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Carmarthen (Caer-Fyrddin) - From 'A Topographical Dictionary of Wales' (1849)
CARMARTHEN (CAER-FYRDDIN), an inland port, a borough, market-town, and parish, the head of a union, and a county of itself, locally in the hundreds of Elvet and Derllys, county of Carmarthen, in South Wales, 216 miles (W. by N.) from London, on the road to Milford Haven; containing, in 1849, above 11,000 inhabitants. This place is allowed by all writers to be of very remote antiquity, though they materially differ in assigning its origin. According to some it was the capital of a principal division of the island, called by the Britons Dyved, and by the Romans Dimetia; by others its origin is attributed to Maximus, a Roman general, who, having espoused Helena, daughter of Euddav, Duke of Cornwall, is said to have built Carmarthen, Cardigan, and Haverfordwest. From the concurrent testimony of all antiquaries, it appears to have been the Maridunum of Ptolemy, and the Muridunum of Antoninus, one of the principal stations in the country of the Dimetæ, situated on the Via Julia, a great Roman road, which formed the chief line of communication between this remote part of Britain and the more eastern portions of the island. This road, in its course westward through the present county of Monmouth, divided into two branches, which reunited here. From Maridunum the Via Julia was continued to the furthest extremity of the present county of Pembroke; and another road, also branching from the station, extended northward to Loventium, in the present county of Cardigan. The Roman station is supposed to have occupied the site upon which the castle was subsequently erected; and this opinion is greatly strengthened not only by the natural advantages of the situation, and its peculiar fitness for the site of a Roman camp, but also by existing vestiges of ramparts and earthworks inclosing a quadrilateral area, and the discovery of Roman coins, chiefly of the Lower Empire, and of other Roman relics, among which is one supposed to have been an altar, now preserved in the garden of the vicarage-house.
After the departure of the Romans from Britain, that portion of Dimetia which constitutes the present county of Carmarthen, became part of the principality of Caredigion; and the princes of that territory, who assumed a kind of superiority over the petty sovereigns of South Wales, selected Maridunum as the principal seat of their government, and consequently made it the metropolis of South Wales. Its modern name of Carmarthen, or Caer Fyrddin, as it is called by the Welsh (by a change of the convertible consonants fand m, common in their language), implies "a military station fortified with walls," and perfectly agrees with the description given by Giraldus Cambrensis, who calls it "urbs antiqua coctilibus muris." Its history, for nearly four centuries, is involved in obscurity; nor does any mention of it worthy of notice occur till the year 877, when, on the division of the kingdom of Wales among the three sons of Roderic the Great, the seat of government of the Princes of South Wales, which had heretofore been fixed at Carmarthen, was transferred to Dynevor. This latter was a place strongly fortified both by nature and art, and consequently more suited to the character of the times than the princes' ancient residence, which, according to the Welsh annals, had been repeatedly assailed during the continued struggles among the native chieftains for the sovereignty of South Wales, and which probably at one period was in the possession of the Saxons, who made frequent incursions into this part of the principality. In the year 1021, Hywel and Meredydd, two Welsh chieftains, aspiring to the sovereignty of South Wales, which they intended to divide between them, obtained the assistance of Eulaf, or Aulaf, with a large army of Irish and Scots, and landing on the coast of Pembroke, advanced to Carmarthen. Here they were encountered by Llewelyn, the reigning prince, and his brother Conan, who defeated them in a severe engagement, in which Llewelyn was slain. In 1038, Howel, Prince of South Wales, in the fourth attempt which he made to recover his dominions from the usurpation of Grufydd ab Llewelyn, Prince of North Wales, advanced to a place called Pen Cader, about eleven miles to the north of Carmarthen, bringing his wife with him, to share in the victory that he anticipated. But his army was entirely defeated by Grufydd; and Howel himself narrowly escaped, leaving his wife a captive to the conqueror.
