The Gatehouse website record for Llandovery Town Defences

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Llanymddyfri; Llanymdyfri

In the community of Llandovery. In the historic county of Carmarthenshire (Modern authority of Carmarthenshire, preserved county of Dyfed).

There wers no town walls, and for the most part the borough was well defended by natural features. To the south flowed the Gwydderig, and joining it at the eastern end of the High Street was the Bran which flowed southwards from the Roman fort. On the west the (now vanished) eastern channel of the Tywi ran parallel to the present college road and was forded at the junction of Broad Street with Church Bank. Within the town was another stream, the Bawddwr, originally known as the Dyfi, which flowed down through the market-place and Broad Street, while a small section which joined the Gwydderig was incorporated into the castle moat. For the most part Bawddwr is now culverted. It was only on the north side that the town lay unguarded, and it is possible that the 'fossatum de Krenchey', the ditch mentioned in Richard III's 1485 charter to the burgesses, ran east-west, parallel to Garden Street. (Soulsby)
No one else seems to have taken up this suggestion of a town defence, and it seems unlikely this ditch was anything more than a drain and boundary marker.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SN766344

Sources of information, references and further reading

Further information may be available from the holder of the county Historic Environment Record. In particular 'grey' literature, such as watching brief reports, held by H.E.R.s is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded in this website, or elsewhere.

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The information on this web page may be derived from information compiled by and/or copyright of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historic Monuments of Wales, the four welsh archaeological trusts and other individuals and organisations. All the sources given should be consulted to identify the original copyright holder and permission obtained from them before use of the information on this site for commercial purposes. I do not receive any income from this site and I fund it myself.
The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.
Suggestions for finding online and/or hard copies of bibliographical sources can be seen at this link.

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