Strata Florida / Caron-Uwch-Clawdd

St Mary - photograph on Dyfed FHS

Bowen, E G. The monastic economy of the Cistercians at Strata Florida (NLW's site) Ceredigion, Vol I

Davies, J R. Lon Lacs (NLW's site) (The probable route of the monks of Strata Florida Abbey to their fishery at Y Goredydd, Aberarth.) . Ceredigion, Vol III

Jones, R O. Recent excavations at Strata Florida. & Strata Florida Abbey. Card. Antq. Soc. Trans., Vols XI & VIII

Jones, R Osborne Strata Florida Abbey Transactions of the Cardiganshire Antiquarian Society Vol 8 1931 Welsh Journals Online

Kerslade, F C. Visit to the Cistercian Abbey at Strata Florida. Trans. Neath Antq. Soc., Vol V

Pierce, T J. Strata Florida Abbey (NLW's site) Ceredigion, Vol I

Powell, S M. Pilgrim routes to Strata Florida. Card. Antq. Soc. Trans., Vol VIII

Robinson, David Martin and Colin Platt. Strata Florida Abbey. Cardiff, Cadw: Welsh Historic Monuments (1992) [ISBN 0948329602 m]

Strata Florida Abbey, Cardiganshire; its foundation, history and fortunes, together with the Charters and documents connected with it ... Reprinted from the Archaeologia Cambrensis. London, Manchester printed, 1848.

Williams, David H. The seals of Strata Florida (NLW's site) Ceredigion XIV

Williams, S R. Cistercian Abbey of Strata Florida. 1889

Williams, Stephen W. On further excavations at Strata Florida Abbey. Arch Camb., 1889 & Who was the founder of Strata Florida ? Arch Camb. 1889

Willis-Bund, J W. Who was the founder of Strata Florida ? Arch Camb, 1889

See Notes on Church/Chapel Records page

Parish Register;
Baptisms 1750-1873. Marriages 1750-1971. Burials 1750-65, 1783-1940 NLW/Cer.RO
Copy ts PR M 1750-1837 with index, ts PR CMB 1750-1812 NLW/Cer.RO
Bishops Transcripts;
1811-13, 1823, 1825-35, 1837-51, 1853-60, 1864-5, 1867-72, 1874-5, 1877-78, 1885-99, 1901-2 NLW

See Bap/Mar/Bur data on FreeReg

I.G.I; Baptisms 1811-74

Nonconformist Chapels;

See also under this section of the Tregaron page

Strata Florida Abbey - on the Castle Wales site

Strata Florida - history etc

Various landscapes  - on the People's Collection Wales site

Aerial photograph of Strata Florida Abbey c 1995 (and others) - on the People's Collection Wales site

Powell, S M Pilgrim routes to Strata Florida Transactions of the Cardiganshire Antiquarian Society Vol 8 1931 Welsh Journals Online

• Geograph
• Flickr

Kelly's Directory South Wales 1910

The transcription of the section for Strata Florida from The National Gazetteer (1868) provided by Colin Hinson.

Description of the parish of Strata Florida from A Topographical Dictionary of Wales (1833) by Samuel Lewis.

• Ask for a calculation of the distance from Strata Florida / Caron-Uwch-Clawdd to another place.

Various items - on the People's Collection Wales site

• Remains of Strata Florida Abbey , plans etc
• Early postcard showing engraving dated 1741: Strata Florida Abbey from the west

Anon. First county gathering at Strata Florida. Card. Antq. Soc. Trans.,Vol I . Also Second gathering, same source/vol

Jones, R Osborne Recent excavations at Strata Florida Transactions of the Cardiganshire Antiquarian Society Vol 11 1936 Welsh Journals Online

Leighton, D K and D M Metcalfe. A cairn cemetery on Esgair Gerwyn, Ceredigion (NLW's site) Ceredigion Vol VIII

Meyrick, Sir Samuel Rush.(1783-1848) The History and Antiquities of the county of Cardigan. Collected from the few remaining documents which have escaped the ravages of time, as well as from actual observation. Longman: London ,1810. The history and antiquities of the County of Cardigan ... to which are now added a parliamentary history, list of High Sheriffs, some notes on the present county families, &c., &c. repr. Brecon: 1907. This 1907 print has now been reprinted. The section relating to this parish is on pages 243/49; under Ystradflur.

