Welsh Journals

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THE LESSER COUNTRY HOUSES OF CARDIGANSHIRE INFORMATION about the smaller country houses of West Wales is very meagre and the way of life of their owners would well repay serious study. Many of these houses have disappeared altogether, while others are now farm-houses, often reconstructed and altered out of recognition. Yet these small manor houses were in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries centres of life and often of culture indeed we only remember their names today from the fact that their owners served generation after generation as sheriffs and magistrates. In Cardiganshire it is fortunate that several typical examples have survived, such as Old Abermade, Brynog, Ffosybleiddiaid, Greengrove, Llanina, Penybont, Strata Florida, and-best known of all- Wern, to pick a few names at random. I. VOELALLT Among those which have totally disappeared is Voelallt, which was situated in a beautiful and wild valley a little to the east of the parish church of Llanddewi Brefi. Long the seat of a family called Williams, it was sold by the Reverend David John Williams to Walter Lloyd, son of Jonathan Lloyd of Llanfair Clydogau, at the beginning of the eight- eenth century. This Walter Lloyd was Attorney-General for the count- ies of Carmarthen, Cardigan, and Pembroke and Member of Parliament for the county of Cardigan from 1734 to 1741. He married the heiress of the Peterwell estate, Elizabeth Evans, and when his children grew up Voelallt became the home of his second surviving son, the notorious Herbert Lloyd, afterwards Sir Herbert Lloyd, Bart., M.P. It was while living at Voelallt that Herbert Lloyd took part in attacks on the King's mines at Esgair Mwyn and their controller Lewis Morris. Sir Herbert's second wife was Anne, daughter of William Powell of Nanteos and widow of Richard Stedman of Strata Florida. Domestic unhappiness drove her to leave Peterwell and she went to live at Voelallt where her life was noted for good works amongst her poorer neighbours. She is mentioned by Edward Richard of Ystradmeurig in one of his Pastorals: Daw Anna i dywynnu cyn nemmawr can imi Di weli blwy Dewi'n blodeuo. It is likely that Lady Lloyd was living at Voelallt even as early as 1760, as the writer possesses four volumes of a popular eighteenth century novel, the first volume of which carries the name 'Ann Lloyd, Voelallt'. After the dispersal and sale of the Peterwell Estates, the property