:Newtown, Powys

The ancient parish and commote are named Cedewain, and Newtown was home to a Llan dedicated to St Mary. As such, the first recorded name for the town was Llanfair-yng-Nghedewain.{{cite book |last1=Owen |first1=Robert |title=Collections Historical & Archaeological Relating to Montgomeryshire and Its Borders |date=1896 |publisher=The Club |pages=86-87 |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Collections_Historical_Archaeological_Re/p1IuAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22NEWTOWN%22+%22NOVA+VILLA%22&pg=PA87&printsec=frontcover |access-date=26 November 2024 |language=en}}

Both the modern English name "Newtown" and its Latin variant "Nova Villa" first appear in the thirteenth century following the Norman invasion of Wales. Robert Owen stated that the name was adopted to distinguish the town from the older centre of Norman power in Powys, at Caersws.{{cite book |last1=Owen |first1=Robert |title=Collections Historical & Archaeological Relating to Montgomeryshire and Its Borders |date=1896 |publisher=The Club |page=86 |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Collections_Historical_Archaeological_Re/p1IuAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22NEWTOWN%22+%22NOVA+VILLA%22&pg=PA87&printsec=frontcover |access-date=26 November 2024 |language=en}}

The ancient Welsh name continued in use until the modern era. {{ill|Tudur Owen|cy}} noted that the modern Welsh name appears with the definite article as Y Drênewydd. Owen stated that this was influenced by Newtown's status as one of only two New towns in Wales proposed by John Silkin in 1949.{{Cite book |last=Mills |first=A. D. |title=A Dictionary of British Place-Names |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2003 |isbn=9780198527589 |location=Oxford |pages=}}{{cite web |last1=Owen |first1=Tudur |title=Why is Newtown called Newtown? Y Drenewydd Tudur Owen: What's in a name? |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdLqOg04Vyc |website=S4C Youtube |access-date=26 November 2024}}

During the early medieval period a hamlet named Llanfair-yng-Nghedewain lay within the area that is now Newtown.{{cite web|url=https://historicplacenames.rcahmw.gov.uk/placenames/recordedname/3a8fb52a-c69b-4fc3-bfcc-2953d4c151a3|title=Recorded name: Newtown (Llanfair-yn-Nghedewain),Newtown|website=historicplacenames.rcahmw.gov.uk|accessdate=7 September 2023}} Its original Welsh name is derived from being situated near a River Severn ford below the Long Bridge and close to the church of St Mary in Bettws Cedewain.{{cite book|first=D|last= Jones|chapter=Old town, Newtown|title=About Wales|date= November 2007|publisher= Civic Trust for Wales}}

The area came to the attention of the English Crown in the 13th century when Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Prince of Wales, created a new administrative centre (Welsh: cantref) at Dolforwyn Castle near Abermule following the Treaty of Montgomery between himself and Henry III. Llywelyn had the castle built to consolidate the land he had been given according to the treaty. However, it was not long after the death of Henry III in 1272 that tension arose with the English at their outpost of Montgomery Castle in the Welsh Marches. This led Edward I to seize and capture Dolforwyn Castle in 1277. He then granted Llywelyn's lands to the powerful Marcher Lord, Roger Mortimer, who transferred the administration of the cantref of Cedewain and the commote of Ceri from Dolforwyn Castle to a new settlement he planned to build further down the valley at Newtown. The town's market charter was granted in 1279.{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Newtown-Wales|title=Newtown|website=www.britannica.com|accessdate=7 September 2023}}

With the subjugation of the Welsh completed by 1282, Newtown was developed as an English plantation town as part of Edward I's policy known as the Ring of Iron.{{cite web|url=https://www.britainexpress.com/wales/mid/newtown.htm|title=Newtown|website=britainexpress.com|accessdate=7 September 2023}}

File:Newtown (1293382).jpg

The town grew in the 18th and 19th centuries around the textile and flannel industry, stimulated by completion of the Montgomeryshire Canal. In 1838, the town saw Wales's first Chartist demonstration.

