Editing Laugharne

{{Short description|Town in Carmarthenshire, Wales}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox UK place
| country = Wales
| welsh_name = Talacharn
| constituency_welsh_assembly = 
| official_name = Laugharne
| static_image_name = Laugharne from the castle (5842).jpg
| static_image_caption = Laugharne from the castle
| coordinates = {{coord|51.7694|-4.4631|display=inline,title}}
| community_wales = [[Laugharne Township]]
| unitary_wales = [[Carmarthenshire]]
| lieutenancy_wales = [[Dyfed]]
| constituency_westminster = [[Caerfyrddin (UK Parliament constituency)|Caerfyrddin]]
| post_town = CARMARTHEN
| postcode_district = SA33
| postcode_area = SA
| dial_code = 01994
| os_grid_reference = SN301109
| population = 1,222
| module= [[File:Wales Carmarthenshire Community Laugharne Township map.svg|240px]]<br />Map of the Laugharne Township community
}}
'''Laugharne ''' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|l|ɑr|n}} ({{langx|cy|Talacharn}}) is a town on the south coast of [[Carmarthenshire]], [[Wales]], lying on the [[estuary]] of the [[River Tâf]].

The [[Ancient borough#Charters|ancient borough]] of Laugharne Township ({{langx|cy|Treflan Lacharn}}) with its [[#Laugharne Corporation|Corporation]] and Charter<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.laugharnecorporation.co.uk/2010/10/when-why-and-by-whom-was-laugharne.html|title=History of Laugharne Charter|publisher=Laugharne Corporation 2010}}</ref> is a unique survival in Wales. In a predominantly English-speaking area, just on the [[Landsker Line]], the [[Community (Wales)|community]] is bordered by those of [[Llanddowror]], [[St Clears]], [[Llangynog, Carmarthenshire|Llangynog]] and [[Llansteffan]]. It had a population at the [[United Kingdom Census 2021|2021 census]] of 1,100.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/wales/admin/carmarthenshire/W04000507__laugharne_township/|title=Carmarthenshire County Council|access-date=18 Feb 2024}}</ref> 

[[Laugharne Township (electoral ward)|Laugharne Township]] [[Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom|electoral ward]] also includes the communities of [[Eglwyscummin]], [[Pendine]] and Llanddowror.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.carmarthenshire.gov.wales/media/1212796/laugharne-ward.pdf|title=Carmarthenshire County Council: Policy, Research and Information Section|access-date=18 June 2020}}</ref>

[[Dylan Thomas]], who lived in Laugharne from 1949 until his death in 1953, famously described it as a "timeless, mild, beguiling island of a town".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.undermilkwood.net/prose_laugharne.html|title=Dylan Thomas on Laugharne|date=2015|website=Dylan Thomas The Official Website|publisher=The City and County of Swansea|access-date=June 11, 2020}}</ref> It is generally accepted as the inspiration for the fictional town of [[Llareggub]] in ''[[Under Milk Wood]]''. Thomas confirmed on two occasions that his play was based on Laugharne<ref>Letters to [[John Ormond]] March 6, 1948 and [[Marguerite Caetani|Princess Caetani]].{{cite web|url=https://www.discoverdylanthomas.com/milk-wood-llareggub-explained-dylans-words|title=Under Milk Wood and Llareggub Explained Through Dylan's Words October 1951|date=2015|access-date=August 12, 2020|website=www.discoverdylanthomas.com}}</ref>  although topographically it is also similar to [[New Quay]] where he briefly lived.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dylanthomas.com/dylan/dylans-work/milk-wood-chronology/|title=Under Milk Wood – A Chronology|publisher=The City and County of Swansea|access-date=March 22, 2016}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Coygan_rock.jpg|thumb|left|Excavations at [[Coygan Cave]]<ref>Carmarthen museum records indicate the photograph was taken during the excavation of the archaeological site at Laugharne by Herbert Eccles (whose Broadway estate contained the quarry) and S. Grant Dalton in either 1913 or 1917. {{cite web |title=Coygan Cave, Carmarthenshire |url=https://www.ahobproject.org/database/showSite.php?View=GEN&LocNum=54/%5d |website=AHOB |access-date=25 June 2021}}</ref>]]
[[File:Laugharnecastle.jpg|thumb|left|[[Laugharne Castle]], originally known as Abercorran Castle<ref name="RCAHMW: Abercorran Castle">{{cite web|title=RCAHMW: Abercorran Castle|url=https://historicplacenames.rcahmw.gov.uk/placenames/recordedname/9d55d4a8-90b4-4c2f-b599-60b0454e94c3|access-date=18 June 2020}}</ref>]]
[[File:Dylan Thomas Bust, Laugharne.jpg|thumb|left|Dylan Thomas sculpture, The Strand; made by sculptor Simon Hedger<ref>{{cite web |title=Dylan Thomas (1914–1953) Simon Hedger |url=https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/dylan-thomas-19141953-291175 |publisher=Art UK|access-date=18 June 2023}}</ref>]] 
Throughout much of the [[Prehistoric Britain|Prehistoric]] period, human activity in the Laugharne area was centred on Coygan Bluff,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Historic Landscape Characterisation:Taf & Tywi Estuary|url=https://dyfedarchaeology.org.uk/HLC/CarmarthenBayMap.htm|access-date=22 June 2021|publisher=Dyfed Archaeological Trust}}</ref> a steep-sided limestone [[peninsula]]<ref>{{cite web |last1=Murphy |first1=K. |title=Site of Coygan Cave, near Laugharne |url=https://historypoints.org/index.php?page=site-of-coygan-cave-near-laugharne |website=History Points}}</ref> overlooking the now submerged coastal plain to the south. A natural cave<ref>
{{Coflein|num=103399|desc=Coygan Cave|access-date=29 September 2021}}</ref> on the southeast face of the promontory was excavated five times between 1865 and 1965<ref>{{Cite web|title= 199 Coygan Cave, Laugharne|date=1995|url=https://www.ahobproject.org/database/showSite.php?View=GEN&LocNum=54/|access-date=22 June 2021|publisher=The Ancient Human Occupation of Britain (AHOB) Database}}</ref> yielding significant evidence that its chambers acted as a temporary shelter for groups of hunter-gatherers moving through the landscape over 50,000 years ago<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dyfedarchaeology.org.uk/lostlandscapes/earliesthumans.html|title=Earliest Humans in Paleolithic Wales|first1=Michael|last1=Ings|first2=Fran|last2=Murphy|date=2011|website=Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales website}}</ref> and later material in the form of flint tools indicating an extended series of occupations from the [[Prehistoric Wales|Mesolithic and Neolithic]] periods.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=G.Wainwright|date=1967|title=An Early Neolithic Settlement on Coygan Rock,Carmarthenshire|journal=Antiquity |volume=41 |issue=161 |page=66 |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/abs/an-early-neolithic-settlement-on-coygan-rock-carmarthenshire/D49E64EC166E5996A1518D92C50175CE|access-date=15 January 2021|publisher=Cambridge University (Abstracts)|doi=10.1017/S0003598X00104855 |s2cid=162697347 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> These discoveries suggest that the Township<ref>{{Cite web|title=Laugharne Township Boundary Map|url=https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10382233/boundary|access-date=23 June 2021|publisher=Vision of Britain.org}}</ref> is probably the oldest still-inhabited settlement in Wales. Contemporary artefacts from the [[Mousterian]] period have also been found at nearby [[Paviland]] and [[Long Hole Cave|Long Hole]] caves along with older hominin remains at [[Bontnewydd Palaeolithic site|Bontnewydd]] but, unlike at Laugharne, the communities associated with them are long vanished.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dyfedarchaeology.org.uk/lostlandscapes/WCPStechnical.pdf|title=West Coast Paleolandscapes Survey (PDF)|last1=Vitch|first1=Simon|last2=Gaffney|first2=Vince|date=2011|publisher=University of Birmingham: Institute of Archaeology and Antiquity|website=Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales website}}</ref>

In the 4th century BC, a [[Hillforts in Britain|promontory fort]] was built at the summit of the hill.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Coygan Camp – Ymddiriedolaeth Archaeolegol Dyfed – Dyfed Archaeological Trust |url=https://www.archwilio.org.uk/arch/query/page.php?watprn=DAT7451&dbname=dat&tbname=core&sessid=CHI2dm3f6q6&queryid=Q197210001612281923|access-date=22 June 2021|publisher=Historic Environment Record}}</ref> During the [[Bronze Age Britain|Bronze Age]], Coygan camp is recorded as the site of an open settlement with funerary and ritual activity shown by a short-cist contracted inhumation. Further finds at a nearby round barrow on Laugharne Burrows<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Cantrill |first1=T.C.|title=The Shell Mounds on Laugharne Burrows |journal=Archaeologia Cambrensis |date=1909 |volume= 9 |issue=6th Series |pages=433–472 |hdl=10107/4722433|url=http://hdl.handle.net/10107/4722433|access-date=25 June 2021}}</ref> together with [[Bell Beaker culture|Beaker]] burials at Plashett<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hill Morris |first1=William |last2=Ward |first2=Anthony H. |title=Antiquarian Exploration of Presumed Bronze Age Sepulchral Remains on Allt Cunedda, South East Dyfed. New information on discoveries |journal=Carmarthen Antiquary |date=1984 |volume=20 |url=http://www.kidwellyhistory.co.uk/Articles/AlltCunedda/AlltCunedda.htm |access-date=29 June 2021 |publisher=Carmarthenshire Antiquarian Society}}</ref> and Orchard Park<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Jones |first1=J.F.|title=Orchard Park Beaker Burial |journal=Carmarthen Antiquary |date=1951 |volume=2 |page=5579}}</ref> confirm a more permanent community. Excavation in the 1960s of the defended enclosure on Coygan revealed two huts contemporary with the defensive bank and ditch and a significant quantity of pottery recovered dating to the late 3rd century AD indicating that the site was occupied deep into the Romano-British period.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Aldouse-Green |first1=S. |last2=Scott |first2=K. |last3=Schwarcz |first3=H. |last4=Grun |first4=R. |last5=Housley |first5=R. |last6=Rae |first6=A. |last7=Bevins |first7=R. |last8=Redknap |first8=M. |title=Coygan Cave, Laugharne, South Wales, a Mousterian site and hyanae den: a report on the University of Cambridge excavation. |date=1995 |publisher=Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society |pages=37–39}}</ref> Another significant [[British Iron Age|Iron Age]] settlement has also been identified at Glan-y-Mor Fort<ref>{{Coflein|num=304152|desc=Glan-y-mor Fort, Laugharne|access-date=29 September 2021|fewer-links=yes}}</ref> in the north of the township.

