Llanegwad - Carmarthenshire

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Abercothi House/Farm

Grid Ref SN 5061 2040

South of Pontargothi, on the banks of the Tywi near its confluence with the Cothi. Residence, successively, of the families of Jones, Williams, Lewis and Morgan. Griffith Lloyd of Ynyswen sold the property to George Jones who married Barbara Rice of Dynevor. He was High Sheriff in 1633 and died in office, and was succeeded by his son George Jones, High Sheriff in 1644, who died without issue and was succeeded by his sister Jane who married James Williams of Llansawel, son of Dr John Williams, Principal of Jesus College, Oxford (d. 1613). Their son was John Williams of Abercothi, High Sheriff in 1681, whose will was proved in 1696, and was followed by his son George who died without male issue.

The next owner, the Revd. George Lewis, vicar of Abergwili (d. 1709), and was followed by his son Erasmus Lewis, MP, Secretary of State, friend of Swift, Pope and Prior, who was buried in Westminster Abbey in 1754, having sold Abercothi to James Morgan of Lincoln’s Inn.

Morgan died c. 1770, leaving Abercothi, consisting of the mansion and 3,450 acres in Llanegwad and surrounding parishes, to his son George Morgan, High Sheriff in 1792, who bought Biddlesden, Bucks., where he died in 1819, leaving Abercothi to his son George Morgan, High Sheriff in 1824, who died in 1841, and his descendants took the surname Morgan-Grenville, the present representative being the Baroness Kinloss. By 1857 Abercothi mansion and farm had been sold to farming families.

The owner in 1984 was Mr. John Farr-Davies, solicitor, of Carmarthen. It is an L-shaped house comprising a hall, dining room with plaster-moulded ceiling, drawing room, kitchen, and ‘parlwr bach’. The main stairway rises from the hall to a landing off which are five bedrooms (two with plaster-moulded ceilings), and from this floor a stairway leads to spacious attic rooms (two being used as bedrooms); a secondary stairway leads to the kitchen. There are massive beams everywhere, and the doorways are very wide.

NOTE: The L shaped house on 3 floors mentioned above is believed to be Abercothi Farm. Abercothi House is not L shaped and is on 2 floors. It is suspected that Abercothi House is the original mansion and so may well have been occupied by all the people described. Only an examination of the records can confirm this. [Edward Evans, June 2010]

References:

Carmarthen Records Office, John Francis s.c. 110-111

GGB II, 224 & III 198

NLW Neuadd Trefawr Dds. 62, 435

Glansevin Colln. 102-104

Buckley, Sheriffs, vol. 1

DWB s.n. John Williams DD

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