Rhayader The map below is based on the
tithe map of around 1840.
It was made by the church authorities for tax purposes. The modern road which bypasses the
village is of course not shown. Instead you can see the Seven
Stars inn and a small cluster
of buildings on either side of the old turnpike road between Rhayader
and Crossgates, with St Cynllo's Church
high on the bank above.
Victorian Maps
Nantmel
in 1840
The men who made it did not put north at the top so we have turned it
to make it easier to compare with the later map of Nantmel. This is why
the old writing on the map is at an angle.
The map gives us a good idea of the community in
the early years of
Queen Victoria's reign.
The
first thing to notice is just how few houses
there are in the village. Like most rural parishes, Nantmel had a scattered
population living in farms, smallholdings and cottages. The vast majority
of people worked on the land in some way.