| Llansantffraid-ym-Mechain | |
|---|---|
 St Ffraid's Church, Llansantffraid-ym-Mechain | |
  Llansantffraid-ym-Mechain Location withinPowys | |
| OS grid reference | SJ220203 |
| Community |
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| Principal area | |
| Preserved county | |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LLANSANFFRAID[2] |
| Postcode district | SY22 |
| Dialling code | 01691 |
| Police | Dyfed-Powys |
| Fire | Mid and West Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| UK Parliament | |
| Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament | |
52°46′30″N3°09′25″W / 52.775°N 3.157°W /52.775; -3.157 Community map
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Llansantffraid-ym-Mechain is a large village in thecommunity ofLlansantffraid, inPowys,Mid Wales. It is close to the border withShropshire in England, about 7 miles (11 km) south-west ofOswestry and 8 miles (13 km) north ofWelshpool. It is on theA495 road and is at theconfluence of theRiver Vyrnwy and theRiver Cain. The population as of the2011 UK census was 1,415. The community includes the village ofDeuddwr and several hamlets.
Llansanffraid means "Church ofSaint Bride" in theWelsh language;ym Mechain refers to its location in themedievalcantref ofMechain and distinguishes it from other places with the same or similar names.
The name is based on the story of St Bhrid, who is said to have floated across theIrish Sea on a sod of turf, or to have been carried to Scotland by twooystercatchers. The followers of St Bhrid possibly set up new settlements known by the Welsh asLlan Santes Ffraid, Church of (Lady) Saint Bhrid.
In recent years the spelling of the village name, with or without a "t", has been a contentious issue (as it has been atLlansantffraid Glyn Ceiriog).
The community of Llansantffraid was founded in 1987, from the previous communities of LlansantffraidDeythur and Llansantffraid Pool.[3]
Many finds ofBell Beaker pottery, dating from 2400 to 2000 BC, suggest settlement of the area in theBronze Age. Earlier,Neolithic settlement is likely, though there are currently no such sites known in the immediate area. During theIron Age, around 700 BC, a trend towards a sedentary lifestyle is evidenced by the increased number of settlements. A small hilltop enclosure was built around 400 BC where inhabitants grewwheat andbarley, and kept cattle, sheep and pigs.Aerial photography of the area shows evidence that apit alignment, possibly Iron Age, is present in the grounds of the nearby Bryn Tanat Hall Hotel.
Roman archeological evidence in the area includes a Roman fort in Bronhyddon field adjacent to Cae Hywel orchard. Anarchaeological excavation at this site revealed a barracks with attachedcenturion's house.
The Plas-Yn-Dinas, 5 km (3.1 mi) west ofOffa's Dyke and above the flood plain of the Afon Fyrnwy, is ascheduled ancient monument.[4][5] It was probably a timber castle but certainly a fortified manor house. It is first recorded in the 14th century as the residence of the lords ofMechain Is Coed. Some of the earthworks could be from the Roman period and it is reputed to be the site of the Roman station ofMediolanum.[6]
Y Foel Camp is situated on the summit of the Foel Hill, to the west of the Winllan Road. It has many hallmarks of an Iron Age fortification, and there are signs of arampart and a ditch.
Two battles fought within this parish are recorded. Around the middle of the 5th century, a battle is said to have taken place in the township of Llanerch. Emrys wen Pascen induced theSaxons to attack the Welsh. Emerys Benaur was appointed head of the Welsh army, and his victory secured the naming of the township in his honour. These events have no known factual basis.
The second recorded battle was fought between Meredydd and Ithel, sons ofGruffydd ap Llywelyn, on one side andBleddyn and Rhiwallon on the other. The battle was fought for the crown ofGwynedd andPowys. Ithel and Rhiwallon were slain and Meredydd took flight, leaving Bleddyn the sole king of North Wales and Powys.
The earliest written form in theBook of Llandaff, a 12th-century document, refers to 'Llann sanfreit' in 1066. With so many places named Llansanffraid in Wales it was necessary to add location details, hence Llansanffraid-ym-Mechain (in Mechain) and Llansanffraid Glyn Ceiriog, among others. The earliest written record of Llansanffraid-ym-Mechain is in 1254 as 'Llansanfret'.
In 1526 the name of the village appeared as 'Llansayntefrayde' in an English document. "The 'saynte' suggests an English influence on the Welsh name."[7] The English languagetithe maps of the early 1800s use twoanglicised forms, 'Llansaintffraid' and 'Llansaintfraid'.
The firstOrdnance Survey drawing map byRobert Dawson in 1830 records the spelling of the village name as 'Llansanffraid'.[8]
Welsh place names were often anglicised. For example, when the railway arrived in the village in 1862, the station was called 'Llansaintffraid'. TheBorder Advertiser was originally a railway company publication to advertise the railway, but as it became a local newspaper it continued to use this spelling.
By the beginning of the 20th century, the 'i' was lost, and the spelling appears to change again. In 1863, Llansantffraid-ym-Mechain had a station on theLlanfyllin Branch Line which connected the village to both the small market town ofLlanfyllin andLlanymynech, which was on theOswestry and Newtown Railway. In 1922 when theGreat Western Railway took over theCambrian Railways, the station name changed toLlansantffraid.[9] The station closed to passengers in 1965 along with the entire branch line as part of theBeeching cuts. The station had a single platform; the entire building remains as a restaurant. The former goods yard is now an industrial estate forWynstay.
In 2008, the letter 't' was officially dropped byPowys County Council, which claimed it was correcting a "mistake".[10] Nonetheless, the council's website still referred to the village as "Llansantffraid".[11] On 30 September 2014, the council voted to restore the "missing" 't'.[12] In May 2018, several signs were defaced with a blowtorch, including those found at the entrances to the village and direction signs atLlynclys andLlanyblodwel. The attacks were thought to have taken place overnight. In an interview with theShropshire Star, Councillor Gwynfor Thomas stated: "It is so frustrating. We have just formed a committee to look at entering the village of the year committee next year and now this happens."[13]
The localfootball team, previously known as Total Network Solutions F.C., won theLeague of Wales in the 1999–2000 season, the first title since changing its name from Llansantffraid FC. Following the takeover of its sponsors, the team was renamedThe New Saints F.C. for the 2006–07 season. The New Saints no longer play their football matches in Llansantffraid-ym-Mechain, but in Park Hall, a village inShropshire, 2 miles (3 km) east of Oswestry. A new team was formed in the village in 2007 calledLlansantffraid Village.
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