Martin, Shirley A. The Valuation Office Property Survey, 1910-1915 (also known as the Lloyd George Survey) for Tregaron and Strata Florida. Cardiganshire FHS journal, vol 4/3 Oct 2005

Ink on paper drawing showing old house at Strata Florida.  - on the People's Collection Wales site

Parish map (Kain/Oliver)

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SN746658 (Lat/Lon: 52.276003, -3.839413), Strata Florida / Caron-Uwch-Clawdd which are provided by:

• OpenStreetMap
• Google Maps
• StreetMap (Current Ordnance Survey maps)
• OpenStreetMap Cymru (Welsh counties only)
• Bing (was Multimap)
• Old Maps Online
• National Library of Scotland (Old Ordnance Survey maps)
• Vision of Britain (Click "Historical units & statistics" for administrative areas.)
• Magic (Geographic information) (Click + on map if it doesn't show)
• GeoHack (Links to on-line maps and location specific services.)

• All places within the same township/parish shown on an Openstreetmap map.
• Nearby townships/parishes shown on an Openstreetmap map.
• Nearby places shown on an Openstreetmap map.

Here, under Tregaron parish, is an extract from The Reports of the Commissioners appointed to enquire into the state of Education in Wales. 1847

The Hendregadredd Manuscript. The National Library of Wales 'Treasures' series. The manuscript is the earliest witness of the works of the Gogynfeirdd, the Welsh court poets who were active from the early twelfth century until the fourteenth century, and was probably copied at the Cistercian abbey of Strata Florida in Ceredigion

Cule, John. Some Early Hospitals in Wales and the Border. National Library of Wales journal. 1977, Winter Volume XX/2. Here is an extract relating to this parish;
"The great Cistercian abbey of Strata Florida (Ystrad Fflur) near Pontrhydfendigaid in Cardiganshire was founded by Henry the Second in 1164. Set in desolate splendour amongst the Cambrian Mountains, not far from the source of the River Teifi, it was admirably placed to fulfil the ideals of self dependence and austerity of that order. The Cistercians in their resemblance to the earlier Welsh saints appealed much more to the native Welsh than did the black habited Benedictines, whose introduction was associated with the Norman conqueror, and whose cells and priories lay in the shadow of the great castles. Sometimes, as at Ewenni, they seemed almost as heavily fortified. The early Cistercians had entered under a similar Norman cloud via Tintern (1131), Margam (1147), Neath (1147) and Basingwerk (1147). As a result, these never had that sympathy of the population won by the later wave of White Monks, who landed to found Whitland abbey in west Wales in 1140, and whose daughter houses included Strata Florida (1164), Strata Marcella (1170) and Cwm-Hir (1176). They and their own daughter houses were liberally endowed, even enjoying the patronage of the native princes.
The lonely house of Strata Florida played an important part in the chronicling of the history of Wales, continuing the record of Brut y Tywysogyon and Annales Cambriae, although the latter unfortunately has not survived in its original form. In its situation, care of the aged and sick brethren was a necessity as well as a Christian duty. There were also lepers to support. By the time of Leland's visit, some short time before 1540, he found 'the Fratry and Infirmatori be now mere ruines'.
The Firmar House of Strata Florida received mention in 1291.After its destruction it may be that Ysbyty Ystrad Meurig, some two miles distant, took over its functions."

This page has been partly compiled from material previously published in their journal
by kind permission of Cardiganshire Family History Society