Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog

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Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog
Denbighshire
Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog - geograph.org.uk - 1201624.jpg
View of Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog
Location
Grid reference: SJ159328
Location: 52°53’10"N, 3°14’56"W
Data
Post town: Llangollen
Postcode: LL20
Dialling code: 01691
Local Government
Council: Wrexham
Parliamentary
constituency:
Clwyd South

Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog is a village in the valley of the River Ceiriog in southern Denbighshire. It is situated at the end of the B4500 road, five miles south-west of Glyn Ceiriog and ten miles north-west of Oswestry.

Name

The name Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog is perfectly descriptive of the village, meaning "the church of St Garmon in the valley of the river Ceiriog".

Although known locally simply as 'Llanarmon', the addition of 'Dyffryn Ceiriog' or 'DC' is necessary to distinguish it from other villages named Llanarmon, such as Llanarmon-yn-Iâl, also in Denbighshire, and the remote rural parish of Llanarmon Mynydd Mawr, around five miles to the south on the high slopes of the Tanat Valley.[1]

History and landscape

The village grew up at the intersection of several drovers' roads which forded the River Ceiriog. It still has two inns, the Hand and the West Arms, which originally served drovers taking their flocks to market: the inns' names are a reference to the armorial bearings of two prominent landowning families, the Myddletons of Chirk Castle and the Wests of Ruthin Castle. It also has an ancient tithe barn, now converted into a dwelling house.

The village church of St Garmon was possibly named after Germanus of Auxerre, though there have been suggestions of an alternative St Garmon. The original church was reputedly founded in the 5th century, and rebuilt in the mediæval period. It was, however, largely demolished and rebuilt in 1846, and nothing remains of its earlier fabric.[2] A hoard of coins of the reign of Edward IV was found during the demolition.

The churchyard contains a mound, the Tomen Garmon, which may be of Bronze Age origin, accompanied by ancient yew trees.

Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog is situated in the upper Ceiriog Valley, which is known both for its high landscape value, being extremely scenic and dominated by traditional agricultural use, and as a strong centre of Welsh culture.[3] In the 2001 census, 55.1% of residents were found to have knowledge of the Welsh language, against 28.4% in Wales as a whole.[4]

Notable residents

The poet John Ceiriog Hughes was born at Pen-y-Bryn Farm, at Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog in 1832, and spent his childhood there.

References

Commons-logo.svg
("Wikimedia Commons" has material
about Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog)
  1. St Garmon, Llanarmon Mynydd Mawr
  2. Church of St Garmon, Clwyd-Powys Archeological Trust
  3. Ceiriog Valley Landscape Character, Wrexham Council]
  4. Neighbourhood Statistics Wrexham 019B, Office for National Statistics