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101-539: 51°41′02″N 4°09′47″W  /  51.684°N 4.163°W  / 51.684; -4.163 Llanelli ( Welsh for ' St Elli 's Parish '; Welsh: [ɬaˈnɛɬi] ) is a market town and community in Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed , Wales . It is located on the Loughor estuary and is also the largest town in the county of Carmarthenshire. The town

202-441: A Welsh Language Scheme, which indicates its commitment to the equality of treatment principle. This is sent out in draft form for public consultation for a three-month period, whereupon comments on it may be incorporated into a final version. It requires the final approval of the now defunct Welsh Language Board ( Bwrdd yr Iaith Gymraeg ). Thereafter, the public body is charged with implementing and fulfilling its obligations under

303-594: A Welsh-language edge inscription was used on pound coins dated 1985, 1990 and 1995, which circulated in all parts of the UK prior to their 2017 withdrawal. The wording is Pleidiol wyf i'm gwlad (Welsh for 'True am I to my country'), and derives from the national anthem of Wales, " Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau ". UK banknotes are in English only. Some shops employ bilingual signage. Welsh sometimes appears on product packaging or instructions. The UK government has ratified

404-663: A census glossary of terms to support the release of results from the census, including their definition of "main language" as referring to "first or preferred language" (though that wording was not in the census questionnaire itself). The wards in England with the most people giving Welsh as their main language were the Liverpool wards of Central and Greenbank ; and Oswestry South in Shropshire . The wards of Oswestry South (1.15%), Oswestry East (0.86%) and St Oswald (0.71%) had

505-502: A local public campaign. It remains in the name of a local historic building, Llanelly House , and this is sometimes confused with the village and parish of Llanelly , in south-east Wales near Abergavenny . Llanelly in Victoria , Australia was named after this town of Llanelli, using the spelling current at that time. The beginnings of Llanelli can be found on the lands of present-day Parc Howard. An Iron Age hill fort once stood which

606-520: A mile to the south. The parish church of St Elli has a medieval tower. The body of the church was rebuilt by G. F. Bodley in 1905–1906. It is a Grade II* listed building . Several other churches in the town are also listed buildings, but made redundant by the Church in Wales and now in private ownership. They include All Saints' and St Alban's . From the early 19th to late 20th centuries, Llanelli

707-579: A sense of exceptionalism in relation to the rest of Carmarthenshire, which is dominated by Plaid Cymru. In reaction to this, there have been calls to reinstate the local government district of Llanelli either as a county or as the City of Llanelli. The community of Llanelli is bordered by those of Llanelli Rural , Llanrhidian Higher and Llanrhidian Lower , the last two being in the City and County of Swansea . Llanelli Borough Council, based at Llanelli Town Hall ,

808-479: A single discourse (known in linguistics as code-switching ). Welsh speakers are largely concentrated in the north and west of Wales, principally Gwynedd , Conwy County Borough , Denbighshire , Anglesey , Carmarthenshire , north Pembrokeshire , Ceredigion , parts of Glamorgan , and north-west and extreme south-west Powys . However, first-language and other fluent speakers can be found throughout Wales. Welsh-speaking communities persisted well into

909-424: Is 11 miles (18 km) north-west of Swansea and 12 miles (19 km) south-east of Carmarthen . The town had a population of 25,168 in 2011, estimated in 2019 at 26,225. The local authority was Llanelli Borough Council when the county of Dyfed existed, but it has been under Carmarthenshire County Council since 1996. The anglicised spelling “Llanelly” was used until 1966, when it was changed to Llanelli after

1010-715: Is a reference to the 4th Battalion of the Welch Regiment fighting against the Ottoman Empire in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I . Several communities nearby may be included colloquially in Llanelli. In 2024 it was announced that the town would be seeking city status. Llanelli hosted the National Eisteddfod six times between 1895 and 2014. In the mid-20th century, Llanelli

1111-572: Is also renowned for its pottery, which has a unique cockerel hand-painted on each item. A collection of this pottery can bee seen at the Llanelli Museum in Parc Howard. Llanelli people are sometimes nicknamed "Turks". There are several theories on this nickname: Llanelli allowed the docking of a Turkish ship when Swansea dockers were on strike in the 1920s, Llanelli tinplate workers wrapped their heads like turbans to deal with sweat, or it

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1212-625: Is available throughout Europe on satellite and online throughout the UK. Since the digital switchover was completed in South Wales on 31 March 2010, S4C Digidol became the main broadcasting channel and fully in Welsh. The main evening television news provided by the BBC in Welsh is available for download. There is also a Welsh-language radio station, BBC Radio Cymru , which was launched in 1977. Stepney Family The Stepneys originated from

1313-688: Is considered to have lasted from then until the 14th century, when the Modern Welsh period began, which in turn is divided into Early and Late Modern Welsh. The word Welsh is a descendant, via Old English wealh, wielisc , of the Proto-Germanic word * Walhaz , which was derived from the name of the Celtic people known to the Romans as Volcae and which came to refer to speakers of Celtic languages, and then indiscriminately to