The Myvyrian Archæology frequently notices, during the eleventh century, a fortress at Rhŷd-yGors, on the bank of the river Towy, about half a mile below the town, where a road was discovered some years since, leading directly to the river, on the opposite bank of which are the remains of a circular camp, evidently designed to protect the ford, or pass. It is not known at what time, or by whom, the castle of Carmarthen was originally built: the first notice of it occurs about the year 1116, when Grufydd ab Rhŷs ab Tewdwr, a native prince of South Wales, whom Henry I. had dispossessed of his hereditary dominions, and who had passed the greater part of his minority in Ireland, after carrying on a desultory warfare against the Norman invaders of his territory, resolved to make a more powerful effort for the recovery of his right. With this view he attacked the castle of Carmarthen, which, from the strength of the fortifications and the number of the garrison, resisted all his attempts. But Grufydd, having received a considerable accession of forces, and obtained possession of the surrounding country, aware of the importance of that fortress in the hands of his enemies, renewed his efforts, and advanced again to besiege it. In the meantime the Normans, foreseeing the danger, and conscious of their own insufficiency for its defence, invited to their aid the Welsh chieftains that had become vassals to the English monarch, each of whom, in succession, they appointed to defend it for fourteen days; and Owain ab Caradoc, who was among the first to obey the summons, took upon himself the command of the garrison. Grufydd, having learned the state of the fortifications, advanced with great secrecy, and ordering his men, upon the first assault, to raise the shout of victory, the garrison was thrown into confusion, and Owain ab Caradoc, being deserted by his men, was killed upon the ramparts. The castle was taken and dismantled, and Grufydd, having plundered and afterwards demolished the town, retired laden with booty to his retreat in the forest of Ystrad-Tywi. The town and castle were subsequently restored by the Normans, and remained, for short periods, in the alternate possession of these invaders and the Welsh, by each of whom they suffered severely. In 1137 the castle was destroyed by Owain Gwynedd, Prince of North Wales, and again by his sons in 1143. In the next year, Gilbert, Earl of Clare, having recovered a considerable portion of the territory of which he had been deprived by Grufydd, rebuilt the castle, and garrisoned it with Normans, who were immediately attacked by Cadell, son of Grufydd ab Rhŷs, to whom it was surrendered, on condition that the lives of the garrison should be spared. The victorious chieftain repaired and strengthened the fortifications, and for some time retained possession of Carmarthen, from which place he made repeated incursions into the territories of the Norman settlers in that part of the country.
The castle, which appears to have been an object of continual attack during the hostilities that prevailed between the English and the Welsh, being in the early part of the reign of Henry II. in the hands of the English, was assailed in 1159 by Rhŷs ab Grufydd, Prince of South Wales, and eldest brother of Cadell. He was ultimately compelled, however, to raise the siege, in consequence of the powerful succours thrown into it by the Earls of Bristol and Clare, whom King Henry had sent to its relief, and of the presence of the English monarch's Welsh allies, Cadwaladr, Cynan, and Hywel, sons of Owain Gwynedd, with their forces. The king, in 1163, received at Pen Cader the submission of Rhŷs, who there did him homage, and gave hostages for his future good behaviour. Notwithstanding this, in 1195, during the absence of Richard I. in Palestine, that turbulent prince again laid siege to the castle, which, after a feeble resistance, he took and demolished, afterwards laying waste the adjacent country. In 1212, Rhŷs Vychan, a powerful chieftain, and one of the sons of Rhŷs ab Grufydd, fighting against his nephews Rhŷs and Owain, who were in alliance with King John of England, was taken prisoner, and confined in this town, but was soon after released, on giving hostages to that monarch for his future good conduct.
In 1215, Llewelyn ab lorwerth, Prince of North Wales, in an expedition against the foreign settlers in this part of the principality, invested the castle of Carmarthen, which he took and dismantled, after a siege of five days; but on doing homage to Henry III. at Gloucester, in 1218, he promised to restore it and others to the English, together with all the dependent territory. In the following year, however, instead of performing his promise, he repaired the fortifications; and placing in the castle a strong garrison of his own forces, kept possession of it till the year 1223, when the Earl of Pembroke captured it after an obstinate defence, and put the garrison to the sword. Llewelyn, apprised of this event, sent his son Grufydd, with an army of 9000 men, to give battle to the earl; and Grufydd, advancing to Carmarthen from Kidwelly, drew up his forces on the opposite side of the river Towy. The earl crossing the river to meet him, a sanguinary battle ensued, which terminated doubtfully, darkness alone parting the combatants, who remained in sight of each other for several days, on the opposite sides of the river; but, owing to a scarcity of provisions, Grufydd was eventually compelled to withdraw his forces, and retire into North Wales.
From this period the castle appears to have appertained for a considerable time to the English crown. The Earl of Pembroke, in 1233, having quarrelled with Henry III., and being joined by Owain ab Grufydd, Rhŷs Vychan, and Maelgwyn ab Maelgwyn, laid siege to the fortress; but it held out for three months, and the garrison being relieved by a reinforcement of troops, and a supply of provisions by sea, the confederates were compelled to raise the siege. In 1256, Henry sent a large army by sea to this place, for the protection of his vassals in South Wales, who were frequently attacked by the native chieftains. After the entire subjugation of the principality by Edward I., Carmarthen was constituted the metropolis of the district to which it gives name, and which was first formed into a county by that monarch, who established in it his courts of chancery and exchequer, and the great sessions for South Wales. In the reign of Henry IV., Owain Glyndwr, having obtained the assistance of an army of 12,000 men from France, under the command of the Marshal de Montmorency, and being joined by several of the Welsh chieftains, advanced from Milford to Carmarthen, in 1405, and laid siege to the castle. This, together with several other fortresses in the neighbourhood, was soon surrendered to him; but, upon the subsequent defeat of his foreign auxiliaries, the principal men of the county abandoned his cause and returned to their allegiance to King Henry. About the year 1450, a grand Eisteddvod, or congress of the Welsh bards, was held in the town, against which the synod of the primitive bards of Glamorgan strongly protested, as tending to subvert the ancient institutions of their order.
