Folklore & Tradition
...Weird & Wonderful Welsh Myths
Llantwit Major is a fascinating place rich in history - a trail from the town hall leads you around 13 buildings marked with blue plaques. It is the site of Cor Tewdws, a monastery college founded by Saint Illtyd in the 500s AD which was probably Britain's earliest place of learning. The candlesticks in St. Illtyd’s Church are dedicated to resident cult folklorist Marie Trevelyan (1853-1922). Writing about a range of stories from Arthurian tales to Quaker romances, she collected and recorded oral folklore. This included the strange Glamorgan tradition of vampire chairs dating from the 16th century, which bite anyone - and particularly ministers - who sit in them. The bites are attributed to displeased dead men, who are destined to join Arawn (King of the Otherworld from The Mabinogion), but locked to their old furniture.
Llantwit Major
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- Region : South East Wales
- Grid Ref : SS 96722 68726
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Llantwit Major is a fascinating place rich in history - a trail from the town hall leads you around 13 buildings marked with blue plaques. It is the site of Cor Tewdws, a monastery college founded by Saint Illtyd in the 500s AD which was probably Britain's earliest place of learning. The candlesticks in St. Illtyd’s Church are dedicated to resident cult folklorist Marie Trevelyan (1853-1922). Writing about a range of stories from Arthurian tales to Quaker romances, she collected and recorded oral folklore. This included the strange Glamorgan tradition of vampire chairs dating from the 16th century, which bite anyone - and particularly ministers - who sit in them. The bites are attributed to displeased dead men, who are destined to join Arawn (King of the Otherworld from The Mabinogion), but locked to their old furniture.
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