The Laugharne hoard of over 2000 coins<ref>{{cite web |last1=Oxford Roman Economy Project |title=Laugharne Hoard Discovered 2006 |url=https://chre.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/hoard/165 |website=Coin Hoards of The Roman Empire |publisher=Oxford University & Ashmolean Museum |access-date=25 June 2021}}</ref> and Roman bath remains found at [[Island House, Laugharne|Island House]],<ref>{{cite book |last1=Curtis |first1=Mary |title=Antiquities of Laugharne, Pendine et al. |date=1880 |publisher=R. Clay |location=London |pages=92 |edition=2nd |url=https://archive.org/details/antiquitiesoflau00curt/page/92/mode/2up?q=island+house |access-date=25 June 2021}}</ref> together with the   substantial Romano-British group of imported 6th-century finewares, coinage and glass from Coygan Camp, described as "one of the richest from a native settlement in south-west Wales",<ref>{{cite book |last1=Davies |first1=J. |title=Aspects of Native Settlement in Roman Wales and the Marches |date=1980 |publisher=University of Wales College Cardiff |pages=487}}</ref> are all part of a concentration of traditional 'Roman' finds in the area. As evidence of activity from the period is generally scarce, these discoveries confirm the site as one of  importance<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Campbell |first1=E. |title=Prehistoric Undefended Settlements Project,Southwest Wales: A Review of Report 2004/53 |journal=Cambria Archaeology |date=1988}}</ref> and suggest that it continued to be a high status settlement well beyond the Roman occupation.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Seaman |first1=A. |title=Defended Settlement in Early Medieval Wales: Problems of Presence, Absence and Interpretation |date=2016 |publisher=Oxbow Books |location=Oxford |isbn=978-1-78570-236-5 |pages=37–52 |url=https://archive.org/details/defended-settlement-in-early-medieval-wa |access-date=27 June 2021}}</ref> A 6th-century inscribed stone lies within Llansadwrnen church to the north, considered to be an outlying burial site of the more important secular settlement on Coygan. Laugharne Church,<ref name=Coflein102141>{{Coflein|num=102141|desc=St Martin's Church, Laugharne|access-date=29 September 2021|fewer-links=yes}}</ref> which contains a 9th-century Celtic slab stone<ref>{{cite web |title=Dark Age Stone Cross, St Martin's Church, Laugharne |url=https://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=30023|website=Megalithic Portal |access-date=26 June 2021}}</ref> and where a [[cist|long cist grave]] cemetery has also been recorded, is thought to be a more likely early ecclesiastical site in the immediate area.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Poucher |first1=Philip |title=Corran Resort and Spa, Laugharne, Carmarthenshire Environmental Statement Chapter 2 Cultural Heritage Impact Assessment |date=15 August 2015|url=https://coflein.gov.uk/media/51/11/awp_179_04.pdf |website=Archaeology Wales |page=13|access-date=25 June 2021}}</ref>

In the [[Wales in the Early Middle Ages|Early Middle Ages]] Laugharne was the main settlement in the area and home to the Lords of Laugharne. It was a [[commote]] of [[Cantref Gwarthaf (Dyfed)|Gwarthaf]], the largest of the seven ''[[cantref]]i'' of the [[Kingdom of Dyfed]] in southwest Wales, later to be ruled by the [[Deheubarth|Princes of Deheuberth]]. In 1093, Deheubarth was seized by the Normans following [[Rhys ap Tewdwr]]'s death.<ref>{{cite book|title=The History of Wales, Descriptive of the Government, Wars, Manners, Religion, Laws, Druids, Bards, Pedigrees and Language of the Ancient Britons and Modern Welsh, and of the Remaining Antiquities of the Principality |first=John |last=Jones |date=1824 |pages=63–64 |url=https://archive.org/stream/historyofwalesde00joneuoft#page/n8/mode/2up |publisher=J. Williams |location=London |ol=OL7036828M |access-date=12 February 2019}}</ref> In the early 12th century, grants of lands were made to [[Flemish people|Fleming]]s by [[Henry I of England|King Henry I]] when their country was flooded.<ref name="flem">{{cite book|title=Laugharne: Local History and Folklore |first=R. H. |last=Tyler |year=1985 |orig-year=1925 |publisher=[[Gomer Press]] |location=Llandysul |display-authors=etal |isbn=9780863831546}} Compiled by Head, Senior Assistant and senior pupils of Laugharne School</ref> In 1116, when [[Gruffydd ap Rhys]] (the son and heir of Rhys ap Tewdwr) returned from self-imposed exile, the king arranged for the land to be fortified against him; according to the ''[[Brut y Tywysogyon]]'', Robert Courtemain constructed a [[Laugharne Castle|castle at Laugharne]] in that year<ref name="coexistence">{{cite book |title=Conquest, Coexistence, and Change: Wales 1063–1415 |first=R. R.|last=Davies |author-link=Rees Davies |year=1987 |location=Oxford |publisher=Clarendon Press |page=101 |isbn=0198217323 }}</ref> (this is the earliest reference to any castle at or near Laugharne<ref name="avent">{{cite book |chapter=Laugharne Castle |first=Richard |last=Avent |title=Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion |editor1-first=Thomas |editor1-last=Lloyd |editor2-first=Julian |editor2-last=Orbach |editor3-first=Robert |editor3-last=Scourfield |year=2006 |publisher=Yale University Press |location=New Haven |series=The Buildings of Wales |isbn=9780300101799 |pages=219–27 (219–220) }}</ref>). Courtemain may be the ''Robertus cum tortis manibus'' ({{langx|en|Robert with twisted hands}})<ref name="Marches">{{cite journal |title=Carmarthen in Early Norman Times |first=John Edward |last=Lloyd |author-link=John Edward Lloyd |journal=Archaeologia Cambrensis |year=1907 |series=6th ser. |volume=7 |page=290 |url=https://archive.org/details/archaeologiacam61assogoog/page/n330/mode/2up}}</ref> mentioned in the [[Book of Llandaff]], as one of a number of specifically named Norman magnates{{refn|group=notes|The other named magnates are [[Walter de Clare|Walter fitz Richard]], [[Brian Fitz Count]], William Fitz-Baldwin (son of [[Baldwin FitzGilbert]]), Robert de Chandos (who held [[Caerleon]]), Geoffrey de Broi, [[Pain fitzJohn]], [[Bernard de Neufmarche]], Gumbald of Ludlow, Roger de Berkeley (Lord of [[Dursley]], and possible son of [[Roger I of Tosny]]), William the sheriff of Cardiff, William Fitz-Roger de Remu, and Robert Fitz Roger.}} within the vicinity of the [[Llandaff|Llandaff diocese]], who received a letter from [[Pope Callixtus II]] complaining about deprivations they had inflicted on diocesan church property;<ref>{{cite thesis |last1=Jones |first1=Bryn |title=Welsh Contacts With The Papacy Before The Edwardian Conquest, C. 1283 |url=https://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/handle/10023/18284 |website=St Andrews Research Repository|access-date=30 June 2021 |date=2019|doi=10.17630/10023-18284 |hdl=10023/18284 |type=Thesis }}</ref> in the letter, the Pope warns he would confirm [[Urban (bishop of Llandaff)|Bishop Urban]]'s proclamations against them, if they do not rectify matters. The ''Brut'' states that Courtemain appointed a man named Bleddyn ap Cedifor as castellan;<ref name="coexistence" /> Bleddyn was the son of Cedifor ap Gollwyn, descendant and heir of the earlier kings of Dyfed (as opposed to those of Deheubarth).<ref name="coexistence" /><ref>{{cite book |first=R. R. |last=Davies |author-link=Rees Davies |title=The Age of Conquest: Wales, 1063–1415 |year=2000 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=0198208782 |page=70 }}</ref> The castle was originally known as Abercorran Castle.<ref name="RCAHMW: Abercorran Castle"/> When Henry I died, [[The Anarchy|Anarchy occurred]], and Gruffydd, and his sons, [[Rhys ap Gruffydd|Lord Rhys]] in particular, gradually reconquered large parts of the former Deheubarth.

