Builth, or Llanvair-Yn-Muallt
BUILTH, or LLANVAIR-YN-MUALLT, a
market-town and parish, the head of a union, and
anciently a borough, in the hundred of Builth,
county of Brecknock, South Wales, 17 miles
(N.) from Brecknock, and 170 (W. N. W.) from London; containing 1203 inhabitants. The proper name
of this parish, both as applied by the native inhabitants, and as used in legal documents from the earliest
times, is Llanvair-yn-Muallt, or "St. Mary's in
Builth." The name Builth, by which the place is
commonly known, and which is more correctly written
Buallt or Muallt, implying "a land of boscage used
for pasture," and more especially for the pasture of
oxen, is with strict propriety applied generally to the
territory within which the town is situated, and is
derived from the Welsh Bu, "an ox," and Allt, "a
wooded eminence," at once descriptive of the face of
the country and the use to which it was appropriated.
The origin of the town is involved in very great
obscurity; some writers, judging from the course of
the Roman road from Deva, now Chester, to CaerBannau, near Brecknock, and strengthened in their
opinion by the resemblance of the names, have fixed
the Roman station Bullæum Silurum at this place.
But, though a Roman road may have passed by
Builth, and some military post may have been established in the neighbourhood, no remains have been
discovered to corroborate such an opinion; and many
writers of respectable authority altogether deny that
any part of the present county of Brecknock was
ever comprehended within the ancient province of
Siluria. The present town appears to have arisen
subsequently to the erection of a castle here, probably
by the Norman invaders of this part of the principality, under the command of Bernard Newmarch,
about the year 1098. The first historical notice of
the place occurs in an account of the marriage of
Maud, second daughter of Milo Fitz-Walter, lord
of Brecknock, to Philip de Breos, one of Bernard's
followers, who, having attacked and conquered the
territories of Elystan Glodrhŷdd, which bordered on
the river Wye, established in them the lordship of
Builth, from which circumstance he is designated, in
the account of his marriage above referred to, "lord
of Builth, which he obtained by conquest." Frequent
mention of this castle occurs in the annals of South
Wales, but its history is nevertheless very imperfectly
known; and neither the name of its founder, nor the
exact time of its erection, has been precisely ascertained. The lordship of Builth descended, together
with the lordships of Brecknock and Hay (the latter
in right of his mother), to William, son of Philip de
Breos, upon whose subsequent attainder they became
forfeited to the crown.
King John restored part of the vast possessions
of that nobleman to his son, Giles de Breos, Bishop
of Hereford, but retained in his own possession the
remainder, in which were included the lordship and
castle of Builth. These, however, the bishop soon
after recovered, taking possession of all the ancient
estates of his family, which were subsequently confirmed to him by the king. Giles was succeeded in
them by his younger brother, Reginald de Breos,
who, in 1221, being besieged in his castle at Builth
by Llewelyn ab Iorwerth, despatched messengers to
Henry III., to apprise him of his danger; upon
which, that monarch, coming to his assistance, compelled Llewelyn to raise the siege and retire. After
the death of Reginald, who had married a daughter
of Llewelyn's, the lordship of Builth and his other
possessions descended to his eldest son, William de
Breos, by a former marriage. This nobleman, preferring the English interest, notwithstanding his
father's connexion with the family of Llewelyn, remained a stedfast adherent to the government of
Henry III., and became involved in the wars which
that monarch carried on against the Welsh, in one
of which he was made prisoner by Llewelyn, to
whom the lordship of Builth, with a large sum of
money, was given for his ransom. The castle having,
after the death of William, reverted to the English
crown, was held under Prince Edward by Sir Roger
Mortimer, who was appointed governor. During
his absence on a summons to attend the English
parliament, in 1260, it was surprised in the night by
Llewelyn ab Grufydd, Prince of North Wales, who
attacked it on pretence that Sir Roger Mortimer,
contrary to his oath, had violated the neutrality
which he had promised to observe, and supported the
English cause. The conduct of Mortimer upon this
occasion gave great umbrage, on the other hand, to
the English government; and being suspected, from
his near affinity to Llewelyn, of partiality to the
interests of that prince, he was summoned before the
English council, by whom he was fully acquitted of
any participation or connivance in the loss of the
castle, though much to the dissatisfaction of Prince
Edward, who formally entered his protest against the
decision of that assembly.
