Penllyn

Here is a substantial reading list of books which relate to Glamorgan, either county or parish.

References to Penllyn at the British Library

The Glamorgan Family History Society have produced a set of microfiche containing Monumental Inscriptions for the following burial grounds :-

• Presbyterian Church

Chapels Database - a list of all known non-conformist chapels or other non-Anglican religions in the parish

For full and up-to-date details of their holdings see the sites of Glamorgan Record Office and/or West Glamorgan Archives

See Bap/Mar/Bur data on  FreeReg

The church is dedicated to St. John Evangelist, and is in the Benefice of Cowbridge Details of the present incumbent of this benefice can be found at the Church in Wales website. The church can be found at grid reference SS979747.

See also St. Brynach, Llanfrynach

Penllyn Castle - on the Castle Wales site

• Geograph
• Flickr

Transcript of name listing for Cowbridge, and neighbouring parishes from Commercial and Trade Directories, for the years:-

The transcription of the section for Penllyn from The National Gazetteer (1868) provided by Colin Hinson.

Description of parish from A Topographical Dictionary of Wales (1833) by Samuel Lewis

• Ask for a calculation of the distance from Penllyn to another place.

Some of the hamlets, towns and villages within this parish

• Craig Penllyn
• Llanfrynach

Photograph of Penllyn Castle taken by Ronald Reynolds in the early 20th century. - on the People's Collection Wales site

• Homfray of Penllyn Castle
  1809-1957: deeds 1818-52, estate incl sale catalogues. 1847-1957, wills, settlements, trusts. 1809-1916, misc personal papers 19th cent
  [Glamorgan Archive Service, Cardiff - Reference: D/D Pe]
• Lewis family of Penlline
  1757-1812: estate rental and accounts
  Glamorgan Archive Service, Cardiff]

Details of extant records on Archives Network Wales for the following;

• Homfray of Penllyn Estate papers     1777-1983        "The Homfray family, long seated in Yorkshire, came to Glamorgan when Francis Homfray of Wollaston Hall, Worcestershire, married Hannah Popkin of Coytrahen (Coetre-hen), near Bridgend, Glamorgan. Francis, a successful iron-master in Staffordshire and Worcestershire, established an ironworks at Penydarren, Merthyr Tydfil. His third son, Jeremiah Homfray (1759-1833) gave up his share in the Penydarren works to his brother, Samuel in 1789. In 1813 Jeremiah was declared bankrupt. He fled to Boulogne to avoid paying his creditors. Jeremiah's son, John Homfray (1793-1877) purchased Penllyn Castle in the vale of Glamorgan in 1846. ..............................................."
• Penlline [Penllyn] Civil Parish records        "........... comprising copy of tithe plan and apportionment, 1840"

This diagram shows the position of this parish within the county of Glamorgan - click on this to see a full size diagram of the county

Parish map (Kain/Oliver)

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SS978765 (Lat/Lon: 51.478574, -3.473182), Penllyn which are provided by:

• OpenStreetMap
• Google Maps
• StreetMap (Current Ordnance Survey maps)
• OpenStreetMap Cymru (Welsh counties only)
• Bing (was Multimap)
• Old Maps Online
• National Library of Scotland (Old Ordnance Survey maps)
• Vision of Britain (Click "Historical units & statistics" for administrative areas.)
• Magic (Geographic information) (Click + on map if it doesn't show)
• GeoHack (Links to on-line maps and location specific services.)

• All places within the same township/parish shown on an Openstreetmap map.
• Nearby townships/parishes shown on an Openstreetmap map.
• Nearby places shown on an Openstreetmap map.

Places, villages, farms etc within Penllyn as shown on the online parish map from the CD of Historic Parishes of England and Wales: an Electronic Map of Boundaries before 1850 with a Gazetteer and Metadata [computer file]. (Kain, R.J.P., Oliver, R.R.). (Extracted by Gareth Hicks)

• Penllyn (110); Craig Penlline; Cymle; Dre-fechan; Fferm-goch; Ham; Llanfawr; Llwynhelyg Ho.; Moorland; Pen-fistla; Penlline (village); Penlline Moor; Penllyn Castle; Penllyne Court; Pentre Meyrick; Tewgoed; Ty- (tir y ? ); Ty-mawr.

There are many references to this area in the 15 million Welsh and English language articles from Welsh newspapers transcribed by the NLW and viewable on Welsh Newspapers Online
Below are English language articles that have been re-transcribed and extracted randomly to illustrate what is available, there are many that are not extracted here that include names of local people

• From The Glamorgan Gazette 15th June 1906

At Llanfrynach. Church,

"You may break, you may shatter, the vase if you will,
But the scent of the roses will hang round it still. " - Moore.

"Millions of spiritual creatures walk, the earth
Unseen, both when we wake and when we sleep." - Milton.

Such were some of the thoughts that crowded on the mind of the writer last Sunday evening, when, thanks to the generosity and large-heartedness of a local landed proprietor, "the sound of the church-going bell" once more awakened the echoes of "the valleys and woods" surrounding the ancient and historic fane of Llanfrynach. After a residence of some years in its immediate neighbourhood, and an awakening about a year ago by a Nonconformist nephew from Cheshire to the historic ecclesiastical character of this neighbourhood, it has become impossible not to picture to one's self the part this venerable church must have taken in the evangelisation and edification of Great Britain. For, be it known to all whom it may concern, that modern research has fairly established the fact that Glamorgan (Morganwg) was the cradle of Christianity for Great Britain, and that our Celtic forefathers, under the sway of the Roman Empire, took a very active and effective, part in the establishment of Christianity in these islands. Whether St. Paul's headquarters were or were not at St. Donatt's Castle in the days of King Caractacus, it is pretty certain that during seven years of his life, as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, he "lit the candle" of Christianity in this locality, "which by the grace of God has never been put out." So far, the tradition relating to the preaching of St. Paul in Britain is accepted as true, and there can be nothing out pleasurable feelings in referring to the fact and trying to imagine to what "labours abundant" of this venerable Apostle to the Gentiles our ancestors and ourselves owe their and our evangelisation and civilisation. True it is that at periods this Pauline spirit has nearly gone out, but the revival spirit is so intimate a part of the Celtic nature, and in no respect is it so substantially exemplified as in the restoration and upkeep of the sacred edifices erected by the piety and self-denial of our ancestors. Devoted brains and hands have recently been at work on Llanfrynach Church and its God's acre-the ancient and present cemetery of the parish of Penllyn and neighbourhood. Once more the residents in Lisworney and Llanblethian joined the parishioners of Penllyn in praising the God of their forefathers on the sacred spot where for generations and generations the sacrifice of praise and thanks- giving had been daily celebrated. Long before the appointed time for Divine service, the holy shrine was crowded and many were unable to obtain admission. And "still they came," including no small contingent from the neighbouring borough of Cowbridge. It was a truly pandenominational congregation, and what a tribute to the ancient liturgy of the church of our forefathers it was to hear such. distinct and united responses throughout the whole of the Divine office. After all, with all our petty and unimportant differences, it is a fact that we can worship together on the old and well-tried lines of the past. What a soul-stirring effect was produced by the hearty and general singing of "Crown Him Lord of All" and "All people that on earth do dwell." What a soul-searching must have gone on in the minds of all during the singing of "The Church's one Foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord." The preacher was the popular Vicar of Penllyn, who made an earnest appeal to all present to make good use of their present opportunities of grace, to keep the oil of the Divine Presence alight, so that when the Master should call they would be ready to go in to the marriage supper of the Lamb.

J. D., Lisworney.

The Population of Penllyn was as follows, and a more detailed breakdown is available.