1414-787: Is spoken natively in Wales , by some in England , and in Y Wladfa (the Welsh colony in Chubut Province , Argentina ). It is spoken by smaller numbers of people in Canada and the United States descended from Welsh immigrants, within their households (especially in Nova Scotia ). Historically, it has also been known in English as "British", "Cambrian", "Cambric" and "Cymric". The Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 gave

1515-511: Is the label attached to the Welsh of the 12th to 14th centuries, of which much more remains than for any earlier period. This is the language of nearly all surviving early manuscripts of the Mabinogion , although the tales themselves are certainly much older. It is also the language of the existing Welsh law manuscripts. Middle Welsh is reasonably intelligible to a modern-day Welsh speaker. The Bible translations into Welsh helped maintain

1616-732: The Cynfeirdd or "Early Poets" – is generally considered to date to the Primitive Welsh period. However, much of this poetry was supposedly composed in the Hen Ogledd , raising further questions about the dating of the material and language in which it was originally composed. This discretion stems from the fact that Cumbric was widely believed to have been the language used in Hen Ogledd. An 8th-century inscription in Tywyn shows

1717-438: The 1999 Rugby World Cup , hosting the match between Argentina and Samoa on 10 October 1999. The Welsh folk song " Sosban Fach " (Little Saucepan) is mostly associated with Llanelli RFC. Many rugby clubs have notable scalps collected from touring international sides but Llanelli has in its rugby history one of the greatest scalps ever. On 31 October 1972, in one of the most famous results in rugby union history, Llanelli beat

1818-500: The 2016 Australian census , 1,688 people noted that they spoke Welsh. In the 2011 Canadian census , 3,885 people reported Welsh as their first language . According to the 2021 Canadian census , 1,130 people noted that Welsh was their mother tongue. The 2018 New Zealand census noted that 1,083 people in New Zealand spoke Welsh. The American Community Survey 2009–2013 noted that 2,235 people aged five years and over in

1919-466: The 2021 census , 7,349 people in England recorded Welsh to be their "main language". In the 2011 census, 1,189 people aged three and over in Scotland noted that Welsh was a language (other than English) that they used at home. It is believed that there are as many as 5,000 speakers of Patagonian Welsh . In response to the question 'Does the person speak a language other than English at home?' in

2020-548: The BBC and Welsh-language television programs such as Wedi 7 for S4C . Coverage of local affairs appears in two papers, the Llanelli Star founded in 1909 and Llanelli Herald launched in 2015. Online coverage is found on Llanelli Online . The main county-wide radio station is Radio Carmarthenshire . Other radio stations covering the area are Hits Radio South Wales , its sister station Greatest Hits Radio South Wales , Swansea Bay Radio , Radio BGM, which serves

2121-538: The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages in respect of Welsh. The language has greatly increased its prominence since the creation of the television channel S4C in November 1982, which until digital switchover in 2010 broadcast 70 per cent of Channel 4's programming along with a majority of Welsh language shows during peak viewing hours. The all-Welsh-language digital station S4C Digidol

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2222-549: The London suburb of that name, but by the mid-15th century a branch of the family was settled at St Albans in Hertfordshire , subsequently owning the manor of Aldenham from 1546 to 1589. The Welsh branch was established by Alban Stepney , a young lawyer who came to Pembrokeshire in 1559 with his relation by marriage Richard Davies , Bishop of St David's . On 31 December 1561 the bishop appointed him receiver-general of

2323-746: The Machynys Golf Course, retail parks at Trostre and Pemberton , and the Millennium Coastal Park . The core shopping area has now moved largely from the town centre to the Trostre/Pemberton area. The longstanding Felinfoel Brewery continues in Felinfoel , just outside the town. Rev. James Buckley was an ordained Methodist minister, born in Oldham , Lancashire in 1770, who after moving to Llanelli towards

2424-633: The New Zealand national team 9–3 in front of around 20,000 spectators. Llanelli centre Roy Bergiers scored the only try of the game, charging down a clearance by All Black scrum-half Lin Colling after a penalty from Phil Bennett rebounded back into play off the crossbar. There is a strong junior rugby core, including club sides such as Felinfoel , New Dock Stars, Llangennech and the Llanelli Wanderers . In 2005, Coedcae School won

2525-756: The Polish name for Italians) have a similar etymology. The Welsh term for the language, Cymraeg , descends from the Brythonic word combrogi , meaning 'compatriots' or 'fellow countrymen'. Welsh evolved from Common Brittonic , the Celtic language spoken by the ancient Celtic Britons . Classified as Insular Celtic , the British language probably arrived in Britain during the Bronze Age or Iron Age and