The Cambrian Mills, opened in 1856, were the first steam-driven mills in Newtown.{{Citation |page=144 |author=Newtown Local History Group |title=Newtown Through Time |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sgvXAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT144 |access-date=2016-03-31 |date=2014-02-28 |publisher=Amberley Publishing Limited |isbn=978-1-4456-1701-5}} The mills stood beside the canal terminus on the east bank of the Severn.{{Citation |page=16 |url=http://walesher1974.org/herumd.php?linktable=her_source1_link&group=CPAT&level=3&docid=301360614 |last=Waiters |first=Mark |title=An historical and archaeological study of the industrial heritage of Newtown, Powys, Mid Wales |publisher=Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust, Curatorial Section|date=March 2003 |access-date=2016-03-31}} They expanded to become the largest of the Welsh woollen mills. However, by the end of the 19th century the Newtown mills were no longer competitive with those in the north of England. There was a disastrous fire in 1910 and another in 1912, after which the Cambrian Mills were not rebuilt. Thereafter Newtown was no longer an important centre of the woollen industry and many workers moved elsewhere.{{Citation |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/legacies/work/wales/w_mid/article_4.shtml |year=2016 |publisher=BBC |last=Cowey |first=Carolyn |title=Pryce-Jones: Pioneer of the Mail Order Industry |access-date=2016-03-31}}

Newtown hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1965. In 1967, the town was designated a new town. It saw a large population growth as firms and people settled, changing its rural market town character.

The population of Newtown in 2001 was 10,780, and increased to 11,347 in 2011. The census of 2021 recorded 11,362 people.

File:Council offices, Newtown - geograph.org.uk - 3557742.jpg

There are two tiers of local government covering Newtown, at community (town) and county level: Newtown and Llanllwchaiarn Town Council (often abbreviated to Newtown Town Council) and Powys County Council.{{cite web |title=Newtown and Llanllwchaiarn Town Council |url=https://newtown.org.uk/town-council-home-page |access-date=30 September 2022 |quote=Newtown Town Council}}

The two parishes of Newtown and Llanllwchaiarn were governed by a single local board from 1866.{{London Gazette|issue=23137|page=3986|date=13 July 1866}} Such local boards became urban district councils under the Local Government Act 1894, and the Newtown and Llanllwchaiarn Urban District Council went on to govern the town from 1894 until 1974.{{cite web |title=Newtown and Llanllwchaearn Urban District |url=https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10288204 |website=A Vision of Britain through Time |publisher=GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth |access-date=30 September 2021}} In 1974 all urban districts were abolished under the Local Government Act 1972, with most of Newtown and Llanllwchaiarn Urban District Council's functions passing to Montgomeryshire District Council. At the same time a community was established covering the area of the former urban district, with its council taking the name Newtown and Llanllwchaiarn Town Council.{{Cite web |url=https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/election-maps/gb/ |title=Election Maps |publisher=Ordnance Survey |access-date=27 August 2018}} Further local government reorganisation took place across Wales in 1996, when Montgomeryshire District Council was abolished and its functions passed to Powys County Council.{{cite legislation UK|type=act|act=Local Government (Wales) Act 1994|year=1994|chapter=19|accessdate=30 September 2022}}

The Town Council has 16 elected members serving five-year terms, and employs a staff of about ten.[http://newtown.org.uk/pages/council Town Council information] It deals mainly with green spaces and public facilities, and as a representative voice for Newtown. The Council Chair or Mayor, elected by the councillors, has been Councillor John Byrne since May 2022.

The community is represented on Powys County Council by five county councillors, each representing a ward: Newtown Central, Newtown East, Newtown Llanllwchaiarn West, Newtown Llanllwchaiarn West and Newtown South.