Soon after the debarkation of the forces of the Earl of Richmond, afterwards Henry VII., at Milford Haven, a division of his army passed through this town, under the conduct of the celebrated Rhŷs ab Thomas, who rejoined the young prince at Shrewsbury, with a powerful body of Welsh adherents whom he had collected in his march. In the persecutions on account of religious tenets during the reign of Mary, Dr. Ferrars, Bishop of St. David's, was accused of heresy, and condemned to be burnt at the stake, which sentence was carried into execution at the Cross here, on the 30th of March, 1555. Carmarthen was visited by the plague in 1604, and again in 1606, when the pestilence raged with such fatality that the sessions were held this year at Golden Grove, to avoid the contagion, which re-appeared in the town in 1651. During the great civil war of the seventeenth century, the castle, which had been garrisoned for the king, was taken by Colonel Laugharne, who afterwards, abandoning the cause of the parliament, withdrew the garrison to Pembroke Castle, where, being joined by Colonel Poyer, who had also come over to the royal cause, he made a memorable stand against the authority of that assembly. In 1648, Carmarthen Castle reverted to the parliament, and was ordered by Cromwell to be dismantled; in which state it remained, part of the keep only being used as a common gaol, till 1787, when the principal part of it was incorporated with the new county gaol, completed in 1792.
The town is beautifully situated on the northwestern bank of the navigable river Tywi, or Towy, about nine miles from its influx into that portion of the Bristol Channel called Carmarthen bay, on a moderate eminence, which commands some of the finest views in the Vale of Towy, and imparts to the town a striking and picturesque appearance. It is above a mile in length, about half a mile in breadth, and consists of several streets, the two principal meeting near its centre, where originally stood the High Cross, the site of which was afterwards occupied by the fish and butter markets. These have been lately pulled down, and on the site will be raised a monument to the late Major-General Sir William Nott, G. C. B., consisting of a bronze statue, executed by Mr. Edward Davies, a native of the county, and placed on a granite pedestal. Carmarthen bridge is a stone structure of seven arches, surmounted with an iron balustrade. The principal streets contain a large proportion of good houses, and many excellent shops, and in the minor streets are several houses of respectable character. Considerable improvement has been effected of late years by modernising old buildings, and erecting new ones, in a style of comfort and taste suited to modern times: among the latter are Picton-terrace, at the west end of the town, and Waterloo-place to the north. The principal streets are paved, and lighted with gas, first introduced here in 1821; and the inhabitants are amply supplied with excellent water, conveyed from springs in the neighbourhood into public conduits in various parts of the town, by iron pipes laid down at the expense of the corporation, in 1804. At the western end of the town, near the entrance from Pembrokeshire, formerly stood a column, erected by public subscription, at an expense of £3000, to the memory of Lieut.-General Sir Thomas Picton, G. C. B., who represented the borough in parliament, and who was slain at Waterloo. It consisted of a pedestal and column, sixty-four feet in height, supporting a colossal statue of the general, nine feet and a half in height, habited in the Roman costume, and having a sword in the left hand. The pedestal on which the figure stood displayed a tasteful arrangement of shields and halberts, and at the angles of the platform were mortars mounted on carriages. On one side of the pedestal of the column was an inscription, recording in the English language the various exploits of the general during his military career, and on the opposite side was a literal translation of it into the Welsh language: the other two faces were respectively occupied with representations in altorelievo of the storming of Badajos and the battle of Waterloo, in both of which he particularly distinguished himself. The ornamental parts of the column were finely executed by F. H. Bailey, R.A., but the composition of which they were formed did not withstand the influence of the weather. This monument, having fallen into dilapidation, was taken down in the year 1846, and in its place was erected a plain obelisk, wholly devoid of architectural pretensions, and far inferior as a work of art to its predecessor. At the angles of the base are four pieces of ordnance, presented by Government. The whole was completed in the winter of 1848-49. The environs of the town are adorned with neat villas, some pleasingly varied and attractive scenery, and several mansions, among the latter of which are those of Ystrad, Rhydygors, Aberguilly, and Stirling Park. The ground is but thinly wooded; but the inequality of the surface, to a great extent, compensates for this defect, supplying several interesting views, especially one of the town, strikingly beautiful, embracing its castle and bridge, the vessels in the river, and the bold and diversified hills, by which it is terminated.
