The tale of Bettws Cedewain - from bead house to beloved Powys community

The village grew around the crossing of the river where a church was founded by St Beuno in the sixth century.

The name of the village is believed to derive from the Welsh word ‘Betws’ - meaning a prayer house or bead house where the number of prayers had been counted on beads by the earliest church-goers in Cedewain.

Old Milestone by Highgate. Picture: Geograph.

Among the oldest houses in the district to still stand is Highgate which was mentioned in the Domesday Book in the 11th century while Pontyperchyll had been a house of some prominence in the Tudor era.

The church contains the only pre-Reformation memorial brass in Montgomeryshire and is dedicated to Reverend John ap Meredyth for his efforts in the planning of the church tower prior to his death in 1531.

Bettws Cedewain church. Picture: Geograph.

In 1651 Glanbechan, another of the village’s great houses, is known to have been built.

Another old house in the village is Heulfron, built on the site of a former almshouse to which the Weaver Charity made provisions for eight needy people from Bettws and Tregynon providing ‘they be of good character’ and respected a 9pm curfew.

In 1823 villagers had embarked on an ambitious plan upon purchasing land to build a Presbyteran chapel to bring services to the village having previously held them at the Glomen farm.

The scheme had seen two cottages moved to a nearby site using jacks, rollers and horses.

Chapel, Bettws Cedewain. Picture: Geograph.

One of the cottages, known as Hideaway, still stands today.

St Beuno church belfry had served as the village’s first school before a new school was built in the churchyard which was used from 1852 until 1896 when local clergy and a procession marked the opening of a new school on the other side of the river.

An organ was donated to the church by Lord Sudeley of Gregynog Hall in 1872.

A small house or lodge overlooking the churchyard in Bettws Cedewain. Picture: Geograph.

Much of Bettws remained part of the Gregynog estate until 1920 when most had been sold by Lord Joicey which led to the expansion of the village with Brynteg, Cae’r Nant and Ffordd Newydd estates built over the next 60 years.

A community hall was built in 1921.

The village was once home to four public houses though Cwmcignant and the Talbot Inn have long been converted into homes while the site of the Red Lion became a post office leaving the New Inn as the last pub for many years.

Cwm-cignant. Picture: Geograph.

However in a quirk of fate the store moved to the New Inn upon its closure with the Bull and Heifer public house replacing the former post office at the site of the Red Lion Inn more than a century after it had poured its last pint.

Bull and Heifer. Picture: Geograph.

A new community hall was built next to the school in 1985 following a three year community led fundraising effort.

The village was once home to mills, a smithy, tailor, a wheelwright and cobblers but each have long become private residences with most of the population now employed at the remaining family farms or Bettws Hall Pheasant & Partridge Shoot and Game Farm while the majority travel to Newtown.

The Smithy. Picture: Geograph.

Sadly the school closed its doors with the opening of Rhiwbechan School in 1992 but in 2007 the old school once again became home to an education setting with the arrival of the Bettws Lifehouse School.

Former schoolhouse. Picture: Geograph.