In 1154, the Anarchy was resolved when [[Henry II of England|Henry II]] became king; two years later, Lord Rhys agreed peace terms with Henry II and prudently<ref name="kingmaker">{{cite book |title=Kingmakers: How Power in England Was Won and Lost on the Welsh Frontier |first=Timothy |last=Venning |year=2017 |location=Stroud |publisher=Amberley |isbn=9781445659404 }}</ref> accepted that he would only rule [[Cantref Mawr]],<ref name="kingmaker" /> constructing [[Dinefwr Castle]] there. Henry II de-mobilised Flemish soldiers who had aided him during the Anarchy, settling them with the other Flemings.<ref name="flem" />
From time to time, however, King Henry had occasion to go to Ireland, or Normandy, which Lord Rhys took as an opportunity to try and expand his own holdings. Returning from Ireland after one such occasion, in 1172, King Henry made peace with Lord Rhys, making him the justiciar of "South Wales" (ie. Deheubarth). By 1247, Laugharne was held by Guy de Bryan; this is the earliest reference to his family possessing the castle,<ref name="avent"/> and his father (also named Guy de Bryan) had only moved the family to Wales in 1219 (from Devon).<ref name="avent"/> Guy de Bryan's descendants continued to hold the castle; his [[Guy de Bryan, 1st Baron Bryan|namesake great-grandson]] was Lord High Admiral of England. The latter's daughter Elizabeth inherited the castle and married an Owen of St Bride's who subsequently took his name – Owen Laugharne – from the castle<ref name="gents">{{cite journal |title=Notices of the castle and ownership of Laugharne, Carmarthenshire |journal=[[Gentleman's Magazine]] |year=1839 |volume=12 |page=602 }}</ref> despite [[Gerald of Wales]] calling the castle ''Talachar'', and other variations on Laugharne/Talacharn appearing in ancient charters; one anonymous pre-20th-century writer erroneously claimed that Owen Laugharne gave his name to the castle rather than the other way around.<ref name="gents"/> Possession subsequently defaulted to the Crown, and in 1575, [[Elizabeth I of England|Queen Elizabeth]] granted it to [[Sir John Perrot]].<ref name="avent"/> In 1644 the castle was garrisoned for the king and taken for Parliament by Major-General [[Rowland Laugharne]], who subsequently reverted to the king's side.<ref name="Sieges of Laugharne Castle">[http://battlefields.rcahmw.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Laugharne-sieges-Gildas-2013.pdf Sieges of Laugharne Castle] by S Lloyd (2013)Report for [[CADW]] & [[Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales|RCAMW]]</ref> The population in 1841 was 1,389.<ref>''The National Cyclopaedia of Useful Knowledge'', Vol.III, London, (1847), Charles Knight, p. 1,012.</ref>

===Laugharne Corporation===

Laugharne [[Municipal corporation|Corporation]] is an almost unique institution and, together with the [[City of London Corporation]], the last surviving [[mediæval]] corporation in the United Kingdom. The Corporation was established in 1291 by Sir Guy de Brian (''{{lang|frm|Gui de Brienne}}''), a [[Marcher Lord]].<ref name=jisc>{{cite web|url=https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/data/gb211-laugharne|title=Laugharne Corporation Records – Archives Hub|website=archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk|access-date=10 February 2019}}</ref> Laugharne Corporation holds extensive historical records.<ref>[https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/data/gb211-laugharne Carmarthenshire Archives Service website]</ref>
The Corporation is presided over by the [[portreeve]], wearing his traditional chain of gold [[cockle (bivalve)|cockle]] shells (one added by each portreeve, with his name and date of tenure on the reverse), the aldermen, and the body of [[Burgess (title)|burgess]]es. The title of portreeve is conferred annually, with the portreeve being sworn in on the first Monday after Michaelmas at the Big Court. The Corporation holds a [[court leet]] half-yearly formerly dealing with criminal cases, and a [[court baron]] every fortnight, dealing with civil suits within the lordship, especially in matters related to land, where administration of the common fields was dealt with.<ref name=jisc/> The Laugharne [[open-field system]] is one of only two surviving and still in use today in Britain.