The Cambrian Society in Dyved, for the preservation of the remains of ancient British literature, and for the encouragement of the national music of the harp, established here in the year 1818, under the patronage of the late Dr. Burgess, Bishop of St. David's, afterwards Bishop of Salisbury, is at present nearly extinct; and the Cymreigyddion Society, for the encouragement of Welsh poetry, by the distribution of medals and premiums, is also in a declining state. A literary and scientific institution was established in the year 1846. Concerts and balls are occasionally held at the principal inns. Races used to take place annually in September, for two days, but latterly they have been discontinued, and steeplechases substituted for them; the race-course was about four miles distant from the town, higher up the vale. During the races, balls took place alternately at the two principal inns.
The port carries on a small foreign, and a very considerable coasting trade, now fast increasing. The principal exports are, British timber, bark, marble, slate, bricks, lead-ore, leather, manufactured goods, grain, butter, and eggs; and the principal imports are, foreign timber, pitch, rosin, tallow, coal, culm, malt, and manufactured goods for the supply of the town and neighbourhood. Towards the close of the year 1830, a weekly communication was established between Bristol and Carmarthen, by the Frolic steampacket, which was unhappily lost off the Nass sands, in its voyage from Tenby to Bristol, in March 1831, when all on board perished. At present, three steam-packets are employed, the Talbot, the Phoenix, and the Torridge, keeping up a regular communication between the two places. There are also vessels called Bristol traders, which sail alternately every week. With that city, which is regarded as the emporium of South Wales, Carmarthen carries on a very extensive trade, obtaining from it large quantities of goods of various descriptions, with which it furnishes a populous district entirely dependent on it for supplies. The quay, which at spring tides is accessible to ships of 300 tons' burthen, extends for several hundred yards along the northwestern bank of the river, and is commodious. The great South Wales railway will pass by Carmarthen, crossing the river below the present bridge. The Towy is celebrated for its salmon and sewin fisheries, in which numbers of the poorer inhabitants employ themselves. Some large tin-works are carried on; about 100 persons are employed in the manufacture of flannel, 50 in that of hats, and a small number in brick-making. There are two weekly markets, on Wednesday and Saturday: the latter, which is the principal, is abundantly supplied with corn and every article of consumption; the market on Wednesday is chiefly for meat, poultry, and butter. Vegetables are sold every day, and on the first Wednesday in the month is a monthly market for the sale of fat stock. A better supply of fish has been procured of late years, and dairy produce of every description is remarkably cheap here. Fairs, chiefly for cattle, are held on April 15th, June 3rd and 4th, July 10th, August 12th, September 9th, October 9th, and November 14th and 15th. A new market has recently been erected on the west side of Red-street, nearly in the centre of the town; it is very commodious, covering an area of two acres, and both for design and convenience is one of the best markets in the kingdom. The form is quadrangular, and covered shambles for the sale of butchers' meat occupy three of the sides: in the centre are several covered sheds for the sale of poultry, butter, cheese, vegetables, and fish, flannels, hats, shoes, and various other articles of domestic manufacture. The old market-place on the east side of Red-street has been converted into a beast-market.
The borough, which is of great antiquity, propably possessed several municipal privileges under the native Princes of South Wales, who made this place the seat of their government; and these are said to have been subsequently confirmed and extended by charter of Edward I. The earliest charter of incorporation of which there is any authentic record is that of the 38th of Henry VIII., which was afterwards confirmed by James I., who constituted the borough a county of itself, under the designation of "the County of the Borough of Carmarthen," and substituted two sheriffs for the bailiffs appointed under the former charter. This form of municipal government remained till the fourth year of the reign of George III., when the inhabitants petitioned for a new charter, which was granted, on the 27th of July, 1764. It ordained that the government should be vested in a mayor, recorder, two sheriffs, twenty common-councilmen, and an indefinite number of burgesses, assisted by a town-clerk, sword-bearer, two serjeants-at-mace, and subordinate officers, under the style of "The Mayor, Burgesses, and Commonalty." The mayor, who was elected by the burgesses in common-hall assembled, on the first Monday after Michaelmas, to serve for a year, was chief magistrate of the borough, coroner, clerk-of-themarket, and admiral of the river Towy; and presided at the meetings of the council, at the common-halls, and at the sessions of the peace. The recorder, appointed by the burgesses during pleasure, performed the usual duties of the office connected with the administration of justice. The sheriffs, who were chosen annually, by the same body, had the same privileges and power within the "county of the borough" as other sheriffs possess in larger counties, and held a monthly court, on Monday. The common-councilmen, who were elected by the mayor and burgesses, from among the burgesses, for life, were invested with the privilege, besides others of less importance, of exercising a veto upon all the money-orders of the mayor and burgesses in commonhall assembled, such as leases, agreements, &c., that required the common-seal; the charter declaring that "no writing shall be sealed with the common-seal of the corporation unless with the consent of the council." The town-clerk, sword-bearer, and serjeants-at-mace also received their appointment from the burgesses, and continued in office, nominally during pleasure, like the recorder, but practically for life; and six peers were annually elected on the charter-day, who, with the mayor and recorder, were justices of the peace for the borough.
