Introduction
Town in Wales
This article is about the town in Wales. For the place in the United States, see Lampeter, Pennsylvania.
Human settlement in WalesLampeterWelsh: Llanbedr Pont SteffanLampeterLocation within CeredigionPopulation2,970 (2011)OS grid referenceSN578478CommunityLampeter Principal areaCeredigionPreserved countyDyfedCountryWalesSovereign stateUnited KingdomPost townLAMPETERPostcode districtSA48Dialling code01570PoliceDyfed-PowysFireMid and West WalesAmbulanceWelsh
UK ParliamentCeredigion PreseliSenedd Cymru – Welsh ParliamentCeredigion Penfro
List of places
UK
Wales
Ceredigion
52°07′13″N 4°04′56″W / 52.1202°N 4.0821°W / 52.1202; -4.0821
Community map
Map of the community
Lampeter (/ˈlæmpətər/; Welsh: Llanbedr Pont Steffan (formal); Llambed (colloquial)) is a town and community in Ceredigion, Wales, at the confluence of the Afon Dulas with the River Teifi. It is the third largest urban area in Ceredigion, after Aberystwyth and Cardigan, and had a campus of the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. At the 2011 Census, the population was 2,970. Lampeter was also a university town.
Etymology
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The Welsh name of the town, Llanbedr Pont Steffan, means "Peter's church [at] Stephen's bridge" in reference to its church and castle. Its English name derives from this, as does the colloquial Welsh name Llambed. An alternative English spelling occurs as "Thlampetre" in 1433.
History
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Lampeter Town Hall
The Norman timber castle of Pont Steffan ("Stephen's bridge" in English) occupying a strategic position beside the River Teifi was destroyed in 1187 after it had been conquered by Owain Gwynedd and was not rebuilt.
Cardiganshire was one of the royal counties established by Edward I after the defeat of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd (Llywelyn Ein Llyw Olaf) at Cilmeri in 1282, when Lampeter fell under direct royal control. But this had little effect on the town, and the Welsh language and culture continued to thrive. The first market charter was granted in 1284 to Rhys ap Meredydd who was given the right to hold a weekly market. As many as eight fairs were also held each year under successive charters.
The town was ruled by a local aristocracy who lived in elegant mansions, including Brynhywel, Maesyfelin and the Lloyd baronets of Peterwell. As magistrates, they handed out the severest of penalties to offenders. The fairs and markets had become rowdy occasions with violence and drunkenness, and the stocks and whipping post in front of Lampeter Town Hall were frequently put to use in the 18th century.
The town developed the crafts, services and industries to cater to the needs of the rural area. There were several woollen mills, one of which in the mid-18th century was already producing the complex double-woven tapestry cloth later to become associated with the Welsh woollen industry. There were also blacksmiths, a leather tannery, carpenters, saddlers, bootmakers and hatters. The town was one of the main centres on the Welsh drovers' road which carried cattle and sheep on foot to the markets in England. A large number of inns point to the town's importance as a rural centre.
Lampeter's war memorial, sculpted by Sir William Goscombe John (1860–1952), was unveiled in September 1921.