'In Elizabeth's reign, the lordship passed to [[John Perrot|Sir John Perrott]] of Haroldston, a fact for which the inhabitants of Laugharne have had cause to regret. As at [[Carew Castle|Carew]] Perrot modernised the castle, but he was the most unscrupulous "land-grabber" of his age, and in 1574 he induced the burgesses to part with three hundred acres of land in return for an annuity of £9 6s. 8d. The records say that "diverse burgesses of the said towne did not assent to same", and that it was "to the great decaying of many". It would be interesting to know by what methods of bribery or intimidation Sir John was able to accomplish his nefarious purposes.'<ref>[https://journals.library.wales/view/4718179/4740893/187#?xywh=-1377%2C-68%2C5688%2C4378  Archaeologia Cambrensis, Vol. 100, (1948–49)] Prof. David Williams: Introduction to Laugharne.</ref>

[[File:Geograph-5130338-by-welshbabe.jpg|thumb|Plan of [[open-field system]] in common land on The Hugdon, a hill to the west of Laugharne<ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Baker|editor1-first=Alan R. H.|editor2-last=Butlin|editor2-first=Robin A.|title=Studies of Field Systems in the British Isles|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cDM7AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA512|year=1973|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-20121-6|pages=512–514}}</ref>]]
The most senior 76 burgesses get a strang of land on Hugden for life, to be used in a form of mediæval strip-farming.

The chief toast at the Portreeve's feast is "to the immortal memory of Sir Guido de Brian"; then the Recorder must sing the following song:
{{quote|<poem>When Sir Guy de Brien lived in Laugharne,
A jolly old man was he.
Some pasture land he owned, which he
Divided into three.
Says he "There's Hugdon and the Moor
They will the Commons please;
And all the gentlemen shall have
Their share down on the Lees."<ref>{{cite news|last=Welshman|first=The|date=4 November 1910|title=Llwynog's Notes|url=https://newspapers.library.wales/view/4360291/4360300/40/hugdon|access-date= 12 July 2020}}</ref></poem>}}

==Governance==
Since 1972, Laugharne Township Community Council has formed the lowest tier of local government for the town, represented by 11 community councillors.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://laugharnetownship-wcc.gov.uk/about-the-council/ |title=About the Council |publisher=Laugharne Township Community Council |access-date=23 July 2022 }}</ref>

For elections to [[Carmarthenshire County Council]], Laugharne is covered by the [[Laugharne Township (electoral ward)|Laugharne Township]] electoral ward, which also covers three neighbouring communities. The ward is represented by one county councillor. [[Independent politician|Independent]] councillor Jane Tremlett has represented the ward since 2004.

== St Martin's Church ==
[[File:The tower of Laugharne Church - geograph.org.uk - 596535.jpg|thumb|150px|Tower of St Martin's church]]
The [[parish church]] of St Martin was built in the 14th century by Guido de Brian, [[lord of the manor]] of Laugharne.<ref name=megalithic/> The original dedication was to [[Michael (archangel)|St Michael]] as 15th-century records use this dedication. The churchyard, rectangular in shape, has shown evidence of [[Cist]] burials. Various archaeological finds have been made during grave-digging: a wheel-topped stone; a medieval tile and a fragment of what is believed to be a tomb canopy. The churchyard's 18th- and 19th-century monuments are Grade II [[listed building|listed]] for their group value.<ref name=Coflein102141/>

The interior has a cross-slab, probably dating from the 9th or 10th century, with a carved [[Celtic cross|Celtic design]] carved onto it. It has been suggested that the design is of [[Viking]] origin.<ref name=megalithic>{{cite web |author=Sunny100 |url=http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=30023 |title=St Martin's Church (Laugharne) |website=[[The Megalithic Portal]] |date=3 October 2011 |access-date=27 December 2018}}{{Self-published source|date=June 2020}}</ref>

