Killymaenllwyd (Cîl-Y-Maenllwyd)

KILLYMAENLLWYD (CÎL-Y-MAENLLWYD), a parish, in the union of Narberth, partly in the hundred of Dungleddy, county of Pembroke, but chiefly in the Lower division of the hundred of Derllŷs, county of Carmarthen, South Wales, 7 miles (N. by E.) from Narberth; containing 583 inhabitants. This parish lies on the banks of the river Tâf, which here separates the counties of Carmarthen and Pembroke; and, with a very small exception, is inclosed and in a good state of cultivation. The scenery, though not characterized by any peculiarity of feature, is generally pleasing, and is agreeably diversified with wood and water: Coedllŷs, the seat of the family of Philipps, is beautifully situated in a richly-wooded vale on the banks of the river Tâf, of which simplicity and retirement are the leading features. The living is a discharged rectory, rated in the king's books at £6. 10., and in the patronage of the Lord Chancellor: the tithes have been commuted for a rent-charge of £200. The church, dedicated to St. Philip and St. James, was lately repaired by the Rev. R. Bowen Jones, the incumbent. At Castell-Dauyran is a chapel of ease; and, according to tradition, there was formerly at the same place an ancient mansion called the Castle, the property of two sisters, who jointly possessed the chapelry and the castle. There are places of worship for Independents and Baptists; and three Sunday schools are held, two of them belonging to the former and one to the latter denomination. A bequest of £200 by Edward Hughes, in 1786, for educating poor children, has been lost to the parish, by allowing the money to remain in the hands of his personal representative, who became insolvent. Camden notices a quantity of Roman coins which had been recently found in this parish; they were of impure silver, and the series reached from the time of Commodus, who first debased the coin of the empire, to the fifth tribuneship of Gordian III., A. D. 243. Among them were some of Helvius Pertinax, M. Opellius, Antoninus Diadumenianus, Julius Verus Maximus, Cælius Balbinus, Clodius Pupienus, Aquilia Severa, wife of Heliogabalus, and Sallustia Barbia Orbiana.

Kîlrhedyn (Cîl-Rhedyn)

KÎLRHEDYN (CÎL-RHEDYN), a parish, in the union of Newcastle-Emlyn, chiefly in the hundred of Elvet, county of Carmarthen, and partly in that of Kîlgerran, county of Pembroke, South Wales, 5 miles (S. W.) from NewcastleEmlyn; containing 1108 inhabitants, of whom 857 are in the Carmarthenshire, and 251 in the Pembrokeshire, portion. This place is situated on the Star road leading from Carmarthen to Cardigan, and has the parish of Kenarth on the north, Trelêch-arBettws on the south, Penboyr on the east, and Clydey on the west. The parish is intersected by the small river Cych, which here forms the boundary line between the two counties; and comprises 7856 acres, whereof 1296 acres are arable, and the remainder consists of woodland and heath, including a considerable extent of turbary. The river Pedran also winds through the lands, which are in some parts low and flat, and in others hilly, ornamented occasionally with oak and other timber; the chief produce is corn. In the parish are two neat residences, GlâsBant and Dyfryn. The living is a rectory, rated in the king's books at £8. 12. 8½., and in the patronage of the Lord Chancellor; net income, £192. The church, situated in Pembrokeshire, and dedicated to St. Teilo, contains 152 sittings. There are places of worship for Independents, Baptists, and Presbyterians; and some Sunday schools.

Kîlwych (Cîl-Wych)

KÎLWYCH (CÎL-WYCH), a parcel, in the parish of Llanvihangel-Cwm-Dû, union and hundred of Crickhowel, county of Brecknock, South Wales, 2 miles (N. by W.) from Crickhowel; containing 371 inhabitants. The name of this place, signifying "the cheerful retreat," is applicable to its situation in the pleasing vale of Cwm Dû. Some tithes here were granted to the prior and monks of St. John the Evangelist in Brecknock, by Pycard, a Norman knight, to whom Bernard de Newmarch had given the lordship of Ystrad Iw; at the dissolution of the priory they passed into lay occupation, in which they still remain. On the banks of the Usk is Penyarth, a beautiful seat, originally belonging to the Vaughans, afterwards sold to William Augustus Gott, Esq., who built the present mansion, and now the property of Joseph Bailey, Esq.; it commands rich views of the Vale of Crickhowel.

