Introduction
Town and community in Carmarthenshire, Wales
This article is about the town in Wales. For other uses, see Kidwelly (disambiguation).
Human settlement in WalesKidwellyWelsh: CydweliGatehouse at Kidwelly CastleKidwellyLocation within CarmarthenshirePopulation3,689 (Community, 2021)OS grid referenceSN407067CommunityKidwellyPrincipal areaCarmarthenshirePreserved countyDyfedCountryWalesSovereign stateUnited KingdomPost townKIDWELLYPostcode districtSA17Dialling code01554PoliceDyfed-PowysFireMid and West WalesAmbulanceWelsh
UK ParliamentLlanelliSenedd Cymru – Welsh ParliamentSir GaerfyrddinWebsitekidwelly.gov.uk
List of places
UK
Wales
Carmarthenshire
51°44′10″N 4°18′25″W / 51.736°N 4.307°W / 51.736; -4.307
Map of the community
Kidwelly (Welsh: Cydweli) is a town and community in Carmarthenshire, southwest Wales, approximately 7 miles (11 km) northwest of the most populous town in the county, Llanelli. At the 2021 census the community had a population of 3,689.
It lies on the River Gwendraeth above Carmarthen Bay. The community includes Mynyddgarreg and Llangadog.
History
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The earliest written form of the name, 'Cetgueli', is recorded by the monk, Nennius, writing in the 9th century. One theory is that the name means the land, territory, or kingdom of Cadwal. Another theory is that the name is the combination of the two words Cyd (joint) and Gweli (bed), referring to the town's position adjoining the confluence of the rivers Gwendraeth Fawr and Gwendraeth Fach. One local legend is that Cunedda invaded the area in the 5th century but was killed and buried at a hill now called Allt Cunedda, north of Kidwelly.
St Mary's Church
Kidwelly c.1830
Town and castle, 1831
Town wall, 1786
The substantial and well preserved Kidwelly Castle on the north bank of the Gwendraeth Fach river and St Mary's Church on the south side of the river were both established by the invading Normans in the early 12th century. The earliest castle on the site was a motte and bailey structure of earth and timber. During the 13th century the castle was rebuilt in stone, as part of the 'ring of steel' strategy of Edward I for strengthening his control of Wales. The stone castle was built according to the latest strategic military thinking. It had a concentric design with one circuit of defensive walls set within another to allow the castle to be held even if the outer wall should fall. The great gatehouse was begun late in the 14th century but it was not completed until 1422. The castle was besieged in 1403 by forces loyal to Owain Glyndŵr as part of his rebellion aiming to reclaim Welsh independence.
A field in the neighbouring forest of Kingswood, Maes Gwenllian, is known as the location of a battle in 1136, in which Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd, sister of Owain Gwynedd and wife of Gruffydd ap Rhys, led her husband's troops into battle against a Norman army during his absence. She is believed to have been killed either during the battle or shortly afterwards.
During the Industrial Revolution, the town became an important centre of the tinplate industry. A tinplate works was established to the north of the town in 1737, which is believed to have been only the second such works in Britain. The works closed in 1941 but some of the buildings and machinery survive; they were formerly preserved as part of the Kidwelly Industrial Museum, which closed in 2017.
In 1919 Mabel Greenwood, who lived at Kidwelly with her husband, the solicitor Harold Greenwood, was murdered by arsenic poisoning. Harold Greenwood was charged with the murder and tried at Carmarthen assizes in 1920. He was acquitted by the jury, which nevertheless upheld its view that she had been deliberately poisoned. Following the murder and trial, Harold Greenwood remarried and moved away from the area.
