Brecon, Brecknockshire : Historical writing

Descriptive gazetteer entries

These other entries in our collection of descriptive gazetteers are also about Brecon. You may be able to find further references to Brecon in the descriptive gazetteers by doing a full-text search here.

Place Type of entry Source
Brecknock, or Brecon municipal borough and county town Bartholomew
BRECKNOCK, or Brecon a town, two parishes, a subdistrict, and a district Imperial
BRECON and MERTHYR-TYDVIL RAILWAY a system of railway Imperial
Castle Inn parish Bartholomew
DAVID (St.), or David-Brecon (St.) a parish Imperial

This additional information from our descriptive gazetteers is for locations within the parish or parishes associated with Brecon.

Place Type of entry Source
Venny Vach township Bartholomew

Travel writing

This website includes the complete texts of books describing journeys around Britain, written between the twelfth and nineteenth centuries. Selecting one of the links below will take you to the first reference to Brecon within the selected text. This will not always be a description of a visit: travellers often mention places other than where they are, for example as a basis for comparison.

Traveller Section No. of Refs.
George Borrow Strata Florida and Tregaron 11
Gerald of Wales Book I, Ch. 2: Hay and Brecheinia 5
Arthur Young 1776 Tour of South Wales and South Midlands 5
William Camden Hereford, Radnor, Brecon, Monmouth and Glamorgan 4
William Gilpin Monmouth to Llandovery 4
George Borrow Tom O' the Dingle 2
Gerald of Wales Introduction 2
Robert Gammage Touring South Wales 2
John Wesley 1749-50: Wesley and the Soldiers; In Ireland and Wales Again; Wesley Burned in Effigy 2
John Wesley 1781-4: An Ideal Circuit; Wesley in his Eighties; Wesley Visits Holland; Scotland 2
George Borrow Machynlleth 1
George Borrow Conclusion: Newport and Chepstow 1
Charles Wesley Sept. 1- Dec. 31, 1748: Ireland and central Wales 1
Charles Wesley 1749: Marriage to Sally Gwynne 1
Daniel Defoe Letter 6, Part 3: Worcester, Hereford and Wales 1
John Wesley 1754-6: Retirement in Paddington; Wesley Slandered; Premonitions 1
John Wesley 1763-4: In Scotland Again; Methodist's Wealth; "No Law for Methodists"; Exhausting Days 1
John Wesley 1777-80: On the Isle of Man; City Road Chapel; Wesley Visits Lord George Gordon 1

This website includes two large libraries, of historical travel writing and of entries from nineteenth century gazetteers describing places. We have text from these sources available for these places near your location:

Place Mentioned in Travel Writing Mentioned in Historical Gazetteer
Venni Fach 0 2
Llan Ddew 3 2
Llanhamlach 1 2
Llandyfaelog Fach 0 2
Llansbyddyd 0 2
Garthbrengi 0 2
Llan Y Wern 0 2
Llanfeugan 0 2
Battle 0 2
Penkelly 0 2
Talachddu 0 2
Felin Fach 0 2
Aberysgyr 0 2
Llanfrynach 0 3
Scethrog 0 2
Llanfihangel Tal Y Llyn 0 3
Llanfilo 0 3
Pen Pont 0 2
Trawsgoed 0 2
Modrydd 0 2

Names from historical writing

The following appear as names for Brecon. Follow the links for what the author actually said:

Name Author Source
ABER HODNEY William Camden Britain, or, a Chorographicall Description of the most flourishing Kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland (London: George Bishop and John Norton, 1610).
ABERHODNI Gerald of Wales The Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin through Wales (Oxford, Mississippi, 1997).
ABERHONDDU John Marius Wilson Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (Edinburgh: A Fullarton & Co., 1870-72).
BRECHNOCK William Camden Britain, or, a Chorographicall Description of the most flourishing Kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland (London: George Bishop and John Norton, 1610).
BRECKNOC William Gilpin Observations of the River Wye, and several parts of South Wales (London: Cadell Junior and W. Davies, 1800).
BRECKNOCK John Bartholomew Gazetteer of the British Isles (Edinburgh: Bartholomew, 1887).
William Camden Britain, or, a Chorographicall Description of the most flourishing Kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland (London: George Bishop and John Norton, 1610).
Daniel Defoe A tour thro' the whole island of Great Britain, divided into circuits or journies (London: JM Dent and Co, 1927).
John Wesley The Journal of John Wesley (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Christian Classics Ethereal Library, 2000).
John Marius Wilson Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (Edinburgh: A Fullarton & Co., 1870-72).
BRECKNOCK OR BRECON John Bartholomew Gazetteer of the British Isles (Edinburgh: Bartholomew, 1887).
John Marius Wilson Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (Edinburgh: A Fullarton & Co., 1870-72).
BRECKNOOK Charles Wesley The Journal of the Rev. Charles Wesley (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1849).
BRECON John Bartholomew Gazetteer of the British Isles (Edinburgh: Bartholomew, 1887).
John Marius Wilson Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (Edinburgh: A Fullarton & Co., 1870-72).
BRECON AND MERTHYR TYDVIL RAILWAY John Marius Wilson Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (Edinburgh: A Fullarton & Co., 1870-72).
BRYCHEINIOG John Marius Wilson Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (Edinburgh: A Fullarton & Co., 1870-72).
CASTLE INN John Bartholomew Gazetteer of the British Isles (Edinburgh: Bartholomew, 1887).
DAVID ST OR DAVID BRECON ST John Marius Wilson Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (Edinburgh: A Fullarton & Co., 1870-72).

NB: These variant names come from our collections of historical travel writing and descriptive gazetteers:

  • The above links take you to the first reference to this particular version of the name within a book of travel writing, or to the relevant gazetteer entry.
  • Some names may derive from research by antiquarian writers such as William Camden and Thomas Pennant into the Roman, Saxon and medieval names of places. Their claims are not always supported by modern place-name researchers.
  • References by travel writers to the place using its "normal" name are not included. Descriptive gazetteer entries are included only if the name does not appear anywhere else.