Kîlybebill (Cîl-Pebyll)

KÎLYBEBILL (CÎL-PEBYLL), a parish, comprising the Upper and Lower divisions, in the union and hundred of Neath, county of Glamorgan, South Wales, 5 miles (N.) from Neath; containing 731 inhabitants, of whom 341 are in the Upper, and 390 in the Lower, division. This place, the name of which signifies "the retreat of the tents," is situated in a pleasant glen, opening at its southern extremity into the Vale of Neath, and at its western extremity into the Vale of Tawy, the river Tawy separating the parish from that of Llanguicke on the west. The river is crossed here by a handsome stone bridge of one arch, called Pont-ar-Dawe, constructed by the self-taught architect of Pont-y-Pridd: the span of the arch is about eighty feet, and the whole structure, though inferior in its dimensions to Pont-y-Pridd, is superior to it in the beauty of its architecture. Along this bridge passed the road from Neath to Llandilo-Vawr and Llandovery in Carmarthenshire. The parish comprises 4014a. 2r. 3p., consisting of pasture, arable, and woodland, the first of which is by far the largest in quantity; the soil, though stony, is fertile, and the surface in many parts diversified with oak, ash, and several other kinds of trees. Kîlybebill Place, the ancient seat of the family of Herbert, from which sprang the powerful Earl of Pembroke, and now the property of Francis Edwardes Leach, Esq., a descendant of the Herberts, has been so completely modernised and greatly improved by its present proprietor, as scarcely to retain any vestige of its ancient character. The grounds are well disposed, and the house commands a good view of the sea, and of the abrupt knolls and eminences near Briton-Ferry. One of the ladies of the Herbert family was maid of honour to Catherine of Braganza, consort of Charles II., and was afterwards appointed mistress of the robes to that queen, who presented her with one of the only two portraits of her majesty, painted by Sir Peter Lely, which is still preserved in the house. The parish forms a mineral district, and coal is sent in large quantities to the port of Swansea, where it is shipped for different parts of the kingdom.

The living is a discharged rectory, rated in the king's books at £4. 6. 8., augmented with £268 parliamentary grant, and in the patronage of the Crown: the tithes have been commuted for a rent-charge of £115; and there is a glebe of nearly twelve acres, valued at £10 per annum. The church, dedicated to St. John the Evangelist, is a plain building, sixty feet long and twenty-five feet wide, with a massive square embattled tower, and contains 250 sittings, all of which are free. A school-house for a day and Sunday school in connexion with the Church, was built in 1838 by Howel Gwyn, Esq. There is a place of worship for Independents, with a Sunday school held in it. Mrs. Herbert, in 1740, bequeathed £5 per annum, which is regularly paid to the poor of this and the adjoining parish of Llanguicke.

Kîlycwm (Cîl-Y-Cwm)

KÎLYCWM (CÎL-Y-CWM), a parish, in the union of Llandovery, Higher division of the hundred of Cayo, county of Carmarthen, South Wales, 4 miles (N. N. W.) from Llandovery; comprising the Upper and Lower hamlets, and containing 1481 inhabitants, of whom 834 are in the Upper, and 647 in the Lower, hamlet. This parish, which is watered by the river Towy, extends for nearly ten miles in length, and in some parts five miles in breadth, comprising an area of 16,620 acres, whereof 5000 are common or waste. Copper and lead ores abound within its limits. The scenery presents some very romantic features. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £142, of which £10 are derived from tithes, and the remainder from land, and bounty money of Queen Anne; patron, Thynne Howe Gwynne, Esq. The church is dedicated to St. Michael. There is also a vicarage noticed in the king's books, rated at £5; but it is not known where the church stood. There are places of worship for Baptists and Calvinistic Methodists. Rowland Pryse, Esq., in 1719, bequeathed £5 per annum towards the support of a charity school, and £1 per annum, of which half was to be appropriated to the purchase of books for the children, and half to be distributed in bread to the poor. The sum of £5 is accordingly paid to the master of a school here, which is otherwise supported by children's pence; and there are six Sunday schools in the parish, one of them in connexion with the Established Church.