The church is today part of the United Benefice of Bro Sancler.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.churchinwales.org.uk/en/structure/deanery/110/|title=Deanery of Bro Cler|access-date=12 August 2020}}</ref> Welsh poet and playwright [[Dylan Thomas]] is buried in the churchyard, his grave marked by a white cross.<ref name=megalithic/><ref name=Coflein102141/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.churchinwales.org.uk/structure/places/churches/|title=Churches|first=The Church in|last=Wales|website=The Church in Wales|access-date=27 December 2018|archive-date=13 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190713151322/https://www.churchinwales.org.uk/structure/places/churches/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Landmarks==
[[File: Town Hall and Clock Tower, Laugharne (geograph 3750176 by Colin Park).jpg|thumb|[[Laugharne Town Hall]]]]
[[Image:castle house.JPG|thumb|Castle House, Laugharne]]
[[File:Great House, Laugharne.jpg|thumb|The Great House, Laugharne]]
[[File:Wogan Street, Laugharne, circa 1880.jpg|thumb|Wogan Street {{circa|1880}}]]
[[File:British Library digitised image from page 159 of "The Antiquities of Langharne and Pendine, Carmarthenshire, S. Wales, with some notice of their neighbourhoods, and illustrations" (cropped).jpg|thumb|Island House in 1856]]
Local attractions include the 12th-century [[Laugharne Castle]], [[Laugharne Town Hall]] and the estuary [[birdlife]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.visitwales.com/attraction-search/attraction-search-results/attraction-search-details?id=517482&industry=TEA&location=Laugharne%2c+Carmarthenshire&radius=10&filterIds=&city=&price=&latitude=51.77275&longitude=-4.455275&ref=7F85DBD03BC743B6A2427E6E3C4E3F36|title=Laugharne Castle|website=Visit Wales|publisher=The Welsh Government|access-date=March 22, 2016}}</ref>

Laugharne Township currently has 69 listed buildings and contains several fine examples of [[Georgian architecture|Georgian]] [[townhouses]] including [[Great House (Laugharne)|The Great House]] and [[Castle House, Laugharne|Castle House]] together with [[Island House (Laugharne)|Island House]], parts of which date back to the Tudor period. All three properties are grade II* listed and a number of other early [[Vernacular architecture|vernacular]] [[cottage]]s have also survived.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/wales/laugharne-township-carmarthenshire |title= Listed Buildings in Laugharne Township, Carmarthenshire, Wales|publisher= British Listed Buildings|access-date = 29 July 2020}}</ref>

There are a number of landmarks in Laugharne connected with the poet and writer Dylan Thomas. These include the [[Dylan Thomas Boathouse]], where he lived with his family from 1949 to 1953, and now a museum; his writing shed; and the Dylan Thomas Birthday Walk, which was the setting for the work ''Poem in October''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.visitwales.com/explore/literature/laugharne-famous-attractions|title=Dylan Thomas' Laugharne|website=Visit Wales|publisher=The Welsh Government|access-date=March 22, 2016}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
Many scenes in the [[BBC Television]] series ''[[Keeping Faith (TV series)|Keeping Faith]]'' (broadcast in Welsh as {{lang|cy|Un Bore Mercher}}) were filmed in and around Laugharne, referred to as ''Abercorran''.<ref>[http://www.walesonline.co.uk/lifestyle/tv/filming-new-tv-drama-gets-12914739 Robert Harries, 19 April 2017, 'Filming for new TV drama gets under way in historic Carmarthen building'] ''walesonline.co.uk''. Retrieved 15 March 2018.</ref>

==Laugharne weekend==
The [[Laugharne Weekend]], a three-day arts festival  held in the spring of 2007, featured writers such as [[Niall Griffiths]] and [[Patrick McCabe (novelist)|Patrick McCabe]]. Headline performers since then have included [[Ray Davies]],  [[Will Self]], [[Howard Marks]] and [[Patti Smith]]. The Millennium Hall is the main venue and smaller events are held locally such as in the Dylan Thomas Boathouse.<ref>[http://www.thelaugharneweekend.com Laugharne Weekend] website</ref>