File:Aerial view - Newtown, Powys - geograph.org.uk - 6406515.jpg

Newtown lies about 8 miles (13 km) from the Wales-England border, in the narrow valley of the River Severn, which restricts development north and south of the town. It is surrounded by small villages, often referred to collectively as the Newtown area. The Newtown post town area, including the villages, has a population approaching 16,000.{{Citation needed|date=April 2008}} The villages include Aberhafesp, Adfa, Bettws Cedewain, Bwlch-y-ffridd, Cefn-gwyn, Dolfor, Glanmule, Kerry, Llanllwchaiarn, Llanwyddelan, Mochdre, New Mills, Pentre, Rhydlydan, Sarn and Tregynon.[http://www.postcode-info.co.uk/sy16-postcode-info.html SY16 postcode information]

File:Newtown Baptist Chapel, Powys.jpg

Built by Pryce Pryce-Jones, the Pryce Jones Royal Welsh Warehouse remains the tallest building in Newtown. The two towering structures housed the world's first mail order service depot.{{Cite web |url=http://a-day-in-the-life.powys.org.uk/eng/home/eo_pryce.php |title=Pryce Jones and the Royal Welsh Warehouse |access-date=11 November 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111025456/http://a-day-in-the-life.powys.org.uk/eng/home/eo_pryce.php |archive-date=11 November 2013}}

Bear Lanes, the town's main shopping centre, has a Tudor-style entrance. The building was once a hotel, The Bear, which contributes to the centre's appearance today.

The Robert Owen Museum is on the ground floor of the council offices in Brisco House, Broad Street.{{Cite news |first=Naomi|last=Penrose|url=http://origin.shropshirestar.mna.arcpublishing.com/news/local-hubs/mid-wales/newtown/2017/03/08/plans-to-transform-newtown-council-hq/ |title=Plans to transform Newtown Council HQ |work=Shropshire Star |date=8 March 2017 |access-date=18 September 2018}} A statue of Robert Owen was erected in 1956 in a park off Shortbridge Street and Gas Street. A replica of this was later erected in Manchester.Official site [http://robert-owen-museum.org.uk/] Retrieved 15 September 2018.

The Free Library building designed by the architect Frank Shayler of Shrewsbury was built in 1902. The Baptist Chapel, dating from 1881, is a fine example of nonconformist architecture from that period. The Back Lane drill hall was completed in 1897.{{Cite web |url=http://drillhalls.org/TownNewtown.htm |title=Newtown |publisher=The Drill Hall Project |access-date=21 August 2017}}

File:Theatr Hafren, Newtown - geograph.org.uk - 2827657.jpg

• The Hafren theatre – a 555-seat venue. Home of Mid Wales Opera
• Powys Theatre – home of the Newtown Amateur Dramatic SocietySociety site [http://www.powystheatre.org.uk/ Retrieved 15 September 2018.]
• Robert Owen Museum
• Textile MuseumMuseum site [https://newtowntextilemuseum.co.uk/ Retrieved 15 September 2018.]
• W H Smith Museum (above the shop)Lonely Planet [https://www.lonelyplanet.com/wales/newtown-y-drenewydd/attractions/wh-smith-museum/a/poi-sig/1343973/1314974 Retrieved 15 September 2018.]
• Oriel Davies – largest visual arts venue in the region

Newtown's station is on the Cambrian Line served by Transport for Wales. Trains run about once in two hours.

Local bus services in and around the town are operated by local, privately owned companies: Tanat Valley Coaches, Minsterley Motors, and Owen's Travelmaster. Newtown has one National Express bus per day in each direction, to Aberystwyth and to London. Newtown has one TrawsCymru route to Cardiff and a TrawsCymru Connect to Machynlleth and to Wrexham. Two major roads meet at Newtown: the A483 from Swansea to Chester and the A489 from Machynlleth to Craven Arms. The bypass to the south of Newtown opened on 14 February 2019, having been planned since 1949.{{Cite news |date=2019-02-14 |title=Town's bypass opens after 70-year wait |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-47229757 |access-date=2020-05-28}}

The Montgomery Canal terminated in Newtown. After its closure in 1944, the Newtown section was sold for building land, but it gave its name to Canal Road and Lower Canal Road.

