Llandovery is a little market town in Carmarthenshire, South West Wales. It may seem like another passing point, but Llandovery has a fascinating history. The town takes its name, which means ‘church amongst the waters’, from its location between the river Towy and the river Bran. The Towy is the longest river to flow entirely through Wales, rising in the Cambrian Mountains before flowing into the sea at Carmarthen Bay, a distance of 75 miles.
The castle at Llandovery was built in 1116 by the Norman Richard Fitz Pons, and became known as “the castle of Cantref Bychan.†It wasn’t long after its construction that it was attacked and seized by Gruffydd ap Rhys. In 1158, it was back in the hands of the Normans when it was seized by Walter Clifford. Over the next few years, the castle passed back on forth between the Welsh, the English and sometimes the Normans. Finally in 1277, it passed into the hands of King Edward I.