==Notable people==
*[[Thomas Rede]] (ca.1390 – ca.1455), merchant, landholder, knight and public official of nearby Roche Castle 
*[[Reginald Pecock]] (ca.1395 – ca.1461), prelate and writer, born in Laugharne<ref>{{cite book|last=Lloyd (Ed)|first=Prof. Sir J.E.|title=History of Carmarthenshire|volume=1| date=1939|page=443|url=https://archive.org/details/pecock-lloyd}}</ref>
*[[Sir John Perrot]] (1528–1592), [[Lord Deputy of Ireland]], [[Lord President of Munster]] and [[Privy Council of England|Privy Councillor]] to Elizabeth I, lived in Laugharne Castle<ref>{{cite web|title=Church Monument Society: Sir John Perrot|url=https://churchmonumentssociety.org/monument-of-the-month/sir-john-perrot-memorial-eglwys-gymyn-carmarthenshire#_ednref1|access-date=19 June 2020}}</ref>
*[[Thomas Perrot|Sir Thomas Perrot]] (1553–1594), Elizabethan courtier, soldier and Member of Parliament, lived in Laugharne Castle<ref>Indenture from John God to Sir John Perrot, cited in<br />{{cite journal |title=Notes on the Perrot Family |journal=Archaeologia Cambrensis |date=July 1866 |issue=XLVII |pages=324 |url=https://journals.library.wales/view/2919943/2996958/149#?xywh=-801%2C-1157%2C3813%2C3913 |publisher=Cambrian Archaeological Association |quote=No. 26334. An indenture made 12 Elizabeth, in which John God, merchant tailor of London, makes over to Sir John Perrot the parsonage of Laugharne. (In this document Sir John is described as late of Carew.) }}</ref>
*[[James Perrot|Sir James Perrot]] (1571–1636), writer and Member of Parliament, lived in Laugharne<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jones |first1=Francis |title=Historic Carmarthenshire Homes & Their Families|date=1997 |publisher=Brawdy Books |page=196|isbn=0952834413|chapter=Westmead, Laugharne |quote="In the latter part of the sixteenth century, the property was owned by Sir John Perrot, who by a deed dated 29 May 1584 settled certain properties on his 'reputed son' James Perrot 'late of Westmede in the County of Carmarthen' }}</ref>
*[[Sir Sackville Crowe, 1st Baronet|Sir Sackville Crowe]] (1595–1671), English politician, lived in Laugharne<ref>{{cite book |last1=Davidson |first1=Alan |last2=Thrush |first2=Andrew |editor1-last=Thrush |editor1-first=Andrew |editor2-last=Ferris |editor2-first=John P. |title=The House of Commons, 1604–1629 |date=2010 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1107002258 |chapter=CROWE, Sackville (1595–1671), of Laugharne, Carm.; formerly of Brasted Place, Kent and Mays, Selmeston, Suss.}}<br />Accessed via {{cite web |title=CROWE, Sackville (1595–1671), of Laugharne, Carm.; formerly of Brasted Place, Kent and Mays, Selmeston, Suss. |url=http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1604-1629/member/crowe-sackville-1595-1671 |website=The History of Parliament |access-date=24 June 2020}}</ref>
*[[Rowland Laugharne]] (1607–1675), Parliamentary General; his 1644 siege of the castle, a former family home, left it an uninhabitable ruin<ref name="Sieges of Laugharne Castle"/> 
*[[William Thomas (bishop of Worcester)|Bishop William Thomas]] (1613–1689), Vicar of Laugharne, ejected by Cromwell. Later [[Bishop of St Davids]] and [[Bishop of Worcester]].<ref name=Thomas>{{cite ODNB| url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/27244| title= Thomas, William (1613–1689)| last=Roberts |first=Stephen K. |date=October 2005| doi= 10.1093/ref:odnb/27244| access-date=2008-03-16}}</ref>
*[[John Powell (judge)|Sir John Powell]] (1632/3–1696), judge who presided over the trial of the [[Seven Bishops]] in 1688, lived in Laugharne<ref>{{cite DWB|last=Roberts|first=Glyn|date=1959|title=POWELL, Sir JOHN (1633–1696), lawyer and judge|access-date=19 Jun 2020|id=s-POWE-JOH-1633}}</ref>
*[[Sir Thomas Powell, 1st Baronet|Sir Thomas Powell]] (ca.1665 – 1720), lawyer and Member of Parliament, born in Laugharne<ref>{{cite book |first=D. W. |last=Hayton |editor1-first=Eveline |editor1-last=Cruickshanks |editor2-first=Stuart |editor2-last=Handley |editor3-first=D. W. |editor3-last=Hayton |title=The House of Commons, 1690–1715 |date=2002 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9780521772211 |chapter=POWELL, Sir Thomas, 1st Bt. (c.1665–1720), of Broadway, Laugharne, Carm. and Coldbrook Park, Mon.}}<br />Accessed via {{cite web |title=POWELL, Sir Thomas, 1st Bt. (c.1665–1720), of Broadway, Laugharne, Carm. and Coldbrook Park, Mon. |url=http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1690-1715/member/powell-sir-thomas-1665-1720 |website=The History of Parliament |access-date=24 June 2020}}</ref>
*[[Griffith Jones (priest)|Griffith Jones]] (1684–1761), educational pioneer, curate of Laugharne where he also resided in later years<ref>{{cite DWB|first=Clement|last=Mary|date=1959|title=JONES, GRIFFITH (1683–1761), cleric and educational reformer|fewer-links=yes|access-date=19 Jun 2020|id=s-JONE-GRI-1683}}</ref>
*[[Bridget Bevan]] (1698–1779), also known as Madam Bevan, educationalist and philanthropist, lived in Laugharne<ref>{{cite DWB|first=Clement|last=Mary|date=1959|title=BEVAN, BRIDGET ('Madam Bevan'; 1698 – 1779), philanthropist and educationist|fewer-links=yes|access-date=19 Jun 2020|id=s-BEVA-BRI-1698}}</ref>
*[[Josiah Tucker]] (1713–1799), clergyman, economist and political writer; [[Dean of Gloucester]], born in Laugharne<ref>{{cite DWB|first1=J. F.|last1=Rees|author-link1=James Frederick Rees|first2=R. T.|last2=Jenkins|author-link2=Robert Thomas Jenkins|date=1959|title=TUCKER, JOSIAH (1712–1799), cleric and economist|fewer-links=yes|access-date=19 Jun 2020|id=s-TUCK-JOS-1712}}</ref>
*[[Peter Williams (Welsh Methodist)|Peter Williams]] (1723–1796), Methodist leader and publisher of Welsh language bibles, born at West Marsh Farm in Laugharne<ref>[https://archive.org/details/nlw-1836-tithe-map-west-marsh-farm-laugharne-parish West Marsh Farm, Laugharne Parish] 1836 Tithe Map (extract) NLW</ref>