By the act 5th and 6th of William IV., c. 76, the corporation is styled the "Mayor, Aldermen, and Burgesses," and consists of a mayor, six aldermen, and eighteen councillors, forming the council of the borough, which is divided into two wards, and of which the municipal and parliamentary boundaries are identical, it being co-extensive with the parish of St. Peter. The council elect the mayor annually on Nov. 9th, from among the aldermen and councillors; and the aldermen triennially out of the councillors, or persons qualified as such, one-half going out of office every three years, but being re-eligible: the councillors are chosen by and from among the enrolled burgesses, annually on Nov. 1st, one-third going out of office every year. Aldermen and councillors must have a property qualification of £500, or must be rated at £15 annual value. The burgesses are, the occupiers of houses and shops who have been rated for three years to the relief of the poor. The recorder is appointed by the crown: the council appoint a sheriff, and other officers, annually on Nov. 9th; and a town-clerk and treasurer, during pleasure. Three assessors for each ward, and two auditors, are elected on March 1st, by and out of the burgesses. The total number of borough magistrates is twelve. The corporation formerly possessed admiralty jurisdiction on the river Towy, from Carmarthen bridge to the sea, but were deprived of this privilege by the above act, before the passing of which, indeed, the court of admiralty had become wholly disused, although a jury had been sworn in every year, for the sake of form, to present any nuisances or obstructions of the river.
The borough first received the elective franchise in the 27th of Henry VIII., since which time it has continued to return one member to parliament. The right of election was in the old burgesses generally, formerly in number about 700, but now not more than 150. By the act for "Amending the representation of the People," which, however, caused no alteration in the boundaries of the borough, the town of Llanelly was united to Carmarthen in the return of a member to parliament. This act vests the franchise in the former resident constituency, if duly registered according to its provisions, and in every male person of full age occupying, either as owner, or as tenant under the same landlord, a house or other premises of the annual value of £10 and upwards, provided they are capable of registering as the act demands. The number of such tenements within the limits of the borough is about 600. The total number of voters in the two boroughs, including 150 burgesses, is more than 900. The sheriff is the returning officer.
The recorder holds general courts of session for the trial of all offenders not charged with the commission of capital crimes; also a court of record four times in the year, for the trial of all matters of law or fact. Petty-sessions are held weekly; the assizes take place here, and the county quarter-sessions are held in the town alternately with Llandilo. The powers of the county debt-court of Carmarthen, established in 1847, extend over the registrationdistrict of Carmarthen. The Guildhall, in which all public business for the borough and for the county is transacted, is a handsome modern structure, supported on a range of columns of the Doric order, surmounted by an entablature and a cornice. The principal front is ornamented with three lofty Venetian windows, the central compartment of each of which is circular-headed, and separated by Ionic columns from the side compartments, on the outer sides of which are pilasters of the same order. In the centre is a grand flight of stone steps, leading through the middle compartment of the central window, which opens with folding-doors into the principal story, containing, besides the halls where the courts for the borough and county are held, a grand-jury room, in which is an excellent portrait of Lieut.-General Picton, by Shee, presented by the Rev. Edward Picton; a room for the transaction of county business; and several other good rooms. The building contains an excellent portrait of Major-General Nott, and another of Mr. John Jones of Ystrad, both presented by the artist, Mr. Thomas Brigstocke; also two busts, one of the present Bishop of St. David's, Dr. Thirlwall, and the other of Col. Rice Trevor, one of the county members, both from the chisel of that rising artist, Mr. Edward Davies. Beneath are the offices of the clerk of the peace, and the remainder of the lower area is at present unappropriated. The Gaol for the Borough, built on land belonging to the corporation, under the authority of the local act, passed in the 45th of George III., has recently been converted into a temporary infirmary, and all borough prisoners are now sent to the county gaol, under an arrangement made between the county and the borough. The County Gaol and House of Correction occupy the site of the ancient castle, and are partly incorporated with its remains; the buildings were begun in 1789, and completed in 1792. The appearance of the exterior is appropriately massive, without any unnecessary heaviness, and the interior, which is arranged upon the plan recommended by the philanthropic Howard, comprises, in the portion appropriated as a gaol, four compartments for the classification of prisoners, eighteen day-rooms, including apartments for debtors, and four airing-yards; and in the house of correction, four compartments for classification, six work-rooms, four day-rooms, and four airing-yards. Both departments are well adapted to the system of classification, and each of them is capable of containing twenty-six prisoners in separate cells, or sixty by placing more than one in the same cell. In 1847, ground was purchased for the erection of barracks for about 1500 men, two miles from Carmarthen, on the St. Clear's road.
