Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for LLANIDLOES

LLANIDLOES, a small town, a parish, two sub-districts, and a hundred, in Montgomeryshire. The town stands on the river Severn, at the influx of the Clywedog, and on the Mid Wales railway, at the junction of the lines toward Builth and Lampeter, amid an almost complete circle of hills, 11 miles E of the summit of Plinlimmon, and 19 SW of Montgomery; comprises two principal streets crossing each other at right angles, and several inferior streets; was formerly edificed mainly with timber-framed houses, but has undergone much improvement by reconstruction with better houses, and by modern extension; presents an agreeable and prosperous appearance; is a resort of tourists, both for sake of the surrounding scenery in general, and for the ascent of Plinlimmon; and has a head post office, ‡ designated Llanidloes, Montgomery, a railway station with telegraph, three chief inns, two bridges across the Severn, a town hall, a church, four dissenting chapels, a national school for both sexes, and charities £53. The line of railway from it toward Lampeter was in course of formation in 1865-7. One of the bridges over the Severn is a handsome stone structure, with three arches. The townhall is a massive building, in the old frame-work style. The church is dedicated to St. Idloe; was rebuilt about 1600; retains the tower of a previous edifice; is one of the most beautiful and unique churches in Wales; has pier-capitals ornamented with carved palm leaves; has also a carved oak roof, the hammer-beams of which are exquisitely terminated, on each side, with 17 winged figures holding shields; and is said to have got these decorations from the monastery of Abbey-cwm-Hir. The dissenting chapels are for Independents, Baptists, CalVinistic Methodists, and Wesleyans. A weekly market is held on Saturday; a fair is held on the Saturday before the last Tuesday of every month: the manufacture of flannel is carried on; and some trade exists in connexion with corn and spinning mills, and with slate and stone quarries. The town was chartered in the time of Edward III., by the lords of Powys; received a charter from Henry VIII.; is governed, under the new act, by a mayor, 4 aldermen, and 12 councillors; unites with Montgomery, Machynlleth, Llanfyllin, Newtown, and Welshpool in sending a member to parliament; and is a seat of petty sessions and county courts, and a pollingplace. Pop. in 1851,3,045; in 1861,3,127. Houses,

The parish is cut into two divisions, lower and upper, a part of each of which is within the borough; and it includes the townships of Brithdir, Croesllwybir, Glynhafren, Hengynwithfach, Manleth, Treflyn, Ystradynod, and Cillmachallt. Acres, 15,790. Real property, £12,262; of which £343 are in mines, £2,000 in railways, and £50 in gas-works. Pop. in 1851,4,604; in 1861,3,987. Houses, 867. Pop. in 1861 of the lower div., 1,965; of the upper div., 2,022; of the part of the lower div. within the borough, 1,303; of the part of the upper div. within the borough, 1,824. Some fine spots and charming views are within the parish; and a lake of about 100 acres, called Llyn-Ebyr, abounding with trout, perch, and pike, is on high ground overlooking the vale of Tarannon, about 3 miles N of the town. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Bangor. Value, £220.* Patron, the Bishop of Bangor.-The two subdistricts are Lower L. and Upper L.; the former containing the lower div. of Llanidloes parish, and all Trefeglwys parish; the latter containing the upper div. of Llanidloes parish and all Llangurig parish; and both in the district of Newtown. Pop. of the lower sub-d., 3,666, of the upper sub-d., 3,663. Houses, 717 and 743.-The hundred contains seven parishes. Acres, 124,923. Pop. in 1851,9,402; in 1861,8,518. Houses, 1,489.


(John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72))

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "a small town, a parish, two sub-districts, and a hundred"   (ADL Feature Type: "cities")
Administrative units: Llanidloes AP/CP       Llanidloes Cmt/Hundred       Llanidloes SubD       Montgomeryshire AncC
Place: Llanidloes

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