*[[Mary Wollstonecraft]] (1759–1797), writer, philosopher, and advocate of women's rights, lived in Laugharne as a child<ref>{{cite book |last1=Johnson |first1=Claudia L. |author-link=Claudia L. Johnson |title=The Cambridge Companion to Mary Wollstonecraft |date=2006 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9780511998812 |page=xv |url=http://assets.cambridge.org/97805217/83439/frontmatter/9780521783439_frontmatter.pdf}}</ref>
*[[James Augustus St. John]] (1795–1875), author and traveller, born in Laugharne<ref name=StJohn>{{cite ODNB| url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/27244| title= St John, James Augustus (1795–1875)|last=Spilsbury|first=S.V.|date=October 2005| doi= 10.1093/ref:odnb/27244| access-date=2008-03-16}}</ref>
*[[Edward Falkener]] (1814-1896), architect, archaeologist, art historian and author, lived at the Glanymor Estate from 1866 until his death <ref name="DNB">{{cite DNBSupp|wstitle=Falkener, Edward|volume=2}}</ref>
*[[Arnold Wienholt, Sr.]] (1826–1895), Australian politician, lived at Castle House in Laugharne<ref name=qpbio>{{cite web|title=Wienholt, Arnold (Snr)|url=http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/members/former/bio?id=4006381019|publisher=[[Parliament of Queensland]]|access-date=5 September 2015}}</ref>
*[[Edward Wienholt]] (1833–1904), Australian politician, lived at Castle House in Laugharne<ref name=adb>{{Cite AuDB|id2=wienholt-edward-4956 |title=Wienholt, Edward (1833–1904)|volume=6|year=1976|first=D.B.|last=Waterson|access-date=29 January 2015}}</ref>
*[[Agnes Mason]] (1849–1941), nun, born in Laugharne<ref name=odnb>Julia Bolton Holloway, 'Mason, (Frances) Agnes (1849–1941)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/58485, accessed 12 Nov 2016]</ref>
*[[Joseph Arthur Hamilton Beresford]] (1861–1952), Australian naval commander, born in Laugharne<ref name=Mercury>{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article27129252|title=Former R.A.N. Man Dies at Hobart|newspaper=[[The Mercury (Hobart)|The Mercury]]|volume=CLXXII|issue=25,593|location=Tasmania|date=31 December 1952|page=7}}</ref>
*[[Owen_Cox|Sir Edward Owen Cox]] (1866–1932), Australian politician & businessman, born in Laugharne.<ref>  [https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/cox-sir-edward-john-owen-5798/text9839 Heather Radi, 'Cox, Sir Edward John Owen (1866–1932)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University], published first in hardcopy 1981, accessed online 23 January 2025.</ref>
*[[Caleb Rees (school inspector)|Caleb Rees]] (1883–1970), inspector of schools and author, lived at [[Island House, Laugharne|Island House]] in Laugharne from 1943 until his death<ref>{{cite DWB|last=James|first=Mary Auronwy |date=2001|title=REES, Caleb (1883–1970),inspector of schools and author |fewer-links=yes|access-date=6 Aug 2020|id=s2-REES-CAL-1883}}</ref> 
*[[William Charles Fuller]] (1884–1974), soldier, recipient of the [[Victoria Cross]], born in Laugharne<ref>[http://www.vconline.org.uk/william-c-fuller-vc/4586754521 VC Online:William Fuller]</ref>
*[[William Thomas David]] (1886–1948), Professor of Engineering at University College Cardiff and at the University of Leeds, born in Laugharne<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Evans |first1=R. H. |title=Prof. W. T. David |journal=Nature |date=July 1948 |volume=162 |issue=4105 |page=15 |doi=10.1038/162015a0 |bibcode=1948Natur.162...15E |doi-access=free }}</ref>
*[[Raymond Jeremy]] (1890-1969), violist, professor of violin and viola at the [[Royal Academy of Music]], born in Laugharne
*[[Richard Hughes (British writer)|Richard Hughes]] (1900–1976), writer, lived at [[Castle House, Laugharne|Castle House]], instrumental in Dylan Thomas moving to Laugharne<ref>{{cite web |title=Dylan Thomas' Laugharne |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/arts/sites/dylan-thomas/pages/laugharne.shtml |website=Wales Arts |publisher=BBC |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213232238/http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/arts/sites/dylan-thomas/pages/laugharne.shtml |archive-date=13 December 2013 |date=6 November 2008}}</ref>
*[[Dylan Thomas]] (1914–1953), poet, lived in Laugharne and is buried in the churchyard<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ferris |first1=Paul |title=Dylan Thomas, A Biography |year=1989 |publisher=Paragon House |location=New York |isbn=978-1-55778-215-1|page=239}}</ref>
*[[Derrick Childs]] (1918–1987), the Anglican [[Bishop of Monmouth]] and [[Archbishop of Wales]], grew up in Laugharne
*[[Kingsley Amis|Sir Kingsley Amis]] (1922–1995), novelist, poet and critic, wrote Booker Prize winner ''[[The Old Devils]]'' while living in Cliff House, Laugharne.<ref>[http://www.dylanthomas.com/dylan-thomas-trails/west-wales/laugharne/?doing_wp_cron=1592903434.7265911102294921875000 Dylan Thomas Centre] Laugharne</ref>
*[[George Tremlett]] (1939–2021), writer, former politician and bookshop owner, lived in Laugharne<ref>{{cite web |last1=Beale |first1=Nigel |title=George Tremlett on Dylan and Caitlin Thomas |url=http://thebibliofile.ca/george-tremett-on-dylan-and-caitlin-thomas |website=The Biblio File}}{{Self-published source|date=June 2020}}</ref>
*[[Aeronwy Thomas]] (1943–2009), poet, writer and translator of Italian poetry; the second child and only daughter of [[Dylan Thomas]]
*[[Gary Pearce (rugby)|Gary Pearce]] (born 1960), rugby union and rugby league player, born in Laugharne<ref>{{cite web|title=Rugby in Wales: Laugharne FC|url=http://www.rugbyinwales.co.uk/laugharne/index.htm|access-date=22 June 2020}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group=notes}}

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
*[https://laugharnetownship-wcc.gov.uk/ Laugharne Township Community Council]
*[http://www.laugharnelines.wales/home3.htm Laugharne Lines Heritage Website]

{{Dylan Thomas}}
{{Carmarthenshire}}
{{Communities of Carmarthenshire}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:Laugharne| ]]
[[Category:Towns in Carmarthenshire]]
[[Category:Carmarthen Bay]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in Wales]]