Town Hall - Blue Plaque - Llantwit Major, Wales. - Blue Plaques on Waymarking.com

Town Hall - Blue Plaque Inscription:
"This was a Norman Manorial courthouse for the holding of the courts leet (tenants) and baron (freeholders) for the manor of Boverton and Llantwit Major. It was rebuilt under the lordship of Jasper Tudor (1485-95) and became a guildhall in the time of Henry VIII, the bailiff’s house. It was then leased in part to the St. Illtud’s lodge of the Oddfellows Society in 1845 and taken over by the first parish council in 1894".

"Llantwit Major old town hall, possibly 15th century. A two storey stone building, 21.5m by 9.2m; the East gabled steps, mullioned windows and slate roof are recent, the stair gable covering a scratch dial. A small turret houses a pre-Reformation bell. In use as the town hall until 1982". Text Source: (visit link)
"This building is similar in many ways to those of the ancient boroughs of Cowbridge and Cardiff. Its construction is usually attributed to Gilbert de Clare, Lord of Glamorgan, who died in 1295, but manorial records suggest that it was built in the fifteenth century as the administrative centre of the manor. This was where the court leet met to organise duties and collect rents. Weekly markets and the fairs were also controlled from here and it is possible that the ground floor was used as an area of stalls.

During the reign of Henry VIII it was referred to as a guildhall but that was unlikely as the only industry in the area which would have merited a guild was glove making. The building was renovated in the late sixteenth century and then rented out for various purposes. Its lower floor was used variously as a school, a slaughterhouse and a lock-up for the local constable, whilst the upper floor was used as a church house and for vestry meetings etc.

In the 1830’s the church leased the upper rooms to the Oddfellows who carried out repairs and kept it in good order. Such was their control that on occasions the Church sought permission from the Oddfellows to use the hall. When it was taken over by the newly created parish council, it became the centre for entertainment in the town. Plays, meetings, concerts and dances were regularly held and it was even used as a cinema." Text Source: (visit link)

Blue Plaque managing agency: llantwit Major - Local History Society. Individual Recognized: Llantwit Major - Old Town Hall, Physical Address: Old Town Hall Llantwit Major, Vale of Glamorgan Wales CF61 1SB Web Address: [Web Link]

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Date Logged Log User Rating   09/13/2015 FFINITEE visited it 08/08/2012 veritas vita visited it

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