Henry VIII. is said to have meditated the removal of the seat of the ancient diocese of St. David's from that city to Carmarthen, but to have abandoned his design on the representation that the remains of his grandfather, Edmund of Lancaster, were interred in the cathedral of the former place, which would probably, after the removal of the see, fall into decay. The town is wholly within the parish of ST. PETER, to which, by charter of the 4th of George III., the city of Kaermardyn, or Old Carmarthen, was united, the whole forming what is now called the county of the borough of Carmarthen: the parish comprises by admeasurement 5155 acres, of which 1642 are arable, and 3122 pasture, both by computation. The living is a discharged vicarage, rated in the king's books at £6. 13. 4., endowed with £400 private benefaction, £400 royal bounty, and £400 parliamentary grant; and in the patronage of the Principal and Tutors of St. David's College, Lampeter, to whom, since the last presentation in 1816, it has been ceded by the crown, in whose gift it was previously: present net income, £176, with a glebe-house. The impropriate tithes have been commuted for a rent-charge of £920. Of the five churches which formerly existed in the parish, only those of St. Peter and Llanllwch are remaining; the others, not being used for sacred purposes, have long since been suffered to fall into decay. The church of St. Peter is situated without the walls of the ancient Carmarthen, but nearly in the centre of the present town. It is supposed to have been originally a cruciform structure, in the early style of English architecture; but of the ancient building only the nave, chancel, and north transept are remaining. After the suppression of the monasteries, and the neglect of the other churches, it was probably found necessary to enlarge St. Peter's church; and at this time the south aisle, which is of much later date than the rest of the building, and in the later (perpendicular) English style, is supposed to have been added to it. The edifice has been lately much improved by the removal of several architectural anomalies and incongruities; the windows have been restored on an uniform plan in the pointed style, and various other judicious alterations have been effected. The interior, which is handsomely fitted up, is 142 feet in length and 51 in breadth, and contains 800 sittings, nearly all of which are free. Divine service is performed twice every Sunday in the English, and once in the Welsh language. There are some very ancient and interesting monuments, among which the most remarkable is one to the memory of Sir Rhŷs ab Thomas, who attended the Earl of Richmond to Bosworth Field, and for his signal services on that memorable occasion was, immediately after the battle, made Knight of the Garter, and was invested with divers other distinctions. This monument, which was removed at the Dissolution from St. John's Priory, consists of an altar-tomb, on which are the recumbent effigies in alabaster of that warrior and his lady, the former in complete armour, booted and spurred, with long flowing hair, the hands upraised in the attitude of prayer, and a short sword lying by the right side; the tomb is richly ornamented with small figures, escutcheons, and shields charged with armorial bearings. There were three other effigies in alabaster of individuals of the same family, which were destroyed by the masons, some years since, and converted into plaster. The church or chapel of Llanllwch is not distinguished by any remarkable architectural features: the living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the Bishop of St. David's; income, £120. St. David's church, of recent erection, is a handsome edifice, capable of seating 1068 persons; it is situated on Picton-terrace, and has a large burying-ground attached. Divine service is performed twice every Sunday in the Welsh language, and once in English. The living is in the gift of the Vicar of St. Peter's; income, £150. There are places of worship for Baptists, Independents, Wesleyan Methodists, Calvinistic Methodists, and Unitarians.
The Free Grammar school was founded previously to the time of Elizabeth, who granted it a charter of incorporation in the eighteenth year of her reign; and was endowed by the Rev. Morgan Owen, D.D., who was promoted to the see of Llandaf in 1639, with £20 per annum, chargeable on the tithes of the parish of Ishmael, in this county. The endowment was subsequently increased by the Rev. William Jones, who gave a house and garden adjoining the schoolroom in Priory-street. The school has an exhibition of £4 per annum at Queen's College, Cambridge; and boys educated here have the preference to three exhibitions at Jesus' College, Oxford, which are open to the whole county of Carmarthen. This was a licensed institution, and young men were admitted from it into holy orders, prior to the establishment of St. David's College, at Lampeter. There are thirty boys, six of whom are taught gratuitously. A lending-library is attached, principally the gift of the late Archdeacon Beynon, who also, in 1827, gave 250 guineas for its augmentation. The schoolroom is a large building in Priory-street, erected by subscription in 1797, with a garden and play-ground of about an acre attached: the whole is kept in repair at the expense of the corporation, who also grant the master an allowance of £15 per annum, in addition to the endowment of £20. Here is an institution called the Presbyterian College, for the education of young men of any denomination, intended for the ministry, and recommended by two respectable ministers. It owes its origin, as is said, to some of the ejected ministers in the reign of Charles II., and has of late years been under the management of a board of directors in London. There are at present twelve students, who, in addition to the advantages of a gratuitous academical education, receive from the funds of the institution an allowance, for several years, of £10 per annum, for their maintenance while in the college: a few pay-scholars are also admitted, who do not necessarily become ministers. The academy has not been stationary in the town, to which it was last removed from Swansea, and is held in a house hired for the purpose, on the Parade. Many distinguished dissenting ministers have received their education in the establishment, and young men intended for the ministry in the Church of England were formerly admitted, though not on the same foundation, to participate in the literary advantages it afforded. Belonging to the college are an excellent theological library, containing about 4000 volumes; and a valuable philosophical apparatus. Among the most eminent men that have presided over the institution may be noticed John Jones, LL.D., compiler of the first Greek and English Lexicon, and author of several elementary works; and Dr. Abraham Rees, author of the Encyclopædia which bears his name, was for many years one of the visiters. Two houses were left by Sir Thomas Powell, in 1729, as an endowment for promoting "the glory of God," and the rent has been applied to the education of fifteen free scholars in a classical school named after the founder, and now conducted by Mr. Ribbans: the number of pay-scholars is thirty-four. A large and substantial schoolroom has been built for this foundation within the last few years, upon a site granted on lease by Jesus' College, Oxford: the old schoolroom was small and inconvenient.
