Bow Street, Ceredigion
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Bow Street | |
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  Bow Street shown within the United Kingdom |
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| Population | 1,888[1] |
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| Language | British English |
| Welsh (68.8% of population)[2] | |
| OS grid reference | |
| Principal area | Ceredigion |
| Ceremonial county | Dyfed |
| Constituent country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BOW STREET |
| Postcode district | SY23 |
| Dialling code | 01970 |
| Police | Dyfed-Powys |
| Fire | Mid and West Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| European Parliament | Wales |
| UK Parliament | Ceredigion |
| List of places: UK • Wales • Ceredigion | |
Bow Street is a large village in the Tirymynach district of Ceredigion, mid Wales, approximately 3½ miles (6 km) north-east of Aberystwyth. As well as Bow Street itself, it is now often considered to include the neighbouring smaller village of Pen-y-garn and the hamlet of Rhydypennau. All three places stretch in a long narrow strip along the main Aberystwyth to Machynlleth road (A487).
Bow Street is also a post town, and as well as covering the villages of Bow Street and Pen-y-garn and the hamlet of Rhydypennau, it also includes the nearby village of Llandre and the hamlets of Tai-gwynion and Dole, together with the surrounding farms.
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[edit] History
[edit] Etymology
The earliest attestation of the name 'Bow Street' yet found is in the parish registers of Llanbadarn Fawr, where there is a baptism entry dated 9th February 1777 for a "Wm son of Jenkin & Ann Thomas, Bow Street".[3]
It would appear that the name is derived from the London street of the same name, and that its application to the small cluster of houses that would become Bow Street was connected with the turnpiking of the main Aberystwyth to Machynlleth road from 1770 onwards.[4] It may be that the choice of name was influenced by the fact that the road does actually bend slightly at this point, and might therefore have been analogous to the ‘bow’ of the London Bow Street. Interestingly the names of two small lanes in the village would also seem to have possible London associations, being known locally as Cock and Hen Street and Thread Needle Street.[5] Supposed traditions associating the name with a local magistrate do not appear to stand up to scrutiny, and probably developed later as a way of justifying the existence of an English place name in a predominantly Welsh-speaking area.[6]
In his seminal work on Cardiganshire place-names, Iwan Wmffre suggests that an earlier name for Bow Street was Rhyd-y-castell (ford of the castle).[7] But the ford of Rhyd-y-castell was actually located on the small lane called Cock and Hen Street, that runs alongside the Black Lion and leads towards Clarach and Llangorwen, and not on the main Aberystwyth to Machynlleth road where the first houses in Bow Street were built. Further the name Rhyd-y-castell was, in fact, applied to a small tenement farm which formerly stood near to the ford.[8] This same tenament was later called Bryn-y-castell, and is now represented by Bryn-castell farm.
Though there is no officially sanctioned Welsh equivalent to Bow Street, the author and novelist Tom Macdonald, who spent part of his childhood here, recounted that "old folk told me it was once called Nant-y-Fallen".[9] The small stream still called Nant Afallen runs under the main road a little to the north of where the original hamlet of Bow Street first grew up, and was applied to the row of small cottages that once stood nearby. The name Nantyfallen was also later extended to refer to those cottages running up the slope from the brook towards Cross Street. Occasionally in Welsh writing the name Bow Street is spelt as Bwstryd.[10]
[edit] Transport
At one time Bow Street had a station on the Cambrian Coast Line, though this closed in 1965. A road leads down to Llandre and Borth on the coast. To the south is Comins Coch and to the east, Plas Gogerddan. From a junction in the village runs a mountain road in the direction of Rhayader.
[edit] Tornado
In the early hours of 28 November 2006, the village was struck by a tornado, estimated to be force three on the Fujita scale.[11] This caused structural damage to more than 20 houses, as well as uprooting trees, and damaging power-lines, caravans and a railway bridge. No injuries were reported. Some papers caught up in the tornado were found a week later, 20 miles away in the village of Corris.[12]
[edit] Notable Residents
- Tom Macdonald (1900-1980), journalist and novelist
[edit] References
- ^ Total population of Tirymynach (Census, 2001.)
- ^ Population of Tirymynach with some knowledge of Welsh (Census, 2001.)
- ^ Jenkins, Gwyn & Roberts, Alwyn, 'Nodiadau pellach ar yr enw Bow Street', Y Tincer, Rhif 5, Ionawr 1978, p. 2.
- ^ Owen, Hywel Wyn & Morgan, Richard, 'Bow Street', Dictionary of the Place-Names of Wales (Llandysul, 2007), pp. 42-43
- ^ Jones, Eddie, 'Adnabod Ardal 26: Cock and Hen Street a Thread Needle Street', Y Tincer, rhif 134, Rhagfyr 1990, p. 17.
- ^ Williams J. G., 'Bow Street (Mar. 26, 1873)', April 2, 1873 - Notes, Bye-Gones, Realting to Wales and the Border Counties, 1871-3, p. 155; Brierley, Geo. H., 'Chancery and Bow Street Cardiganshire', Notes and Queries, The Red Dragon: The National Magazine of Wales, Vol. X July-December 1886, p. 80; Huws, Huw, 'Yr Enw Bow Street', Y Tincer, Rhif 2, Hydref 1977, p. 8; Jones, Eddie, 'Adnabod Ardal 26', Y Tincer, Rhif 134, Rhagfyr 1990, p. 17.
- ^ Wmffre, Iwan, 'Bow Street', The Place-Names of Cardiganshire, Vol. III, p. 1098 (BRA British Series 379 (III), 2004, ISBN 1 84171 665 0).
- ^ Lewis, T., [Map of Gogerddan Estate, North Cardiganshire], August 1790 (NLW Gogerddan Map 232).
- ^ Macdonald, Tom, Western Mail, 13 September 1975.
- ^ Macdonald, Tom (Translated by Morgan, Haydn), Y Tincer Tlawd (Cymdeithas Lyfrau Ceredigion, 1971), p.7.; Jones, Vernon, ‘Newid ddaeth …’, Y Tincer, Rhif 257, Mawrth 2003, p. 11.
- ^ BBC News - Wales - Small 'tornado' batters village.
- ^ BBC News - Wales - Garage papers found after tornado.
[edit] Bibliography
- Macdonald, Tom (1975). The White Lanes of Summer. Macmillan, London. ISBN 0333-17975-7