In 1282, the town and its vicinity were the scene
of the last struggles for Welsh independence, to which
a period was finally put by the death of the gallant
and unfortunate Llewelyn, the last of the native
sovereigns of Wales: to this melancholy catastrophe,
the inhabitants of the town and neighbourhood are
accused of having materially contributed, either by
their cowardice, or by their treachery. No two
writers give the same account of the event; some
authorities representing the castle to have been at
that time in the possession of the Welsh prince, and
others in that of the English monarch, with whose
subjects in the marches Llewelyn is said to have held
a treasonable correspondence. All, however, concur
in stating that the object of his visit to South Wales,
after the brilliant success which had attended his
arms at the Menai straits, was to hold a conference
with some of the chieftains in this district. Llewelyn,
for this purpose, came to Aberedw, about four miles
below the town, where he had a castle or mansion;
and there passed the night. During his stay he was
alarmed by the approach of the enemy, who had received intelligence of his movements and present
situation; and, being nearly surrounded by the forces
of the English, under the command of Sir Edmund
Mortimer and John Giffard (who had marched from
Herefordshire, or, according to other writers, only
from Builth, to surprise him), he, as is commonly
stated, caused his horse's shoes to be reversed, in
order to mislead his pursuers by their impressions on
the snow, which then covered the ground. The
stratagem, however, being treacherously discovered
to the English, by Madoc Gôch Mîn Mawr, the
blacksmith whom Llewelyn had employed, a pursuit
was commenced. Llewelyn fled towards Builth,
crossing the bridge over the Wye, which he caused
to be demolished, before the arrival of his pursuers,
who were, consequently, compelled to return to a
ford eight miles lower down on the river, where they
effected a passage. Meanwhile Llewelyn had sought
succour from the garrison at Builth, which being
refused, either from dread of the presence of an
English force, or from treachery, he led his party
westward up the vale of Irvon, and crossed that river
a little above Llanynis church, by a bridge called
Pont-y-Coed, where he stationed his men. The
English, on coming up, were unable to obtain possession of the bridge; but discovering a ford at a
short distance, a small party of them secretly crossed
it, and falling upon the Welsh unawares, put them to
the rout. The Welsh prince was slain in a small
dell, since called Cwm Llewelyn, or "Llewelyn's
dingle," a short distance from the scene of action, by
one Adam de Francton, who, ignorant of his quality,
immediately joined his countrymen in the pursuit,
but returning, probably for the sake of plunder, discovered that his victim was the Prince of Wales, on
whose person he found a letter in cypher and his privy
seal. He then cut off his head, which he sent to the
King of England, at Conway; and the body, being
afterwards dragged a short distance from the spot,
was buried on the banks of the Irvon, in a place since
called Cevn bedd Llewelyn, "the ridge of Llewelyn's
grave." The alleged conduct of the inhabitants of
Builth, in refusing shelter to the last native sovereign of the principality, in this expiring struggle
for liberty, procured for them the opprobrious appellation of Bradwyr Buallt, or the "Traitors of
Builth."
John Giffard, who had distinguished himself in
this engagement, was appointed governor of the
castle of Builth, under the crown, as appears from
the records in the Exchequer. This office he continued to hold till the 25th or 26th of Edward I.; but,
towards the close of the reign of Edward II., the
castle and lordship were either granted to Roger
Mortimer, Earl of Wigmore, or, having been restored to the family of de Breos, were obtained by
that nobleman on his marriage with Maud, daughter
of the third William de Breos. From this time they
remained in the possession of that family, till the
attainder of the last Earl of March, when they again
reverted to the crown, to which they continued an
appendage till the reign of Charles I.