The Training College here, a very important institution connected with the National Church, was established for preparing suitable schoolmasters for the instruction of the children of the poor, in South Wales and the county of Monmouth. The foundation stone of the building was laid by the Bishop of St. David's on the 16th of July, 1847, in the presence of 5000 persons, and the institution was opened at Michaelmas, 1848; the cost being defrayed by grants from the Committee of Council on Education, the National Society, the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, and the Welsh Education Fund. It stands in the immediate vicinity of the town, on a beautiful elevation to the west, and occupies, with the grounds, a site of ten acres and a quarter, forming an object of great interest, both as a specimen of good architectural taste, and as connected with the cause of education in the principality. The southern façade is about 200 feet long, and presents to the spectator a very imposing appearance: the building is capable of accommodating sixty students. In 1849 a set of model or practising schools, affording accommodation for more than 600 children, was opened in connexion with the training college.
A Lancasterian school, under the superintendence of a committee, was established in 1813, and is supported by subscription and children's pence, but principally by the former: about 120 boys receive instruction in it. National schools, for which two spacious and commodious rooms have been erected by public subscription, aided by a grant of £150 from the National Society, were established for the instruction of children of each sex, that for girls in 1818, and that for boys in 1822, having previously existed for many years as Sunday schools only: in these schools, which are liberally supported by subscription, 120 boys and 100 girls are gratuitously instructed. A boys' and girls' school, established in 1844, is supported by the men employed in the tinworks; and the town contains also numerous Sunday schools, one of which, connected with St. David's church, is attended by as many as 500 children and adults.
Charles Powell, Esq., in 1687, bequeathed a house and stable, to be converted into six rooms, with a garden to each, for the residence of six aged men, and £300 to be invested in the purchase of lands as an endowment: the inmates receive each an annual allowance of £2. 15. in money, coal to the amount of ten shillings, shoes and stockings of the value of £1. 4., and, every alternate year, a blue gown and a hat, together worth £2. 15. The Rev. Edward Meyrick, treasurer of St. David's, gave a house and garden for the use of a charity-school and lendinglibrary. Sir Rice Rudd, Bart., of Aberglasney, by deed bearing date the 16th of Charles II., charged certain premises with an annual payment of £25, towards the support of a charity founded by Bishop Rudd and his lady, to which also he gave the hospital, or almshouse, in St. Peter's street, with all its lands and appurtenances. Of the charity founded by Bishop Rudd nothing whatever is known: the rentcharge of £25 is at present received by the proprietor of Aberglasney, in the parish of Llangathen, and paid to the inmates of the hospital in St. Peter's street, who must be natives of the county of Carmarthen. The hospital consists of three houses with gardens attached to each, containing in the whole one acre and a half. Alderman John Philipps, in 1730, gave £200 to be laid out in land, or on other good security, directing the produce to be given annually to the most deserving of the indigent inhabitants of the county of the borough, not receiving parochial relief. There are numerous other small donations and bequests, the principal of which are, a bequest by Lady Elizabeth Morgan, in 1674, of £2. 10. per annum for poor prisoners in Carmarthen gaol, which is distributed among them in coal; another by the Rev. E. Williams, of £3 for the purchase of books, which is expended for the use of the National school, and Bibles for poor families; another of £10 by Jane Lawrence in 1825, which is distributed in blankets at Christmas; about £8 from other donors, for preaching sermons at different periods, generally at ten shillings per sermon; about £6. 10. to be expended in bread, and about £5. 10. in small money payments among the most necessitous.