Kinnerton

KINNERTON, with Badland and Salford, a township, in the parish of Old Radnor, union of Kington, within the liberties of the borough of New Radnor, county of Radnor, South Wales, 2½ miles (N. E.) from New Radnor; containing 241 inhabitants. This place is situated on the road between New Radnor and Presteign by Discoed, and near the Best brook, which turns the Holbech mill. There is a chapel of ease, dedicated to St. Mary.

Kinnerton (Higher)

KINNERTON (HIGHER), a township, in the parish of Doddleston, poor-law union of Great Boughton, hundred of Maelor, county of Flint, North Wales, 3¼ miles (S. E. by S.) from Hawarden; containing 455 inhabitants. The remainder of the parish is in the hundred of Broxton, county of Chester. The surface of this township is hilly: the village is situated on the road leading from Mold to Chester.

Kitploith (Cŷd-Plwyf)

KITPLOITH (CŶD-PLWYF), with Portseyborvawr, a hamlet, in the parish of Llandeveylog, hundred of Kidwelly, union and county of Carmarthen, South Wales, 2 miles (S.) from Carmarthen; containing 263 inhabitants. It forms the northern portion of the parish, where the ground is rather undulated than hilly or mountainous, and contains some pleasing and agreeable residences.

Knelston, or Knollston

KNELSTON, or KNOLLSTON, a parish, in the union and hundred of Swansea, county of Glamorgan, South Wales, 12 miles (W. by S.) from Swansea; containing 113 inhabitants. It is a very small parish, and the church, which was dedicated to St. Maurice, is now in ruins. Marriages, baptisms, and burials are solemnized for the families of this parish at the church of the adjoining parish of Llanddewi, for which additional duty a certain stipend is paid to the vicar of that place by the Dean and Chapter of St. David's, to whom the rectorial tithes of Knelston are appropriated. The living of Knelston is a vicarage not in charge, in the patronage of the Dean and Chapter. A small Church school is supported partly by subscription, and there is a Sunday school in connexion with the Church.

Knighton

KNIGHTON, a borough, market-town, and parish, and the head of a union, in the hundred of Knighton, county of Radnor, South Wales, 9¾ miles (N. E. by N.) from New Radnor, and 158 (W. N. W.) from London; containing 1404 inhabitants, of whom 1237 are in the borough. The Welsh name of this place is Trêv-y-Clawdd, signifying "the town upon the dyke," and is derived from its situation on that stupendous rampart of earth which Offa, King of the Mercians, raised as a line of separation between the territories of the Cambrian princes and his own widely-extended dominions. The town is beautifully situated on an eminence rising boldly from the southern bank of the river Teme, and at the head of a deep vale sheltered on all sides by hills of lofty elevation, crowned with timber of luxuriant growth, and commanding extensive and finely varied prospects over the surrounding country. The two principal streets, which intersect each other at right angles, are regularly formed; they contain some well-built houses, and, owing to the declivity of their situation, they are constantly clean, adding much to the neat appearance of the place, which is inhabited by many families of respectability. The parish has almost every where an undulated surface; but the lands, notwithstanding the loftiness of their elevation in some parts, are mostly well cultivated. The total area is 2612 acres.