In the year 1691 the town was nearly destroyed
by an accidental fire, which broke out on the 20th of
December, in that year. The loss sustained by the
sufferers who applied for relief under this calamity
was estimated at £10,780, and by persons of more
independent property, who did not make application
for assistance, about £2000 more. Letters-patent
were granted by the crown, authorising the distressed inhabitants to gather alms from charitably
disposed persons throughout the kingdom, and under
this authority a few hundred pounds were collected;
but the money was so misapplied that only one house
in the town was rebuilt from the fund. In this instrument, which is illuminated with the portraits of
King William and Queen Mary, and with the arms
of England, Scotland, Ireland, and France, highly
emblazoned, it is stated that "the fire raged for five
hours, and that, from the boisterousness of the winds,
it consumed the dwellings of forty-one substantial
families, with all their corn, furniture, effects, and
merchandises, to the great impoverishment of the adjacent country, and decay of trade, it being a very
considerable market-town, and having no other market kept within ten miles of it." Since this calamity
no events of importance have occurred.
The town is romantically situated on the river
Wye, whose banks, throughout the whole of its winding and varied course, are crowned with picturesque
beauty. It is irregularly built, consisting principally
of two streets, which, meeting in an acute angle,
unite and afterwards extend for a considerable distance along the road leading to Llandovery. Several neat houses occupy the space between the river
and the churchyard, nearly parallel with the course
of the Wye, over which is a handsome stone bridge
of six arches, connecting the counties of Brecknock
and Radnor, erected in 1770, at their joint expense.
There are also some well-built houses of respectable
appearance in detached situations. The surrounding
scenery is eminently distinguished for its richly diversified and highly picturesque character: the adjoining hills, in some places approaching to mountainous elevation, are interspersed with groves of
thriving plantations, alternated with lofty and boldlyprojecting masses of rock, overhanging the river;
whilst other hills, clothed with flourishing timber
from the base to the summit, combine, with partial
appearances of sterility and rugged grandeur, the
more pleasing features of verdure and cultivation.
The approach from Brecknock is exceedingly interesting: the contrast between the high state of
cultivation in the vicinity of Builth, and the barren
mountains which are traversed in approaching it,
is peculiarly striking; the prospect being adorned
with the meandering course of the Wye, a variety
of beautiful scenery in the foreground, and a long
range of mountains in the distance, which, although
lofty, present a soft and delicate outline. The soil
around the town is very superior to that in the remainder of the hundred: the lands are inclosed, and
in an excellent state of cultivation; the climate is
milder, and the crops are earlier than in other parts
of the county.
Owing to the alterations and improvements in the
high roads, the town now occupies a situation on the
direct line of communication between North and
South Wales, the high road from Brecon to Llandrindod, and that from Hay to Llanwrtyd, passing through
the place; and from the numerous other local advantages which it possesses, it is capable of great
improvement. The Wye, and its several tributary
streams, by which the inhabitants are amply supplied
with water, abound with trout; and within a mile and
a half of the town, are some excellent mineral springs,
one of them saline, another chalybeate, and a third
sulphureous. These springs, which are situated
about half a mile from the banks of the Wye, in the
parish of Llanvihangel-Brqyn-Pabuan, have become
within the last few years, from their well-established
reputation, a source of great attraction to visiters, the
number of whom has been rapidly increasing, and
for whose accommodation numerous houses have been
erected by the landowners in Builth. The growing
importance of the locality, through the influx of
visiters in the summer months, has also drawn many
strangers to fix their permanent residence here; and
a new suspension foot-bridge lately thrown over the
river Irvon, has contributed in no small degree to
supply the requisite facilities of communication with
the north-western vicinity, and to enhance the admiration of the beautiful scenery of the neighbourhood by those who visit the waters. The market,
which is very numerously attended, is on Monday;
and fairs, which are also much frequented, are annually held on the third Monday in February, the
Monday before the 12th of May, on June 27th, the
last Monday in August, October 2nd, and December
6th, for the sale of agricultural produce, and wares.
