Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire : Historical writing

Descriptive gazetteer entries

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

Place Type of entry Source
CARMARTHEN a town, a parish, a subdistrict and a district Imperial
CARMARTHEN and CARDIGAN RAILWAY a railway Imperial
Carmarthen, or Caermarthen county town of Carmarthenshire, and county of itself, parliamentary and municipal borough, parish, and port Bartholomew

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

Place Type of entry Source
Llanllwch ecclesiastical district Bartholomew
LLANLLWCH a chapelry Imperial

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 Carmarthen 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.
William Camden Rest of Wales 6
John Wesley 1763-4: In Scotland Again; Methodist's Wealth; "No Law for Methodists"; Exhausting Days 6
Gerald of Wales Book I, Ch. 10: Carmarthen 5
Arthur Young 1776 Tour of South Wales and South Midlands 4
George Borrow Tom O' the Dingle 2
George Borrow Llandovery 2
Gerald of Wales Book II, Ch. 8: Conway 2
Daniel Defoe Letter 6, Part 3: Worcester, Hereford and Wales 2
George Borrow Machynlleth 1
Gerald of Wales Book I, Ch. 6: Newport and Cardiff 1
Gerald of Wales Book II, Ch. 10: Flintshire 1
Charles Wesley Apr. 3 - Sept. 22, 1741: Bristol and S. Wales again 1
Thomas Pennant Stone to Stafford 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
Johnstown 0 2
Llanllwch 0 2
Pensarn 0 1
Newchurch 0 2
Merthyr 0 2
Llan Gain 0 2
Iddole 0 2
Llangynnwr 0 3
Abergwili 1 2
Llangynog 0 2
Llandyfaelog 0 2
Hengil 0 2
Rhyd Ar Gaeau 0 2
Aber Nant 0 2
Llanpumsaint 0 2
Iscoed 0 4
Meidrum 0 3
Ystrad 0 2
Llanybri 0 2
Llanfihangel Uwch Gwili 0 1

Names from historical writing

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

Name Author Source
CAER FIRDHIN William Camden Britain, or, a Chorographicall Description of the most flourishing Kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland (London: George Bishop and John Norton, 1610).
CAERMARDDIN Gerald of Wales The Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin through Wales (Oxford, Mississippi, 1997).
CAER MARDEN William Camden Britain, or, a Chorographicall Description of the most flourishing Kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland (London: George Bishop and John Norton, 1610).
CAERMARDIN Gerald of Wales The Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin through Wales (Oxford, Mississippi, 1997).
CAERMARDYN Gerald of Wales The Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin through Wales (Oxford, Mississippi, 1997).
CAERMARTHEN John Bartholomew Gazetteer of the British Isles (Edinburgh: Bartholomew, 1887).
Daniel Defoe A tour thro' the whole island of Great Britain, divided into circuits or journies (London: JM Dent and Co, 1927).
Thomas Pennant The Journey from Chester to London (London: Wilkie and Robinson, 1811).
Charles Wesley The Journal of the Rev. Charles Wesley (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1849).
CAER MERDIN William Camden Britain, or, a Chorographicall Description of the most flourishing Kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland (London: George Bishop and John Norton, 1610).
CARMARTHEN 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).
CARMARTHEN AND CARDIGAN RAILWAY John Marius Wilson Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (Edinburgh: A Fullarton & Co., 1870-72).
CARMARTHEN OR CAERMARTHEN John Bartholomew Gazetteer of the British Isles (Edinburgh: Bartholomew, 1887).
KAER VYRDHIN Daniel Defoe A tour thro' the whole island of Great Britain, divided into circuits or journies (London: JM Dent and Co, 1927).
MARIDUNUM William Camden Britain, or, a Chorographicall Description of the most flourishing Kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland (London: George Bishop and John Norton, 1610).
John Marius Wilson Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (Edinburgh: A Fullarton & Co., 1870-72).
MURIDUNUM William Camden Britain, or, a Chorographicall Description of the most flourishing Kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland (London: George Bishop and John Norton, 1610).

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.