The poor-law union of which this town is the head, was formed July 2nd, 1836, and comprises the following twenty-nine parishes and townships; namely, Carmarthen, Aberguilly, Abernant, St. Clear's, Convil-in-Elvet, St. Ishmael's, Laugharne parish, Laugharne township, Llanarthney, Llandarog, Llandawke, Llandeveylog, Llandilo-Abercowin, Llandowror, Llangain, Llangendeirn, Llanginning, Llangunnock, Llangunnor, Llanllawddog, Llanpympsaint, Llansadwrnen, Llanstephan, Llanvihangel-Abercowin, Llanwinio, Merthyr, Mydrim, Newchurch, and Trelêch-ar-Bettws. It is under the superintendence of thirty-three guardians, and contains a population of 37,512.
The ancient castle occupied a spacious quadrangular area on the brow of a hill rising abruptly from the river Towy, inclosed on the south-west, southeast, and north-east by lofty walls, defended in the centre by semicircular bastions, at the southern angle by a strong square tower, and at the eastern and western angles by massive circular towers. The principal entrance was in the north-west front, and was guarded by an advanced gateway; the keep and principal buildings were situated in the northern angle of the area. The few existing remains of this fortress, being incorporated with the gaol, are concealed from public observation, except one of the entrances, and portions of the walls above the river. There are only inconsiderable remains either of the priory of St. John, or of the convent of the Grey Friars in Lammas-street. The former was founded for Black canons, about the year 1148, but by whom is uncertain; its revenue at the Dissolution was £174. 8. 8., and the site, in the 35th of Henry VIII., was granted to Richard Andrews and Nicholas Temple. The latter was a cell to the monastery of St. Augustine, at Bristol, and the site was granted by Henry VIII. to Thomas Lloyd, and, in the 5th of Edward VI., to Sir Thomas Gresham. A church dedicated to St. Mary was situated on the south side of the guildhall, in a street of that name; but not being used after the Reformation, it was converted into dwelling-houses, on the timbers of the roofs of which may be discerned the heads of saints, forming part of its original ornaments. Near the remains of the Grey Friars' house in Lammas-street, are some vestiges of another church, supposed to have been the chapel belonging to that convent. The church of the priory of St. John was taken down after the suppression of religious houses, and several of the ancient monuments were removed into St. Peter's church.
In the garden of the vicarage-house is still preserved a Roman altar, of a cubic form, in the upper surface of which is a cavity, probably the patella for holding the blood of the victim. Near the northern part of the town, in a field called the Bulrack, or Bulwark, are the remains of a Roman camp, the prætorium of which may be distinguished by the superior elevation of the ground within the area, and which evidently appears to have been the campus æstivus of the principal station. The remains of a causeway have been discovered, extending in a line from the priory to the castle, and apparently indicating the direction of the Via Julia Montana, which led to Maridunum from the east, and here joined the Via Julia Maritima, which, having its course nearer to the sea, is supposed to have passed through the station from east to west, in the line of the present turnpike-road. The village at the extremity of this causeway still retains the name of Pen-y-Sarn, "the Head of the Causeway;" and it is related by Giraldus Cambrensis, who flourished about the close of the twelfth century, that, in his time, Roman bricks might be seen in the walls by which the town was surrounded. Near Llanllwch are some imperfect remains of an extensive encampment; and an intrenchment on a smaller scale, but in a very perfect state, which was probably thrown up during the great civil war, may be seen in a field near the gasworks.
Carmarthen is said to have been the birthplace of the celebrated Merlin, or Ambrosius, whose exploits were the subject of the romances of former ages. His mother is said to have been the daughter of a king of South Wales, and he is supposed to have taken the name of Merddyn, or Merlin, from the place of his nativity, and to have spent much of his time in seclusion in a grove about three miles to the east of the town, still called Merlin's Grove. His extraordinary skill in various sciences, especially in mathematics and astronomy, caused him to be regarded as a magician in the dark age in which he lived. The Rev. Lewis Bailey, D.D., Bishop of Bangor, was a native of the town; he was the author of the "Practice of Piety," which passed through many editions, and was translated into the French and Welsh languages. Walter D'Evereaux, Earl of Essex, and father of the accomplished and unfortunate nobleman who suffered in the reign of Elizabeth, was buried here. Sir Richard Steele was for some years a resident at Carmarthen, where he is said to have composed his play entitled "The Conscious Lovers." He married the daughter and only child of Jonathan Scurlock, Esq., of this place, and towards the close of his life retired to a small estate called Tŷ-Gwyn, on the opposite bank of the river, in the parish of Llangunnor, partly residing there, and partly at Carmarthen. He died at his house in King-street, Carmarthen, at a very advanced age, and was interred in the family vault of the Scurlocks in St. Peter's church, where is a simple tablet to his memory. That distinguished commander, Major-General Sir William Nott, G.C.B., who was greatly attached to Carmarthen, died here on January 1, 1845, in the sixty-third year of his age: he owned the estate of Job's Well, and at the time of his decease, about eighty or a hundred workmen were employed in rebuilding the house. Carmarthen gives the inferior title of marquess to the noble family of Osborne, Dukes of Leeds.
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