This place is said to have been anciently a borough,
with a charter of incorporation from its Norman lords,
and in all ancient documents, the inhabitants were
styled the "Burgesses of Builth;" but they at
present enjoy no municipal privileges, and the town
is under the jurisdiction of the county magistrates.
The powers of the county debt-court of Builth, established in 1847, extend over the registration-district
of Builth. A small lock-up house has been erected
for the confinement of petty offenders, with apartments for the two parish constables.
The parish is separated by the river Wye on the
north from that of Llanelweth in the county of
Radnor, and is bounded on the south and east by
that of Llanddewi'r Cwm, and on the west by the
parishes of Llanganten and Maesmynis. It comprises
by computation about 700 acres, which, with the exception of 20 acres of woodland, are nearly equally
divided between arable and pasture; the soil rests
upon clay, and produces wheat, barley, oats, and
potatoes, all raised for home consumption.
The living is a perpetual curacy, endowed with
£200 private benefaction, £400 royal bounty, and
£600 parliamentary grant; patrons, alternately, the
Price family, and V. Pocock, Esq., the impropriators,
whose tithes have been commuted for a rent-charge
of £90. The tithes belonged to the priory of Brecknock, upon the dissolution of which they were purchased by Sir John Price, and continued for some
time in the possession of his heirs; they were afterwards purchased by Richard Price, Esq., of Knighton.
Attached to the living are about twenty-eight acres
of bounty land, bought in the year 1739, and half an
acre of garden-ground; but the parsonage-house fell
into decay more than a century ago, and has not
been rebuilt. The total net income of the benefice
is £106. The church, dedicated to St. Mary, and,
with the exception of the ancient tower, rebuilt in
the year 1793, at the expense of the parishioners, is
a neat plain structure, 60 feet long, and 20 wide. In
the chancel are the remains of a monument with the
mutilated effigy of John Lloyd, of Towey, Esq.;
and on a brass plate in the north wall just above
it is an inscription, setting forth that he was a servant to Queen Elizabeth, whose father he had also
served in Scotland and elsewhere, and that he was
the first sheriff and justice of the peace that ever
dwelt in this lordship after the division of Wales
into counties. There are several places of worship
for dissenters.
Thomas Pritchard, a native of the town, who had
acquired an ample fortune in London by trade, in
1752 bequeathed £1800 New South Sea annuities
to certain trustees, to apply the dividends annually
to such charitable purposes, for the benefit of the
parish, as they and the principal inhabitants should
deem most beneficial. In 1759, a bill, in the nature
of an information, was filed by the Attorney-General
to establish this will; and in 1760, the money was
directed to be laid out in building a school-house,
the payment of a master's salary, and the placing
out of apprentices; any remaining surplus to be
applied to the relief of the poor. No school-house
was erected under this decree; but a very good
building has been erected as a boys' school by voluntary subscription of the parishioners, on a piece of
ground let by the late Thomas Price, Esq., on lease,
at a pepper-corn rent. The income arising from
the bequest is £54. 16. 8. per annum, to which have
been added £5 per annum, the interest of £100
bequeathed by the Rev. Benjamin Lawrence, in the
year 1829, and now secured on mortgage. Of these
united sums, £30 per annum are paid to a schoolmaster, for teaching thirty boys, and £16 per annum to a mistress, for teaching sixteen girls; £5
per annum are paid to a clerk for managing the business of the charity, and the remainder is expended
in the necessary repairs of the building, and in providing books for the use of the scholars. There is
no surplus for distribution among the poor, nor will
the funds, after defraying the expenses of the school,
afford any thing for the apprenticing of children,
though a few have been put out at different periods
with premiums of £5 each, when a balance has accrued: the town is, however, entitled to participate
in the benefits resulting in this respect from the
liberal endowment of the Boughrood charity at
Brecon. The master and mistress each receive an
increase of salary in fees, paid by the parents of some
scholars admitted in addition to the numbers abovementioned. A Sunday school for boys is held in the
spacious room of the free school, and one for girls in
the chancel of the church: there are also several
Sunday schools in connexion with dissenters. Margaret Powell, in 1715, bequeathed £20, due to her
upon the mortgage of a tenement called Hêngwm, to
the poor of the parish.
