Clyro

Clyro
Welsh: Cleirwy
Clyro
 Clyro shown within Powys
Population 597 
Principal areaPowys
Ceremonial countyPowys
CountryWales
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town HEREFORD
Postcode district HR3
Dialling code 014978
Police Dyfed-Powys
Fire Mid and West Wales
Ambulance Welsh
EU Parliament Wales
UK ParliamentBrecon & Radnorshire
List of places
UK
Wales
Powys

Coordinates: 52°05′12″N 3°08′59″W / 52.0867°N 3.1498°W / 52.0867; -3.1498

Clyro (Welsh: Cleirwy) is a village in Powys, Wales, with approximately 600 inhabitants (2005).[1] The nearest town is Hay-on-Wye, some 1.5 miles (2.5 km) to the south-east.

History

The name of the village is thought to derive from the Welsh for 'clear water'.[2] Though a Roman fort has been excavated within the village,[3][4] the settlement of Clyro is presumed to be early medieval.[5]

St Michael and All Angels, Clyro

The parish church is dedicated to Saint Michael and All Angels and was first recorded in the Valor Ecclesiasticus of 1535. It was, however, almost entirely rebuilt in the 19th century, though the base of the tower is early 15th century.[6]

Clyro Castle was first mentioned in 1397, but may be much earlier. All that now remains is a large motte.[7] A second motte, called Castle Kinsey and possibly built by Cadwallon ap Madog in the 12th century, is at Court Evan Gwynne just north of the village. The site is now a Radnorshire Wildlife Trust reserve called Cwm Byddog, also notable for its veteran oak pollards.[8]

John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, and his supporter John William Fletcher often stayed and preached in Clyro at the house called Pentwyn.[9]

Clyro Court was built by Thomas Mynors Baskerville in 1839. It is said that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a family friend and visitor, with obvious consequences.[10] Clyro Court Farm is much older, being a former monastic grange with some of the buildings dating back to the 14th century.[11][12]

Francis Kilvert

Baskerville Arms

Francis Kilvert was curate of the parish church from 1865 to 1872 and much of his published diaries deal with the people and landscape of Clyro and the surrounding area. This part of Wales, including the villages of Clyro, Capel-y-ffin, Llowes, Glasbury, Llanigon, Painscastle, and the town of Hay-on-Wye, as well as Clifford and Whitney-on-Wye in neighbouring Herefordshire, is sometimes referred to as "Kilvert Country".[13]

There is a commemorative plaque in Clyro parish church and his former residence, Ashbrook House, is now an art gallery. Many of the buildings mentioned in the diaries are still extant, including the old village school where Kilvert taught, the old vicarage, the New Inn (now a private residence), and The Swan (now the Baskerville Arms).

Notes

  1. http://www.powys.gov.uk/uploads/media/04_Clyro_en.pdf
  2. Rev. W.E.T. Morgan, Hay and neighbourhood, 1932.
  3. Roman vexillation fortress
  4. Roman millstone from Clyro fort
  5. "Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust - Projects - Historic Landscapes - Middle Wye". Cpat.org.uk. Retrieved 2012-02-04.
  6. "Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust - Projects - Longer - Historic Churches - Radnorshire Churches Survey - Clyro". Cpat.demon.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-02-04.
  7. "Clyro Castle". Castlewales.com. Retrieved 2012-02-04.
  8. Cwm Byddog
  9. Rev. W.E.T. Morgan, Hay and Neighbourhood, 1932
  10. "Baskerville Hall Hotel, Hay on Wye accommodation near clyro mid wales & Hay festival of Literature Guest house style". Baskervillehall.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-02-04.
  11. Rev. W.E.T. Morgan, Hay and Neighbourhood, 1932
  12. Photos of Clyro Court Farm
  13. C. Barber, Exploring Kilvert Country ISBN 1-872730-24-8

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 1/24/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.