Llandysul is a small market town of some 2,500 people in the county of Ceredigion, Wales, which lies on the river Teifi on the road between Newcastle Emlyn and Lampeter. It derives its name from the Welsh for the church of Tysul who is believed to have founded the original clas, around which the town later grew, in the sixth century. Nothing remains of Tysul's original church, but the current building, which dates from the thirteenth century, still features the ancient "Velfor Stone", whose inscription, in both Latin and Ogham commemorates "Velvoria, daughter of Brohomaglus".
The town was once famous for the annual game of Cnapan played against the neighbouring parish of Llanwenog. A type of no-holds barred football, the annual contest which took place each epiphany, regularly resulted in serious injury and the occasional fatality but continued to be played until the early nineteenth century when the local priest substituted a scripture competition in its place. Modern Llandysulians have to be content with the annual River Festival held every August.
Due to its river location and its close proximity to the raw material it was once a centre for the woollen industry, much of which has since disappeared. Although the Laura Ashley company was once based just outside the town, leading to the incongruous sight of the windows of Laura Ashley shops across Britain emblazoned with the names of its major locations in Paris, London, Munich and Llandysul.
Table of References
- www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/CGN/Llandysul/
- www.aber.ac.uk/compsci/Telematics/leader_ii/commerce/tysul/history.html
- www.llandysul-plogoneg.com/histoire_des_communes_an.htm