The poor-law union of which this town is the
head, was formed Jan. 2nd, 1837, and comprises the
following thirty-one parishes and townships; namely,
Alltmawr, Builth, Crickadarn, North Gwenddwr,
South Gwenddwr, Gwravog, Llanavan-Vawr, Llanavan-Vechan, Llanddewi-Abergwessin, Llanddewi'rCwm, Llanganten, Llangynog, Llanlleonvel, Llanvihangel-Abergwessin, Llanvihangel-Bryn-Pabuan,
Llanynis, Llysdinam, Maesmynis, Penbyallt, Rhôsverrig, and Trêvllys, in the county of Brecknock;
and Aberedw, Bettws-Disserth, Caregrina, Disserth
with Tre'r Coed, Llanbadarn-y-Garreg, Llandrindod,
Llanelweth, Llansantfraid-in-Elvel, Llanvaredd, and
Rulen, in the county of Radnor. It is under the
superintendence of 35 guardians, and contains a
population of 8714, of whom 6345 are in Brecknockshire.
Of the ancient castle, occupying a gentle eminence
above the river Wye, the only remains are a small
fragment of the north wall, which appears to have
been of unusual strength and thickness, though the
quality of the stone was not very durable. The deep
trenches by which it was surrounded still shew the
original form and extent of this once important fortress, which commanded the river, over which was
originally a bridge, nearly opposite to it. The keep
was on the summit of a steep conical mound, fifty
yards in circumference at the base, and entirely surrounded with a deep moat. The state apartments
and other buildings were chiefly on the south-west
side, where an outer moat communicates with the
inner moat by a deep cut: both of these trenches
appear to have been occasionally filled with water,
for the better defence of the fortress. The circuit
of the whole is about three hundred and fifty paces.
On a precipitous eminence, rising from the bank of
the river Irvon, at a short distance from its junction
with the Wye, is a mound of earth, which is said to
have been anciently the site of a mural fortress,
called Castell Caer Beris; but nothing either of its
origin or history is known, and the only memorials
existing at present are the name and the site.
About a mile west of the town is a small brook,
called Nant-yr-Arian, or the "Money brook," from
the circumstance of its having been a place of
guarded intercourse between the inhabitants and the
country-people during the prevalence of the plague
in the town. At that time the people of the adjoining districts are said to have deposited at this place
the provisions with which they supplied the town,
and the inhabitants to have thrown their money into
the brook, to prevent infection.
Burlinjob
BURLINJOB, with Old Radnor, a township,
in the parish of Old Radnor, liberties of the borough of New Radnor, union of Kington, county
of Radnor, South Wales, 4¼ miles (S. E. by E.)
from New Radnor; containing 415 inhabitants. The
Kington railway commences at the lime-works in
this township, proceeds westward to Castle Weir, and
then southward until it joins the Hay railway: it
was formed under an act obtained in 1818. The
Roman road from Builth to Kington passed between
Burlinjob and Old Radnor.
Burton
BURTON, a township, in the parish of Gresford, union of Wrexham, hundred of Bromfield,
county of Denbigh, North Wales, 3 miles (E.)
from Hope; containing 446 inhabitants. In this
township, which is situated on the border of Flintshire, stands Burton Hall. The tithes have been
commuted for £275 payable to the Dean and Chapter
of Winchester, £125 to the vicar of Gresford, and
£48 to certain impropriators.
