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Pontargothi
Grid Ref: SN 5082 2205
Glancothy Mansion in its heyday
A pleasant country-house overlooking the banks of the Cothi, just north of Pontargothi. Little has been discovered of its early history, when it was a farmstead. It is recorded that the peripatetic Methodist, Howell Harris, visited Glancothi and Cyncoed in 1737, 1739 and 1743.
In the early 19th century it became the residence of Captain William Garnons Hughes, RN, a younger son of Gwynne Hughes of Tregib, near Llandeilo. After retiring from the Navy he held a post in the Stamp Office at Carmarthen.
He married Frances Morris (b.1813) younger daughter of Thomas Morris, banker, and Maria, his wife, of Carmarthen, and was succeeded at Glancothi by his eldest son, Colonel William Gwynne Hughes (b.1841).
Colonel Hughes, a Deputy Lieutenant and Justice of the Peace, was a fervent advocate of Temperance, and was responsible for abolishing the practice of supplying drink in the country auctions much to the chagrin of the alcoholically-inclined. In his will he stated that as a magistrate and visitor to Carmarthen gaol, he came to realise the evils resulting from drunkenness, and bequeathed £1,000 to the vicar and church wardens of the parish, the interest therefrom to be paid to the vicar on condition that he preached a sermon on Temperance annually.
In October 1999 the mansion was in a state of almost total dereliction and was placed on the market for sale. Offers were made but no sale was finalised, and after three years the property had deteriorated further.
The wing behind the tree on the extreme left of this picture is occupied but the remainder is derelict.
Total dereliction in 2002
Glancothi, once occupied by the last Governor of Carmarthen Jail.
References
Historic Carmarthenshire Homes and their Families, Ed Francis Jones
Published by Brawdy Books, 1997