Tregaron
| Tregaron | |
|---|---|
 |
|
 Tregaron
|
|
| Tregaron shown within Ceredigion | |
| Population | 1,173 (2011) |
| 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 |
| EU Parliament | Wales |
Tregaron is a market town in the county of Ceredigion, Wales, lying on the River Brenig (also Brennig), a tributary of the River Teifi. The town is twinned with Plouvien, in Finistere, France. According to the 2011 Census, the population of the ward of Tregaron was 1,173 and 67% of the population could speak Welsh.
Tregaron received its royal charter as a town in 1292. It owes its origin and growth to its central location in the upper Teifi 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 was Cors 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 by Edward I in the 13th century. Sheep fairs were held in May and June and two hiring 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.
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 as Plant Mat ('Matthew's children' in English). They lived for several years in a cave near Devils 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.
...
Wikipedia