Burton
BURTON, a parish, in the hundred of Rhôs,
union and county of Pembroke, South Wales, 3
miles (N.) from Pembroke, on the road from that
town to Haverfordwest by Burton Ferry; containing 846 inhabitants. This parish is situated on Milford Haven, and abounds with scenery in every part
pleasing, and occasionally picturesque. Among the
most interesting objects in the vicinity are the remains of Burton Castle, on the western shore of the
Haven, probably erected by some of the Normans,
as a border fortress for the protection of the territory which they had acquired on this part of the
coast. It does not appear to have been of very great
extent; the ruins, however, have a truly picturesque
appearance, consisting principally of a lofty round
tower, which, rising above the thriving plantations in
the vicinity, forms a conspicuous feature in the landscape. The parish comprises 3394 acres, of which
248 are common or waste. The living is a rectory,
rated in the king's books at £15. 12. 11., and in the
patronage of Earl Cawdor for two turns, and Sir
John Owen, Bart., for one; Earl Cawdor presented
at the last vacancy, in 1832, and has also the next
presentation. The tithes have been commuted for a
rent-charge of £216, with a glebe of 40¼ acres,
valued at £60 per annum, and a handsome and commodious parsonage-house, erected by the Rev. D.
Bird Allen, the late incumbent. The church is a
neat plain building, with a square tower at the west
end. There are two places of worship for Baptists,
and one for Wesleyan Methodists. J. H. Philipps,
Esq., of Williamston, in the parish, has lately erected
a very neat schoolroom for the education of poor
children; the school is partly supported by that gentleman, partly by subscription, and partly by schoolpence. Three or four Sunday schools are also maintained in the parish, one of them in connexion, like
the day school, with the Established Church. A rentcharge of £3 was bequeathed by Mr. Morgan Bowen,
in 1776, but the donation proved ineffective under
the provisions of the Mortmain Act. About 7½ acres
of land called St. Andrew's Park, yielding a rent of
£8, are regarded as church land, and the rent applied
accordingly. Burton Ferry, which is also called
Pembroke Ferry, is held under the crown.
Burva
BURVA, with Bareland, a township, in the
parish of Old Radnor, liberties of the borough of
New Radnor, union of Kington, county of Radnor, South Wales, 5½ miles (E.) from New Radnor: the population is returned under the head of
Bareland, with the township of Evenjob and Newcastle. The township is situated on the border of
Herefordshire, and is extremely well wooded. Offa's
Dyke passes through it, near which are the remains
of an ancient camp.
Buttington
BUTTINGTON, called by the Welsh TÂL-YBONT ("the end of the bridge"), a parish, in the
incorporation of Forden, hundred of Pool, within
the liberties of the borough of Welshpool, county of
Montgomery, North Wales, 2 miles (N. E. by E.)
from Welshpool; comprising the townships of Cletterwood, Hope, and Trewern, each of which separately maintains its own poor; and containing 826
inhabitants. During the Saxon era this place was
called Butdigingtune, and is remarkable as the scene
of a desperate battle, in 894, between the Saxons
and the Danes. The latter, in one of their landings,
under their leader Hesten, having traversed the kingdom from east to west, and finding Alfred in pursuit
of them with a numerous army, hastily retreated from
the western part of England towards Wales, and
being closely pressed by the Saxons, intrenched
themselves at this village, where they were actively
blockaded by their pursuers, and reduced to such
distress as to be obliged to feed upon the flesh of their
horses. Impelled by despair and famine, they at
length made an attempt to force their way through
the Saxon army, when a dreadful carnage ensued, in
which most of them were slain, a few only escaping
to their own country. In confirmation of this historical event, there were discovered in 1839, by a
labourer who was excavating some soil on the north
side of the churchyard, about 330 human skulls deposited in three distinct holes about a yard in diameter, and nearly a cartload of arm, leg, and thigh
bones thrown over them. The skulls were afterwards
placed in the church for public inspection, and several
phrenologists were of opinion that they were the remains of men from the age of twenty to forty-five,
the ossification of the cranium being of different
stages between those two periods of life.