2626-555: The Senedd constituency of Labour's Lee Waters MS . Llanelli is run on a community level by Llanelli Town Council and Llanelli Rural Council (depending on the area of town) and Carmarthenshire County Council at local government level. Llanelli Rural Council addresses some part of the town, but mainly the Llanelli Rural community. Llanelli's politics has been Labour-dominated for decades. Its geographical location has led to

2727-640: The United States spoke Welsh at home. The highest number of those (255) lived in Florida . Sources: Calls for the Welsh language to be granted official status grew with the establishment of the nationalist political party Plaid Cymru in 1925, the establishment of the Welsh Language Society in 1962 and the rise of Welsh nationalism in the later 20th century. Of the six living Celtic languages (including two revived), Welsh has

2828-572: The University of Wales . There are sixth form colleges at Ysgol Gyfun y Strade (Welsh medium) and St Michael's (English medium). Prince Philip Hospital has a postgraduate centre for medical training run by Cardiff University 's School of Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education. Llanelli is in the ward of the same name parliamentary constituency, currently represented by the Labour party member Nia Griffith Member of Parliament (MP), and by

2929-613: The West Wales Line . It is the terminus of the Heart of Wales Line for Craven Arms and Shrewsbury . There are daily Great Western Railway services with London Paddington and regular services with Cardiff Central and Manchester Piccadilly . The district is also served by stations at Bynea , Llangennech , Pembrey & Burry Port and Kidwelly . Llanelli is connected to the National Cycle Network from

3030-492: The diocese of St David's , and he also served as its registrar. He established a substantial estate centred on Prendergast , near Haverfordwest , as a result of successive marriages to two wealthy heiresses. He served as a JP and sheriff for both Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire , as well as being elected MP for Haverfordwest in 1572, 1584 and 1586, for Cardigan in 1588, and for Pembrokeshire in 1602. He died on 19 August 1611. Alban's eldest son John Stepney (b. 1581),

3131-542: The "hugely important role", adding, "I look forward to working with the Welsh Government and organisations in Wales in developing the new system of standards. I will look to build on the good work that has been done by the Welsh Language Board and others to strengthen the Welsh language and ensure that it continues to thrive." First Minister Carwyn Jones said that Huws would act as a champion for

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3232-578: The 14th century although extensive restorations were completed in 1911. According to the Red Book of Hergest during the Norman invasion of Wales Rhys Ieuanc and his uncle Maelgwn ap Rhys took the allegiance of all the Welsh of the Kingdom of Dyfed apart from one region. Cemais would not pay allegiance and thus Rhys Ieuanc and his uncle, Maelgwn ap Rhys, attacked and pillaged the area moving on to attack

3333-596: The 1880s identified a small part of Shropshire as still then speaking Welsh, with the "Celtic Border" passing from Llanymynech through Oswestry to Chirk . The number of Welsh-speaking people in the rest of Britain has not yet been counted for statistical purposes. In 1993, the Welsh-language television channel S4C published the results of a survey into the numbers of people who spoke or understood Welsh, which estimated that there were around 133,000 Welsh-speaking people living in England, about 50,000 of them in

3434-452: The 1950s, Trefor and Eileen Beasley campaigned to get Llanelli Rural Council to distribute tax papers in Welsh by refusing to pay taxes until their demand was met. The council reacted by sending in the bailiffs and selling their furniture to recover the money owed. The Beasleys' neighbours bought the furniture and returned it to them. The council finally reversed its policy in the 1960s, giving Welsh equal status with English. In 1991 Llanelli

3535-536: The 1993 Act nor secondary legislation made under it covers the private sector, although some organisations, notably banks and some railway companies, provide some of their information in Welsh. On 7 December 2010, the Welsh Assembly unanimously approved a set of measures to develop the use of the Welsh language within Wales. On 9 February 2011 this measure, the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 ,

3636-526: The 2020s. The most well known of Llanelli's chapels is probably Capel Als , where David Rees was a minister for many years in the 19th century. Llanelli had seven other Independent (Congregationalist) chapels, namely Tabernacle, Lloyd Street, Siloah now closed, Soar now closed, Ebenezer, Dock Chapel, and Park Church (the only chapel where services were conducted in English). The Tabernacle Chapel built in 1872–1873 by John Humphreys of Morriston overlooks

3737-486: The Assembly which confirms the official status of the Welsh language; which creates a strong advocate for Welsh speakers and will improve the quality and quantity of services available through the medium of Welsh. I believe that everyone who wants to access services in the Welsh language should be able to do so, and that is what this government has worked towards. This legislation is an important and historic step forward for

3838-525: The Cowell-Stepney, baronets, of Llanelli, are descended from another aunt, Maria Justina Stepney (1757–1821), a daughter of the seventh baronet Sir Thomas by his second marriage. Maria Justina married General Andrew Cowell in 1788. Their son John (1791–1877) assumed the name Stepney-Cowell in 1857, and was created a baronet in 1871. His granddaughter, Catherine Meriel Cowell Stepney (1876–1952), married Sir Edward Stafford Howard (1851–1916), and assumed

3939-562: The Derwydd estate, but the marriage broke down irreparably in the 1760s, at least partly because of the couple's financial problems. The Stepney family then failed with the death without issue of Sir Thomas Stepney (d. 1825), ninth baronet. However, one of his aunts, Elizabeth Brigetta Stepney (1749–1780), married the collector and MP Joseph Gulston ; their descendants, the Stepney-Gulstons, ultimately inherited Derwydd. Meanwhile,

4040-550: The Greater London area. The Welsh Language Board , on the basis of an analysis of the Office for National Statistics Longitudinal Study, estimated there were 110,000 Welsh-speaking people in England, and another thousand in Scotland and Northern Ireland. In the 2011 census , 8,248 people in England gave Welsh in answer to the question "What is your main language?" The Office for National Statistics subsequently published

4141-671: The Inter-Schools Cup of Wales with an 8–5 victory over Brynteg Comprehensive . Llanelli's West Wales Raiders play in RFL League 1 , the third tier of rugby league in England and Wales. The club is based at Stebonheath Park . Stebonheath Park is the home of football club Llanelli A.F.C. , which plays in the Cymru South . The town has many active local teams and tournaments such as the 2018 Challenge Cup, where West End United beat Trostre Sports AFC. Llanelli hosts

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4242-543: The Llanelli brewery has been partly demolished. In the past decade, the longstanding emphasis on heavy industry has shifted towards the tertiary sector employment in leisure and tourism. Ongoing developments include the new Llanelli Scarlets rugby stadium, the Old Castle Works leisure village (see below) and a National Hunt racecourse at Ffos Las near Trimsaran . Machynys Ponds , a Site of Special Scientific Interest notable for its dragonfly population, lies

4343-689: The Prince Philip Hospital and the local community online, and Heart South Wales . Some local attractions include: The Ffwrnes Theatre opened in late 2012, replacing the Theatr Elli, which was part of the Llanelli Entertainment Centre. A multi-screen cinema opened in October 2012. Much is being spent on regenerating the central shopping district. Llanelli holds festivals, carnivals and events throughout

4444-503: The Romans thinking the area was completely worthless or due to a raid by either rebellious local Britons or an Irish raid. During the post-Roman period, the area of Llanelli may have been heavily populated with Pagans as there's evidence of a pagan worship temple under the Saint Elli church, it may have had frequent raids from Brycheiniog and Dyfed in order to Christianise the area to which it would eventually fall into Dyfed. During

4545-665: The Town Hall. There is a prominent four-pillared Corinthian arcade at the entrance. The building was Grade II* listed in December 1992. It is used as a venue by the Llanelli Choral Society. Other listed chapels include Bethel Baptist Chapel in Copperworks Road, Park Congregational Chapel , Zion Baptist Chapel at Island Place, and Hall Street Methodist Church . Situated on Waunlanyrafon, across

4646-496: The Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011, all new signs have Welsh displayed first. There have been incidents of one of the languages being vandalised, which may be considered a hate crime . Since 2000, the teaching of Welsh has been compulsory in all schools in Wales up to age 16; this has had an effect in stabilising and reversing the decline in the language. Text on UK coins tends to be in English and Latin. However,

4747-704: The Welsh Language Scheme. The list of other public bodies which have to prepare Schemes could be added to by initially the Secretary of State for Wales, from 1993 to 1997, by way of statutory instrument . Subsequent to the forming of the National Assembly for Wales in 1997, the Government Minister responsible for the Welsh language can and has passed statutory instruments naming public bodies who have to prepare Schemes. Neither

4848-421: The Welsh language official status in Wales. Welsh and English are de jure official languages of the Welsh Parliament, the Senedd , with Welsh being the only de jure official language in any part of the United Kingdom, with English being merely de facto official. According to the 2021 census , the Welsh-speaking population of Wales aged three or older was 538,300 (17.8%) and nearly three quarters of

4949-445: The Welsh language, though some had concerns over her appointment: Plaid Cymru spokeswoman Bethan Jenkins said, "I have concerns about the transition from Meri Huws's role from the Welsh Language Board to the language commissioner, and I will be asking the Welsh government how this will be successfully managed. We must be sure that there is no conflict of interest, and that the Welsh Language Commissioner can demonstrate how she will offer

5050-426: The Welsh of the 16th century, but they are similar enough for a fluent Welsh speaker to have little trouble understanding it. During the Modern Welsh period, there has been a decline in the popularity of the Welsh language: the number of Welsh speakers declined to the point at which there was concern that the language would become extinct. During industrialisation in the late 19th century, immigrants from England led to

5151-429: The Welsh-speaking heartlands, with the number dropping to under 50 per cent in Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire for the first time. However, according to the Welsh Language Use Survey in 2019–20, 22 per cent of people aged three and over were able to speak Welsh. The Annual Population Survey (APS) by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimated that as of March 2024, approximately 862,700, or 28.0 per cent of

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5252-439: The annual Llanelli Open Bowls Tournaments, the oldest and most prestigious of which, the Roberts-Rolfe Open Singles event, has been run since 1926 and has a first prize of £600. The contests are held from July to September in Parc Howard. The Llanelli area has two golf courses : the Machynys Peninsula Golf & Country Club which hosted the Wales Ladies Championship of Europe from 2005 until 2008, and Glyn Abbey Golf Club, which

5353-437: The castles at Narberth and Maenclochog. At this time Rhys Ieuanc moved against Cedweli and Carnwyllion with his forces besieging and burning Carnwyllion Castle in 1215. Llanelli was industrialised in the early 19th century as the global centre for tinplate production. Lying near the Western fringe of the South Wales Coal Field, Llanelli played an important role in industry, with coal exported through three small docks along with

5454-408: The census. In terms of usage, ONS also reported that 14.4 per cent (443,800) of people aged three or older in Wales reported that they spoke Welsh daily in March 2024, with 5.4 per cent (165,500) speaking it weekly and 6.5 per cent (201,200) less often. Approximately 1.7 per cent (51,700) reported that they never spoke Welsh despite being able to speak the language, with the remaining 72.0 per cent of

5555-404: The copper and tin produced within the town itself. Although Llanelli is not located within the South Wales valleys, coal from the Gwendraeth and the Loughor Valleys was transported to Llanelli for export. The Stepney Family and other prominent families (including the Raby family, Howard family and Cowell family), played an important role in the development of the town. Aside from industry, Llanelli

5656-414: The course of the 20th century this monolingual population all but disappeared, but a small percentage remained at the time of the 1981 census. Most Welsh-speaking people in Wales also speak English. However, many Welsh-speaking people are more comfortable expressing themselves in Welsh than in English. A speaker's choice of language can vary according to the subject domain and the social context, even within

5757-489: The creation of Old Welsh, Davies suggests it may be more appropriate to refer to this derivative language as Lingua Britannica rather than characterising it as a new language altogether. The argued dates for the period of "Primitive Welsh" are widely debated, with some historians' suggestions differing by hundreds of years. The next main period is Old Welsh ( Hen Gymraeg , 9th to 11th centuries); poetry from both Wales and Scotland has been preserved in this form of

5858-408: The decline in Welsh speakers particularly in the South Wales Valleys. Welsh government processes and legislation have worked to increase the proliferation of the Welsh language, for example through education. Welsh has been spoken continuously in Wales throughout history; however, by 1911, it had become a minority language, spoken by 43.5 per cent of the population. While this decline continued over

5959-421: The early medieval period, it is said a saint named Elli, or Ellyw, who in legend is the son or daughter of King Brychan established a church on the banks of the Afon Lliedi . The original church would have been a wooden or partly stone, thatched structure. According to early Welsh transcripts, the church of Carnwyllion, i.e. the mother church of the cwmwd, was at Llanelli. The current St Elli's Church dates from

6060-404: The end of the 18th century became involved in establishing a small brewery . After the death of the owner, Buckley gained possession of the brewery and changed its name to Buckley's. In 1998, the brewery was bought by Brains Brewery , which transferred production to its facility in Cardiff . However, Brains continues to produce The Reverend James , a bitter named in Buckley's memory. Since then

6161-431: The following decades, the language did not die out. The smallest number of speakers was recorded in 1981 with 503,000 although the lowest percentage was recorded in the most recent census in 2021 at 17.8 per cent. By the start of the 21st century, numbers began to increase once more, at least partly as a result of the increase in Welsh-medium education . The 2004 Welsh Language Use Survey showed that 21.7 per cent of

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6262-514: The fourth baronet, married Justina Mariana, only child and heiress of Sir Anthony van Dyck , the artist; through her grandfather Patrick Ruthven, last surviving brother of John , Earl of Gowrie , she inherited and passed on to subsequent generations of Stepneys a claim to the attainted Scottish titles and estates of the Ruthven family. Their son Sir Thomas Stepney, 5th Baronet , married Margaret, sister and co-heiress (with Anne Lloyd of Cwmgwili) of Walter Vaughan of Llanelli , on 9 December 1691. He

6363-411: The highest number of native speakers who use the language on a daily basis, and it is the Celtic language which is considered the least endangered by UNESCO . The Welsh Language Act 1993 and the Government of Wales Act 1998 provide that the Welsh and English languages be treated equally in the public sector, as far as is reasonable and practicable. Each public body is required to prepare for approval

6464-413: The highest percentage of residents giving Welsh as their main language. The census also revealed that 3,528 wards in England, or 46% of the total number, contained at least one resident whose main language is Welsh. In terms of the regions of England , North West England (1,945), London (1,310) and the West Midlands (1,265) had the highest number of people noting Welsh as their main language. According to

6565-400: The history of Welsh, with rather indistinct boundaries: Primitive Welsh, Old Welsh, Middle Welsh, and Modern Welsh. The period immediately following the language's emergence is sometimes referred to as Primitive Welsh, followed by the Old Welsh period – which is generally considered to stretch from the beginning of the 9th century to sometime during the 12th century. The Middle Welsh period

6666-527: The language already dropping inflections in the declension of nouns. Janet Davies proposed that the origins of the Welsh language were much less definite; in The Welsh Language: A History , she proposes that Welsh may have been around even earlier than 600 AD. This is evidenced by the dropping of final syllables from Brittonic: * bardos 'poet' became bardd , and * abona 'river' became afon . Though both Davies and Jackson cite minor changes in syllable structure and sounds as evidence for

6767-431: The language, its speakers and for the nation." The measure was not welcomed warmly by all supporters: Bethan Williams, chairman of the Welsh Language Society, gave a mixed response to the move, saying, "Through this measure we have won official status for the language and that has been warmly welcomed. But there was a core principle missing in the law passed by the Assembly before Christmas. It doesn't give language rights to

6868-449: The language. As Germanic and Gaelic colonisation of Britain proceeded, the Brittonic speakers in Wales were split off from those in northern England, speaking Cumbric, and those in the southwest, speaking what would become Cornish , so the languages diverged. Both the works of Aneirin ( Canu Aneirin , c.  600 ) and the Book of Taliesin ( Canu Taliesin ) were written during this era. Middle Welsh ( Cymraeg Canol )

6969-400: The likes of Disraeli and Bulwer-Lytton . Llanelly House and the Stepney family's other estates passed successively to the Chambers, Stepney-Gulston and Cowell-Stepney families. The name 'Stepney' is still used in India , Pakistan and elsewhere to describe a car's spare tyre; it was invented in 1904 in a garage in Stepney Street, Llanelli (one of many streets in the town named after

7070-468: The modern period across the border in England. Archenfield was still Welsh enough in the time of Elizabeth I for the Bishop of Hereford to be made responsible, together with the four Welsh bishops, for the translation of the Bible and the Book of Common Prayer into Welsh. Welsh was still commonly spoken there in the first half of the 19th century, and churchwardens' notices were put up in both Welsh and English until about 1860. Alexander John Ellis in

7171-427: The name Howard-Stepney. The eighth baronet, Sir John Stepney (1743–1811), was MP for Monmouth Boroughs from 1767–88, ambassador to Saxony from 1775–82 and to Prussia from 1782–4; his career owed much to Henry Somerset, 5th Duke of Beaufort , a close friend from their time together at Oxford . Sir John was the last British subject to have his passport personally signed by the monarch. Financial problems, perhaps

7272-480: The north on NCR 43 , and along the coast from the east and west on NCR 4 . These routes link with a cycle path to the town centre. The nearest passenger airport is Cardiff Airport , 50 miles (80 km) away, although Pembrey , 2 miles (3.2 km), provides air charter services. The first Welsh -medium primary school , Ysgol Gymraeg Dewi Sant , was founded in Llanelli in 1947. The English-medium secondary schools are St John Lloyd , Bryngwyn and Coedcae ;

7373-448: The number of Welsh-language speakers to one million by 2050. Since 1980, the number of children attending Welsh-medium schools has increased, while the number going to Welsh bilingual and dual-medium schools has decreased. Welsh is considered the least endangered Celtic language by UNESCO . The language of the Welsh developed from the language of Britons . The emergence of Welsh was not instantaneous and clearly identifiable. Instead,

7474-402: The only Welsh medium secondary school is Ysgol y Strade . St Michael's School is a private school for ages 3–18. Ysgol Heol Goffa is a special school for pupils with disabilities. Coleg Sir Gâr (Carmarthenshire College), with its main campus at Graig near Pwll, provides a college education for most of the town's further education students and some vocational undergraduate degrees through

7575-473: The people of Wales in every aspect of their lives. Despite that, an amendment to that effect was supported by 18 Assembly Members from three different parties, and that was a significant step forward." On 5 October 2011, Meri Huws , Chair of the Welsh Language Board , was appointed the new Welsh Language Commissioner. She released a statement that she was "delighted" to have been appointed to

7676-551: The people of the Western Roman Empire . In Old English the term went through semantic narrowing , coming to refer to either Britons in particular or, in some contexts, slaves. The plural form Wēalas evolved into the name for their territory, Wales. The modern names for various Romance-speaking people in Continental Europe (e.g. Walloons , Valaisans , Vlachs / Wallachians , and Włosi ,

7777-488: The population in Wales said they had no Welsh language skills. Other estimates suggest that 862,700 people (28.0%) aged three or older in Wales could speak Welsh in March 2024. Almost half of all Welsh speakers consider themselves fluent, while 20 per cent are able to speak a fair amount. 56 per cent of Welsh speakers speak the language daily, and 19 per cent speak the language weekly. The Welsh Government plans to increase

7878-471: The population not being able to speak it. The National Survey for Wales, conducted by Welsh Government, has also tended to report a higher percentage of Welsh speakers than the census, with the most recent results for 2022–2023 suggesting that 18 per cent of the population aged 3 and over were able to speak Welsh, with an additional 16 per cent noting that they had some Welsh-speaking ability. Historically, large numbers of Welsh people spoke only Welsh. Over

7979-502: The population of Wales aged 3 and over, were able to speak the language. Children and young people aged three to 15 years old were more likely to report that they could speak Welsh than any other age group (48.4 per cent, 241,300). Around 1,001,500 people, or 32.5 per cent, reported that they could understand spoken Welsh. 24.7 per cent (759,200) could read and 22.2 per cent (684,500) could write in Welsh. The APS estimates of Welsh language ability are historically higher than those produced by

8080-407: The population of Wales spoke Welsh, compared with 20.8 per cent in the 2001 census , and 18.5 per cent in the 1991 census . Since 2001, however, the number of Welsh speakers has declined in both the 2011 and 2021 censuses to about 538,300 or 17.8 per cent in 2021, lower than 1991, although it is still higher in absolute terms. The 2011 census also showed a "big drop" in the number of speakers in

8181-490: The required fresh approach to this new role." Huws started her role as the Welsh Language Commissioner on 1 April 2012. Local councils and the Senedd use Welsh, issuing Welsh versions of their literature, to varying degrees. Road signs in Wales are in Welsh and English. Prior to 2016, the choice of which language to display first was the responsibility of the local council. Since then, as part of

8282-445: The result of his passions for horse-racing and cards, led him on a number of occasions to attempt to sell Llanelly House and other parts of his estates. A notorious rake and member of the circle around Charles James Fox , Stepney never married but had a number of affairs, notably with the society beauty Lady Almeria Carpenter. He had at least three illegitimate sons, one of whom, William Chambers, eventually inherited his estates under

8383-831: The road from the police station, is the Roman Catholic Church, Our Lady Queen of Peace Church . Llanelli has an Islamic centre on Station Road and Baptist churches spread throughout the town and surrounding areas. The town's rugby union teams – the Scarlets , who compete in the Pro14 , and Llanelli RFC in the Welsh Premiership – play at Parc y Scarlets , which opened in November 2008 in Pemberton. Previously they had played at Stradey Park , home to Llanelli RFC for over 130 years and one venue used for

8484-706: The seat until disqualified in 1643. He remained a staunch royalist and was governor of Haverfordwest during the Civil War , although he abandoned the town without a fight in February 1644. He was captured by Parliamentary forces at Hereford on 18 December 1645 and imprisoned in Southwark, being released on payment of substantial fines. In 1662 he served as mayor of Haverfordwest , becoming deputy lieutenant of Pembrokeshire in 1674. He died before 26 September 1676. The third baronet's nephew, Sir John Stepney (d. 1681),

8585-651: The shift occurred over a long period, with some historians claiming that it had happened by as late as the 9th century , with a watershed moment being that proposed by linguist Kenneth H. Jackson , the Battle of Dyrham , a military battle between the West Saxons and the Britons in 577 AD, which split the South Western British from direct overland contact with the Welsh. Four periods are identified in

8686-631: The terms of Sir John's remarkably complicated will. He moved abroad in 1802 and died at Trnava , now in Slovakia , on 3 October 1811. With the death of Sir John's brother, Sir Thomas Stepney (1760–1825), a well-known figure in London's clubland and groom of the bed-chamber to the duke of York, the baronetcy became extinct. The last baronet's second wife was the Victorian novelist Catherine, Lady Stepney , who hosted fashionable soirees and patronised

8787-526: The use of Welsh in daily life, and standardised spelling. The New Testament was translated by William Salesbury in 1567, and the complete Bible by William Morgan in 1588. Modern Welsh is subdivided into Early Modern Welsh and Late Modern Welsh. Early Modern Welsh ran from the 15th century through to the end of the 16th century, and the Late Modern Welsh period roughly dates from the 16th century onwards. Contemporary Welsh differs greatly from

8888-695: The year. They include: Llanelli is linked with the M4 motorway via the A4138 and with Swansea via the Loughor Bridge on the A484 . It is served by regular bus services between Swansea and Carmarthen and a National Express service to London. Services from Llanelli railway station on the Great Western Crescent south of the town centre connect with Fishguard Harbour and Swansea along

8989-612: Was a distinct travel to work area , but a 2001-based revision has merged it into a wider one of Swansea Bay . Several firms, including Tata Steel Europe tinplate at Trostre and Dyfed Steels , are based in the Llanelli area and service the automotive industry. The Technium Performance Engineering Centre was developed at Llanelli Gate as a business incubator for businesses in the automotive, motor sport and aerospace sectors. The traditional industries of Llanelli have gradually declined in recent decades. Local government has responded by seeking to attract tourism with developments such as

9090-477: Was a major centre of Welsh nonconformism . At the end of the Second World War there were 22 chapels in the town. The history of the chapels has been chronicled in a book by the former BBC journalist Huw Edwards . Edwards noted that many of the chapels had closed and others were in sharp decline, he suggested that if the decline continued, only two or three were likely to survive as functioning chapels in

9191-642: Was called Bryn-Caerau (hill of the forts). Evidence suggests there were five hill forts from Old Road to the Dimpath. During the Roman conquest of Wales it is unknown whether the area of Llanelli was part of the Silures tribe or the Demetae tribe. There is evidence of a Roman camp near St Elli shopping centre but it is unknown when it was built, and it was completely abandoned shortly after construction either due to

9292-622: Was complete by around AD 550, and labelled the period between then and about AD 800 "Primitive Welsh". This Primitive Welsh may have been spoken in both Wales and the Hen Ogledd ('Old North') – the Brittonic-speaking areas of what are now northern England and southern Scotland – and therefore may have been the ancestor of Cumbric as well as Welsh. Jackson, however, believed that the two varieties were already distinct by that time. The earliest Welsh poetry – that attributed to

9393-420: Was created a baronet in 1621. He was educated at Oxford and Lincoln's Inn, later becoming a JP, sheriff of Pembrokeshire in 1614, and mayor of Haverfordwest in 1620. His brother Thomas became a courtier, was knighted and in 1622 saved the life of King James VI and I when he fell from his horse; one of Sir Thomas's grandsons was the poet and diplomat George Stepney . Sir John died on 21 July 1626 and

9494-462: Was descended from King Henry VII – an error resulting from misconceptions about the ancestry of the Earls of Gowrie. The sixth baronet, Sir John Stepney (1693–1748) held the estate for only three years before being succeeded by his son Sir Thomas Stepney (1725–1772), who developed considerable business and shipping interests centred on Llanelli. He married Elizabeth Lloyd (d. 1795), heiress of Trehir and

9595-620: Was named Welsh Golf Club of the Year 2009. Llanelli is the birthplace and home of Terry Griffiths OBE, snooker world champion in 1979 and runner-up in 1988. Now a coach and snooker commentator, he runs the Terry Griffiths Matchroom in the town centre. Llanelli is home to Tinopolis , one of Britain's largest independent media producers. It has subsidiaries that produce over 2,500 hours of broadcast television, including English language programmes such as Question Time for

9696-518: Was passed and received Royal Assent, thus making the Welsh language an officially recognised language within Wales. The measure: The measure required public bodies and some private companies to provide services in Welsh. The Welsh government's Minister for Heritage at the time, Alun Ffred Jones , said, "The Welsh language is a source of great pride for the people of Wales, whether they speak it or not, and I am delighted that this measure has now become law. I am very proud to have steered legislation through

9797-517: Was probably spoken throughout the island south of the Firth of Forth . During the Early Middle Ages the British language began to fragment due to increased dialect differentiation, thus evolving into Welsh and the other Brittonic languages. It is not clear when Welsh became distinct. Linguist Kenneth H. Jackson has suggested that the evolution in syllabic structure and sound pattern

9898-531: Was sheriff of Pembrokeshire in 1697 and MP for Carmarthenshire from 1717 to 1722, although his three sisters were all nuns in Flemish convents and Sir Thomas himself seems to have had Jacobite tendencies. Sir Thomas moved the family's main seat from Prendergast, which was eventually sold in 1772, to Llanelly House . Sir Thomas was buried on 19 January 1745. His memorial in Llanelli parish church claims that he

9999-551: Was succeeded by his son Sir Alban Stepney (c. 1607–1628), whose brother, Sir John Stepney (b. c.1618), became the third baronet. (Some early histories of the family show only eight baronets rather than nine because they were unaware of Alban's brief tenure.) In April 1640 Sir John was elected MP for Pembroke in the Short Parliament , then for Haverfordwest in the Long Parliament from November 1640, and held

10100-512: Was the area local authority until Carmarthenshire County Council became the unitary authority in 1996. In 2024 the town's council voiced its support for a bid to become a city. Welsh language Welsh ( Cymraeg [kəmˈraːiɡ] or y Gymraeg [ə ɡəmˈraːiɡ] ) is a Celtic language of the Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people . Welsh

10201-411: Was the world's largest town in which more than half the inhabitants spoke a Celtic language . It is ranked as the seventh largest urban area in Wales . According to the 2011 UK Census returns, 23.7 per cent of Llanelli town residents habitually spoke Welsh . However, the area around Llanelli is a Welsh stronghold, in which 56 per cent do so in communities such as Llwynhendy and Burry Port . During

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