fact or fiction??

[k.whigham]

An elderly uncle has told me that it was possible to gain ownership of land in Radnorshire if you could build a dwelling and have a fire burning in the hearth within one day. The only condition was that the house had to be above a certain elevation - hence the family home half way up a hillside.
Does anyone know if this has any basis in fact, or is it just a family myth?

Kathryn

[mangomania]

Hi

I don't know if it's fact or fiction.  However, the same legend is told of "Ty Hyll", the Ugly House, on the A5 in Snowdonia.

http://www.snowdonia-society.org.uk/The%20Ugly%20House.htm

Cheers
Ian

[kmo]

Widespread not just in Radnorshire. The elevation was   because the uplands were more likely to be common land.
 If you could get a house up between sunset and sunrise and have smoke rising from the chimney by morning you got a kind of squatters rights.

[k.whigham]

Interesting - thank you.

Kathryn