The parish is bounded on the north by the parish
of Guilsfield, on the south by that of Worthen, on
the east by Alberbury, and on the west by Welshpool, from which it is separated by the river Severn.
It comprises by computation 4500 acres, of which
1200 are arable, 500 meadow, 2100 pasture, 400
plantation, and the remainder waste; the scenery is
picturesque and beautiful, and the wood consists
chiefly of oak. The village is situated on the road
from Welshpool to Shrewsbury, and on the eastern
bank of the river Severn, which is crossed by a
wooden bridge of considerable antiquity, and, after
heavy rains, frequently overflows its banks, in this
vicinity very low, and causes great damage to property. Some of the land is rich and valuable, particularly that lying along the margin of the Severn. The Longmynd and the Breidden hills are
partly situated within the parish: the latter are divided
into three rocky peaks, called Craig Vreddin (from
Bre, an elevation, and Din, a fort, terms referring to
an ancient British fort still visible on its summit),
Cevn Cestyll, and Moel-y-Golva, the last of which
is the loftiest and most conical. On the first-named
peak a tall obelisk was erected, in 1781, in commemoration of the distinguished services of Admiral
Lord Rodney, in the war with France, more especially his defeat of a powerful French armament
under the command of Count de Grasse, in the West
Indies. It consists of a circular pillar, resting on a
square pedestal, and formerly terminating with a ball,
which was struck by lightning and has not been replaced. The expense was defrayed by subscription
among the gentry in the neighbourhood. The summit of the peak commands pleasing and highly
diversified views of the fertile Vale of Severn and
the country bordering upon it, the richly cultivated
and extensive plain of Salop, with the Cheshire hills,
and the principal mountains in North Wales. The
rocky sides of these hills present a precipitous escarpment, here and there interspersed with shrubs,
whilst their bases are finely skirted with woods. On
a small plain to the east, called Crew Green, is a
large isolated rock, denominated Belin Mount, at a
short distance from the adjacent hills.
The living is a perpetual curacy, endowed with
£1000 royal bounty, and £600 parliamentary grant;
net income, £107; patron, the Vicar of Welshpool,
to which parish this was formerly a chapelry, having
been separated from it and made distinct prior to
1736, as an old register exists which was commenced
at that period, and which describes Buttington then
as a parish. Three-fourths of the great and small
tithes belong to the Earl of Powis, as lessee under
the Dean and Canons of Christ-Church, Oxford.
The church, dedicated to All Saints, is built in the
early style of English architecture, is seventy feet
long and twenty-eight feet broad, and contains 368
sittings. A parsonage-house was built in 1836; and
a chapel was erected in 1839 at Trewern, at the distance of 2¾ miles from the church, for the accommodation of about 130 persons. Two small day schools
are partly supported by charity, and a Sunday school
is held, all in connexion with the Established Church.
Vestiges of several British encampments are visible
on the rising grounds in this parish, which, from its
situation upon the border, was doubtless, in early
times, frequently the scene of military operations.
That celebrated boundary line, Offa's Dyke, runs
through it to a spot near the church, where it disappears for the space of about five miles, the channel
of the river Severn probably serving as a continuation to the parish of Llandrinio, in which it is again
seen.
Bwnneiaid
BWNNEIAID, a hamlet, in the parish of St.
Harmon, union and hundred of Rhaiadr, county
of Radnor, South Wales, 5½ miles (N. by E.)
from Rhaiadr: the population is returned with the
township of Clâs-Garmon. This hamlet consists of
a mountainous district in the north-eastern portion of
the parish, on the border of Montgomeryshire. The
road from Rhaiadr to Llanidloes passes through it.