There are neither manufactures nor trade carried on in the town, with the exception of what arises from its situation on a public thoroughfare, and what is necessary for the supply of its inhabitants. The turnpike-roads from Builth, in the county of Brecknock, and from Kington, in that of Hereford, through Presteign, after uniting within two miles and a half to the south of this town, form the high road from those places, through Knighton, to Shrewsbury. An establishment for dressing and dyeing the wool which the peasants spun in their own houses was formerly carried on, but, together with the spinning, has been discontinued, it having been found cheaper to get the wool from Yorkshire. Flannels and whittles (a Flemish term for shawls) are brought hither from Newtown in Montgomeryshire. A large woolstapling establishment was also kept up here, which failed in 1811; there is still a little business done in this branch of trade, but some warehouses that were used for it have either been converted into dwellinghouses, or are altogether unoccupied. The market, which is on Thursday, is plentifully supplied with provisions, and is attended by dealers even from Birmingham and its vicinity, who come hither to purchase meat, poultry, eggs, butter, cheese, &c. Fairs are held annually on the first Saturday in March, on May 17th, June 21st, August 18th, October 2nd, and the Wednesday before November 12th.

The parish is divided into three parts, namely, the borough, the lordship of Farrington, and the township of Cwmgilla. The borough is co-extensive with the manor, its common title being "The Manor and Borough of Knighton." It is under the superintendence of a bailiff, burgesses, and constables. The bailiff is appointed annually at the court leet held for the manor, which belongs to the crown; his duty extends to little more than collecting the chief-rents of the manor, and receiving in trust, as chief municipal officer, the tolls of the market. The burgesses are made by a presentation of a jury of burgesses, selected by the steward of the manor. Knighton, together with Cnwclas, Kevenlleece, Rhaiadr, and (by the act of 1832, for "Amending the Representation of the People") Presteign, contributes, with the borough of Radnor, to send one representative to parliament. The right of election was extended by the act of 1832 to every male person of full age, occupying either as owner, or as tenant under the same landlord, a house or other premises in the borough of the annual value of £10 and upwards, provided he be capable of registering as the act directs. The number of tenements of this value is seventy-seven, and the total number of voters in the borough is 143. A court for the recovery of small debts was anciently held here, once in three weeks, which, having been discontinued for several years, was revived about twenty-five years ago, but was again discontinued in 1830, in consequence of the death of the presiding officer. The petty-sessions for the hundred are held here; and Knighton is one of the polling-places in the election of a knight for the shire.

The living is a perpetual curacy, endowed with £600 private benefaction, £600 royal bounty, and £600 parliamentary grant; net income, £155; patron, the Earl of Powis. The tithes have been commuted for a rent-charge of £290, and there is a glebe of above nine acres, valued at £30 per annum. The church, which is dedicated to St. Edward, and pleasantly situated on the bank of the river Teme, is a comparatively modern edifice. Thomas Meyrick, in 1770, bequeathed £40, and Ralph Dimwood gave £50, with which sums a rent-charge of £4 was purchased, now applied in aid of some National and infant schools, established in the year 1846: the children are also instructed on Sundays, when a few additional scholars attend. There are six small almshouses for the poor, the founder of which is unknown; and several charitable donations and bequests for distribution have been lost, among which are a bequest of £50, by Mary Barnsley, in support of the school, and for the general benefit of the poor; a grant of land of the annual value of £2, by Lieut.Colonel Ralph Winwood; another, of £4. 5., by Judith and John Price; and a rent-charge of £2.10., bequeathed by Andrew Clark, in 1752. The poorlaw union of which this town is the head, was formed November 9th, 1836, and comprises within its limits the following parishes and townships; namely, Knighton, Beguildy, Blethva, Heyop, Llanano, Llanbadarn-Vynydd, Llanbister, Llandewi-Ystradenny, Llangunllo, Llanvihangel-Rhyd-Ithon, and Stanage, in the county of Radnor: Adforton with Stanway, Paytoe, and Grange; Brampton-Bryan; Buckton with Coxwall; and Walford with Letton and Newton; in the county of Hereford: and Bedstowe, Bettws-y-Crwyn, Bucknell, Llanvair-Waterdine, and Stowe, in the county of Salop. It is under the superintendence of twenty-three guardians, and contains a population of 9315 persons, of whom 6484 are in the Welsh portion. Of an ancient castle that commanded the town, the only remains are some vestiges of its site, which can be for the most part accurately pointed out: there are two tumuli in the parish; and on the summit of a steep hill, about three miles from the town, are the remains of a very extensive British camp.