BASSETT.

The family descended from the Bassetts of Beaupre. One Llantwit branch descended from Christopher, who lived at Great House, Siggingstone. He married Mary Hooper who inherited Boverton House from her uncle in 1815. This became the family home for their six children. The house was sold after 1892. Until then, the spinster sisters, Mary and Joan, called “The Miss Bassetts”, lived there and were later joined by their widowed sister Mrs. Pemberton. The solicitor, Elias Bassett, was their father’s brother. He lived at Ivy or Court House, High St. He gave the land in Methodist Lane to build Tabernacle Chapel.

VACHELL

VACHELL

This family was a wealthy Cardiff family where they owned significant property in the town centre. They took part in many community projects such as the library, the museum, and the Council. Their association with Llantwit Major came through Frederick Vachell who...

read more
WILKINS

WILKINS

An early reference to the Llantwit branch of the family is in 1671 when Edward Wilkins lived at Little Frampton. The family accrued land and property including Great Frampton, Lower House Farm, West Farm and West House. Great Frampton left the family in 1862 when the...

read more
TREVELYAN

TREVELYAN

Marie Trevelyan was the pen name of Emma Thomas. She became a well known writer by collecting and recording the folklore and the narrated historical accounts of Llantwit Major. In 1910 she published her book “Llantwit Major. Its history and antiquities.” She lived in...

read more
SEYS

SEYS

This family name was brought to Boverton around 1560 by Roger Seys of Cowbridge who married Elizabeth Voss. She inherited Boverton land on which they built a large mansion, Boverton Place. Roger was a lawyer becoming Attorney General for the Principality of Wales...

read more
REDWOOD

REDWOOD

Pictured: Theophilus Redwood (9 April 1806 – 5 March 1892) was a Welsh pharmacist who was one of the founding members of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. He was born in Boverton. This was a Quaker family. In 1806 the land they owned in Boverton was...

read more
RAGLAN

RAGLAN

In the 15th century Robert Raglan ,of the Monmouthshire Herbert family, was given lands around Llantwit Major for having fought at Agincourt. John Raglan, the grandson of Robert settled here and the family became patrons of the bards and of the Church and constructed...

read more
PRICE

PRICE

This name relates to several Price families in the area. Jane Price of Cwrt Carnau, Penllegaer, married Rev. Evan Seys and gave birth to the last of the Boverton Seys, Jane, b.1750, who married Robert Jones of Fonmon. Her brother, Thomas bought Dyffryn St. Nicholas....

read more
PORTREY

PORTREY

This name was probably derived from the ancient position of the Portreeve who looked after the comings and goings of a town in charge of tolls and markets. The Portreys of Boverton were the land agents of the Seys family of Boverton Place and lived at Tile House. As...

read more
NICHOLL-CARNE

NICHOLL-CARNE

The Carne family seat was at Nash Manor. They owned large areas of land which in 1798 were inherited by Eleanor Carne of Nash, who married Thomas Markham of Cheltenham from whom there was no heir. The lands, in1842,went to Elizabeth Carne , a cousin, who married the...

read more
NICHOLL

NICHOLL

The family was first resident at Ty Mawr, High St. where John Nicholl lived until 1599. His son and heir took up residence at another Llantwit property, The Ham. He was called Illtyd after the founding Saint of Llantwit Major. This became a given name for the Nicholls...

read more
MABON

MABON

MABON, was the bardic name of William Abraham (1842-1922). Born in Cwmafan, he worked in collieries from the age of ten, but gained a reputation as a skilled negotiator with the mine owners. He became agent for the Cambrian Miners Association, and later treasurer for...

read more
HOPKIN

HOPKIN

Daniel Hopkin came from a humble family in Llantwit Major where his father had been a farm labourer but died in 1893 when Daniel was seven. Daniel was encouraged in the elementary school and later went to Carmarthen College, then to Cambridge to read law. He became a...

read more
DEERE

DEERE

This is one of the oldest surnames associated with Llantwit Major, first appearing, with the Nicholls’, in an Inquisition Post Mortem for 1492, detailing the state of the Manor of Boverton and Llantwit Major. It seems that Robert Deere had benefitted from the decline...

read more
DAVIES

DAVIES

Professor William H. Davies was Professor of Classics at Aberystwyth U. C. W. from 1947-1974. He was educated at Llantwit Major elementary school, Barry Boys Grammar School and University College Cardiff. He furthered his studies at Rome and Harvard and was very...

read more
DANIEL

DANIEL

Professor Glyn E. Daniel of Cambridge University was also a TV personality in the 1950s as chairman of the quiz show ‘Animal,Vegetable or Mineral.’ He was educated at Llantwit Major where his father was the headmaster of the elementary school. For his secondary...

read more
CRAWSHAY

CRAWSHAY

This branch of the ironmaster’s family were tenants at Dimlands , a large house on the St. Donats Road. Tudor Crawshay and his wife, Mary, from Kew, were there from 1900 to 1921. He became deputy Lieutenant of Glamorgan, J.P. and was vicar’s warden of St. Illtud’s...

read more
ANDREWS

ANDREWS

The Andrews family kept the Post Office in Wesley Street, Llantwit Major from around 1870. The first Post Master was William Andrews. His son, Hughie Andrews, took over from him and remained as Post Master until 1941.Hughie Andrews was a sportsman, historian and...

read more

See below for a map of Llantwit Major’s notable historic buildings

Location of Notable Buildings: