Llanddewi Rhydderch
Llanddewi Rhydderch is a village in Monmouthshire, South Wales at grid reference SO351130. It is off the B4233 road, roughly 5 miles from Abergavenny.
History
The township of Llanddewi Rhydderch grew around the small Llan, or monastic cell of Saint David. The most notable comment concerning the village is that of Owain Glyndŵr, as he rode through the area in 1404, who said "mae'r lle yn hyfryd iawn, ond mae'n anffodus, rydw i'n gallu blasu'r mwg o'r Fenni yn yr awyr", of course referring to the way he had recently dealt with the nearby town of Abergavenny. Since the publication in 1847 of "The Ancient Traditions, Myths and Tales of Bro Rhydderch, Monmouthshire", the area to the east of Abergavenny, where the village is situated, has been known as Bro Rhydderch.
Modern features
Perhaps the most important feature of the modern village is the small stone bridge over Pant Brook, under which lives the reputed "oldest troll in the whole of Wales and Anglesey". Nowadays however, it is thought that all the old order of trolls of the Welsh Marches have moved Northwards making him the oldest troll west of the River Severn.
The region of Bro Rhydderch is twinned with the town of Dinan in Brittany.
The character of the village and of its inhabitants can only be summed up by the village motto, always written in Esperanto, perhaps showing the universalism expressed there: "Tio estis fikcio".
See also