| Tregaron | |
|---|---|
 Henry Richard's statue and the memorial hall in Market Square | |
  Tregaron Location withinCeredigion | |
| Area | 86 km2 (33 sq mi) |
| Population | 1,213 (2011)[1] |
| • Density | 14/km2 (36/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | SN679597 |
| Principal area | |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | TREGARON |
| Postcode district | SY25 |
| Dialling code | 01974 |
| Police | Dyfed-Powys |
| Fire | Mid and West Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| UK Parliament | |
52°13′11″N3°56′07″W / 52.21962°N 3.93517°W /52.21962; -3.93517 Community map
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Tregaron (Welsh:[treˈɡaːrɔn] "town of St Caron"[2]) is an ancientmarket town inCeredigion,Wales. It is sited astride theRiver Brenig, atributary of theRiver Teifi, and is 11 miles (18 km) north-east ofLampeter. According to the2011 Census, thepopulation of the ward of Tregaron was 1,213 and 67% of the population could speakWelsh;[1] Tregaron is acommunity covering 33 square miles (85 km2); two-thirds of the population were born in Wales.[3]
Tregaron received its royal charter as a town in 1292.[4]: p7 It owes its origin and growth to its central location in the upperTeifi Valley. It was the market town for the scattered agricultural communities in the broad, fertile countryside to the south and the rich landowners with extensive holdings in the uplands to the east, the home of many sheep and few people. To the north wasCors Caron which was a fertile land when drained, and to the west a hilly region with self-sufficient farmers on smallholdings of a few acres. These people all converged on Tregaron for the weekly market and the annual fair,Ffair Garon, where the sale of poultry, pigs, cattle and horses took place. The charter for the yearly fair was granted byEdward I in the 13th century.[5] Sheep fairs were held in May and June and twohiring fairs took place in November. A large number of taverns and inns in the town catered for the influx of country folk to these events.[6]: p30
In the middle of the 18th century, Matthew Evans kept an inn in the town. He had two sons and a daughter who were celebrated robbers and collectively known asPlant Mat ('Matthew's children' inEnglish). They lived for several years in a cave nearDevils Bridge which still bears their name. They terrorized the district and would give to their friends a glove to act as a passport and identify them to their brethren. It was difficult to apprehend the trio because of the narrowness of the entrance to the cave which made it impossible to storm. After several years of success, they committed a murder and, eventually being taken, were sentenced to death and executed.[7]: p240
Tregaron was a main gathering place for the drovers who, before the advent of rail transport, herded large numbers of cattle, sheep and even geese hundreds of miles to the markets of southeast England. Many Tregaron men were drovers and accumulated considerable wealth in the process. They acted as news carriers and unofficial postmen and some were adept at avoidingtollgates.[6]: p31
The Tregaron area had a number of water-driven woollen mills and was a centre for the manufacture ofhosiery. Woollen socks were knitted at home by men, women and children and sold at the market, often to dealers who resold them in the industrial valleys ofSouth Wales.[6]: p32
The church is dedicated to St Caron. He was a man of lowly origins but "his courage and generous deportment obtained him the sovereignty in Wales: he made war against the Romans, reigned seven years and was buried in Tregarron".[7]: p242 He is almost certainly the same person asCarausius (Roman name)[8] who took power in Britain in 286 and was assassinated in 293 byAllectus (also seeCarausian Revolt). According toGeoffrey of Monmouth in the translation from Welsh "there was a young man of the name of Caron, of a British family, but of low degree, who... went to Rome, and solicited the Senate to grant him permission and aid to protect the sea coasts of Britain... [He] proposed to the Britons that they should make him king... Allectus with three legions... overpowered him..."[8] Anearly Christian stone slab bearing the name Carausius and theChi Rho symbol is preserved inPenmachno. The church has a tower and stands on a rocky eminence. It consists of a simple nave and chancel.
Other notable buildings in the town include the 13th-century Talbot Hotel, which supposedly has an elephant buried in its grounds.[9][10] The remotechapelSoar y mynydd is close to Tregaron. In March, 1977, a cottage near Tregaron was one target of anOperation Julie police raid in which vast quantities of the drugLSD were seized.[11][12]
NearbyCors Caron (Tregaron Bog), is known for itsadders,buzzards,red kites, andpolecats. The River Brenig is noted for itsbrown trout andeels. The river has been the subject of dredging and flood-protection works to provide 1-in-100-year flood protection to the town and improve the environment for wildlife along a stretch of river.[13]
An annualeisteddfod is held in the town each September, drawing performers from all parts of Wales and beyond.Eisteddfodau have been conducted at Tregaron for a century or more. The Caron Male Voice Choir was formed in 1969 and has performed in Europe and America as well as the UK.[14]
TheNational Eisteddfod washeld in Tregaron in 2022 after being postponed in 2020 and 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic.[15][16]
The town holds an annual festival ofharness racing in August, which attracts racegoers from across the UK; this was started in 1980 by the Tregaron Trotting Club.[17] A race day is now held early in May each year.[18]
The TregaronRugby Football Club plays inDivision Two West C of theWelsh Rugby Union, having won promotion from Division 3 in 2015.[19]
Anassociation football team,Tregaron Turfs F.C., plays in theCentral Wales Football League Southern Division.
The nearestNational Rail station isAberystwyth, which facilitates services toShrewsbury andBirmingham on theCambrian Line.[20]
Tregaron once had its ownrailway station. In 1860, government approval to subsidise the construction of a railway fromManchester to Milford Haven was granted. At the urging of local people, led byDavid Davies and supported byJoseph Jenkins, capital was subscribed for a station at Tregaron.[21]: pp 70–72 ThePencader–Lampeter section was completed in January 1866. The grand opening of the entire line was held the following year atAberystwyth on 12 August 1867, providing a boost to the economy of the town.[21]: pp 79 In 1965, Tregaron's train service was withdrawn and the station closed, after the line was badly damaged by flooding south of Aberystwyth.
The town is served by several bus routes, which connect to Aberystwyth,Carmarthen and Lampeter; there are more sporadic services to other neighbouring small towns and villages. There are no buses in the evenings or on Sundays and bank holidays. Services are operated byFirst Cymru, Mid Wales Travel and Evans Coaches.[22]
The Tregaron district has a 'through-age' school (ages 3 to 16 years),Ysgol Henry Richard,[23] administered byCeredigion County Council.[24]
Tregaron istwinned withPlouvien, inFinistère, France.[26]
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