in the book.
Picton's monument
The original monument, erected in
1828 stood at the west end of the town, and was erected in memory of the gallant Sir
Thomas Picton, who died in the
Battle of Waterloo. It was about 75 foot high, and was similar to
Trajan's pillar in
Rome. The pillar stoods on a square pedestal, with a small door on the east side, which fronts the town, where the monument was ascended by a flight of steps. Over the door, in large characters, was the name, PICTON; and above this is a relief showing part of the field of battle, with the hero falling from his horse, from the mortal wound which he received. Over this, in large letters, is inscribed WATERLOO. On the west end is represented the
Battle of Badajoz (1812), Picton scaling the walls with a few men, and attacked by the besieged. Above this is the word BADAJOS. On the south side of the pedestal is the following inscription:—
» Sir THOMAS PICTON,
» Knight Grand Cross of the Military Order of the
:Bath,
» Of the Portuguese Order of the Tower and Sword,
:and of other foreign Orders;
» Lieutenant-General in the British Army, and
:Member of Parliament for the Borough of
» :Pembroke,
Born at Poyston, in Pembrokeshire, in August,
» :1758;
Died at Waterloo on the 18th of June, 1815,
» :Gloriously fighting for his country and the
:liberties of Europe.
» Having honourably fulfilled, on behalf of the
:public, various duties in various climates:
» And having achieved the highest military renown
:in the Spanish Peninsula,
» He thrice received the unanimous thanks of
:Parliament,
» And a Monument erected by the British nation
:in St. Paul's Cathedral
» :Commemorates his death and services,
His grateful countrymen, to perpetuate past and
» :incite to future exertions,
Have raised this column, under the auspices of
» :his Majesty, King George the Fourth,
:To the memory of a hero and a Welshman.
» The plan and design of this Monument was given
:by our countryman, John Nash, Esq. F.R.S.
» :Architect to the King.
:The ornaments were executed by
» :E.H. Bailey, Esq. R.A.
And the whole was erected by Mr. Daniel
» :Mainwaring, of the town of Carmarthen,
:In the year 1826 and 1827.
On the north side was the translation of the above in Welsh; and on the top of the pedestal, on each side of the square, were trophies. The top of the column was also square, and on each side were imitative cannons. The statue of the hero surmounts the whole, wrapped in a cloak, and supported by a baluster, round which are emblems of spears.
However, within a few years this monument had fallen into a dilapidated state. The bas-reliefs which had been sculpted by
Edward Hodges Baily were 'unable to withstand Carmarthen's inclement weather', as Joyce and Victor Lodwick put it (see 'The Story of Carmarthen' p.391). Although the sculptor made replacements, they were never put up, and the entire monument was taken down in 1846. The replacement sculptures lay neglected and forgotten in Johnstown until the 1970s, when they were rescued and transferred to the Museum.
The monument we now see was designed by the architect Frances Fowler and the foundation stone was laid in
1847. This monument, too, has had its troubles. In
1984, the top section was declared to be unsafe and was taken down, and in
1988 the whole monument was rebuilt stone by stone on new stronger foundations.
The monument still stands on its commanding position at the top of Picton. Despite Picton's military prowess there was another side to his character. In his day
he was known as a merchant of slaves and slaveowner. He was also known as a cruel torturer and the word 'Pictoning' derives from him. Many local people feel the monument to him at Picton Terrace should be removed and something more consistent with 21st century values be put in its place.
Also to be noted, there's an eliphant buried under the monument.
Sport
Speedway racing was staged in the early
2000s at a track built on the Showgrounds on the western outskirts of the town. The team raced in the Conference League.
More notably, the town has it's own
football (soccer) team:
Carmarthen Town F.C. and two
rugby union teams - Carmarthen Quins and Carmarthen Athletic.
The town also boasts two
golf courses.
Gallery
Image:DSCN0541.JPG|Snowy day in Carmarthen
Image:Carmarthen Ampitheatre.jpg|Roman amphitheatre at Carmarthen
Image:Carmarthenmap 1952.jpg|A map of Carmarthen from 1952
Future plans
The former cattle mart in the heart of the town is undergoing regeneration. The development will include a new multi-screen cinema,
Debenhams department store, market hall, restaurants and a multi-storey car park.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Carmarthen'.
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