Llangathen Area Geography Question

[Debby]

I am hoping that someone on here lives at or near Llangathen near Llandilo in Carmarthen.

My ancestors the Dyer family come from Llangathen and I have found them there on the 1841 census.  Knowning that often on the census people put the district rather than the exact area they lived I checked out the front of the sub-district discription to find our exactly where they lived.

On the census document itself their address is down as Coyty which I presume was the name of the cottage or farm they lived at.  He was a shoemaker so a cottage is probably more likely.  All the other families on the census also had names that would suggest cottages.

On the sub-district descriptor on the front of the census document it stated that the particular area they were in was "Parish of Llangathen Hamlets of Berthlwyd and Brynhafod."

I checked out the areas for the other three sub-districts in Llangathen and was able to find the names of a couple of other hamlets mentioned on them and then find them on both historical and current maps.  However I have not been able to find Berthlwyd or Brynhafod on any maps.

I found several references to these places  against various people and with the Gazetteer of the British Isles by John Bartholomew dated 1887 describing them thus:

Brynhafod, hamlet, Llangathen par, mid Carmarthenshire 2 miles NW of Llandilofawr.

Berthllwyd, hamlet, Llangathen par, mid Carmarthenshire 3 miles W of Llandilofawr.

In this same document Llangathen is also described as being 3 miles W of Llandilofawr suggesting that Berthllwyd was right next to Llangathen town and Brynhafod about 1-2 miles to the NE of Langathen town.

I was wondering if anyone who knows the region or who lives near there could let me know if they know anything of either of these hamlets, has any pictures or a map showing where they are/were located.  Also if anyone could tell me if they do exist and if there are any graves on the site.

My ancestors who lived and died there were Thomas Dyer and Anne David.  As far as I know they never left the area although most of their children did.

Thankyou
Debby
Australia

[Debby]

Since I wrote the above I have had a little sucess after trailing through a multitude of online maps.

I have found a Brynhafod-fach and a Brynhafod Fawr within a few hundred metres of each other.  These appear to both be farm houses or small farm communities and lay just NE of Llangathen.

I went back and wrote down the names of the other farms/cottages visited just before and after the census taker visited the one my ancestors lived in - Coyty.   I can find the ones that the person went to straight after my ancestors being:

Cwm - Brynhafod - Hafodneddyn - Wernvawr (fawr)

in that order but cannot find the ones that the census that immediately preceeded the arrival at Coyty being:

Llygndhadal - Mountain ?? - Pantgwint - Toesyrisgd

although I think Pantgwint may be Pantgwyn misspelt and Pantgwyn is just north of Brynhafod.

Although this narrows down the area where they lived it doesn't show me where Coyty was.

Thanks

[bevbee]

Hi again Debby,

The 1841 Census includes Llygadyrhaul; Mountain Gate; Hafodneddyn and Ffosyresgob.
 
My 1840's OS map identifies Coity as being south east of Pantgwyn and north east of Hafodneddyn, those two homesteads being also identifiable on a current Explorer 186 map. Put another way, about mid way and slightly west of a line drawn between Iscaio and Rhiw-yr-adar.

If you send me a PM with your e-mail address, I will pass it on to my dad who was born and raised in Llandeilo and knows much more about the area than I do.
Also, when he goes to the archives later in the month, if he can e-mail you direct it will save some time and clarify exactly what you need.

Bev 

[Arranroots]

Hi Debby and Bee - did you make any progress on this?

kind regards, Arranroots 

[Debby]

Yes we did I now have an old map that shows Coyty spelt Coy-ti on it and know the exact location of the cottage / farm.

Thanks