Newtown is twinned with Les Herbiers, in Pays de la Loire, France.

File:Robert Owen by William Henry Brooke.jpg, 1834]]

{{main category|People from Newtown, Powys}}

• Robert Owen (1771–1858), social reformer and a founder of Utopian socialism and the Co-operative Movement{{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Owen, Robert | volume= 20 | page = 395 |short= 1}}
• John Bentley (1822–1894), member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
• James Trow (1826–1892), an Ontario businessman and politician
• Pryce Pryce-Jones (1834–1920), mail-order entrepreneur born at Llanllwchaiarn, nearby
• Air Commodore Ernest Norton, (1893–1966), RAF Officer and flying ace in WW1
• Geraint Goodwin (1903–1941), novelist and short story writer in English, born in Llanllwchaiarn, near Newtown

• George Latham (1881–1939), international footballer
• Harry Beadles (1897–1958), Welsh international footballer, born in Llanllwchaiarn, near Newtown
• James Crisp (1927–2005), cricketer
• Barry Hoban (born 1940), professional cyclist with several stage wins in the Tour de France
• Philip Parkin (born 1961), professional golfer and commentator
• Phil Mills (born 1963), World Rally Championship winning co-driver

Newtown A.F.C. is Newtown's association football club, and a founding member of the Welsh Premier League in 1992. The club was founded in 1875 as Newtown White Stars and won the Welsh FA Cup in 1879 and 1895.[https://www.rsssf.org/tablesw/walcuphist.html Wales – List of Cup Finals] It also entered the qualifying stages of the UEFA Cup on three occasions. The club plays at Latham Park. This has a capacity of 5,000 (1,750 seated) and a full UEFA licence, allowing under-21 international games and European games to be played. In 2007, another 250-seat stand was built next to the media gantry. Further developments are planned.Official site [https://www.newtownafc.co.uk/ Retrieved 15 September 2018.]

Newtown RFC is the town's rugby union club, established in 1925. It currently fields first, second, third, youth and junior teams.Club site [http://newtown.rfc.wales/ Retrieved 15 September 2018.]

Newtown has facilities for lawn bowls,Club site [http://bowlsclub.org/club/6272/ Retrieved 15 September 2018.] cricket,Club site [http://newtown.play-cricket.com/ Retrieved 15 September 2018.] golf,[https://www.stgilesgolf.co.uk/ Retrieved 16 August 2023.] /Club Site and for tennis.Club site [http://www.newtown.org.uk/directory/view/newtown-tennis-club Retrieved 15 September 2018.] A basketball club, the Newtown Titans was set up in 2005, before being reconstituted as Mid-Wales Basketball Club in 2009.Basketball site [http://midwalesbasketball.blogspot.com/ Retrieved 15 September 2018.]

The Newtown schools are Ysgol Robert Owen (special needs), Ysgol Calon y Dderwen (4–11), Ysgol Dafydd Llwyd (4–11), St Mary's (4–11), Penygloddfa (4–11), Maesyrhandir (4-11), Treowen (4–11), and Newtown High School and Sixth Form (11–18). The last recently received an outstanding Estyn inspection report in October 2015, praising many features, including teacher/sixth-form pupil relations and school support for a wide range of post-16 vocational and academic subjects. As of 2011, it was proposed that Newtown High School, along with several other schools in Powys, should merge with another county high school, as part of Powys County Council's secondary school and post-16 modernisation programme.Powys CC plans [https://customer.powys.gov.uk/article/1369/Plans-for-Powys-Schools Retrieved 15 September 2018.]

{{reflist|30em}}

{{Commons category|Newtown, Powys|Newtown}}

• [http://www.newtown.org.uk/ Official website]
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOtNhxSQpeM YouTube video with narration of the railway station]

{{River Severn towns}}

{{Severn from source to Llandrinio}}

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Category:Populated places on the River Severn

Category:Towns in Powys

Category:Planned communities in Wales

Category:Towns of the Welsh Marches

Category:Planned communities established in the 1960s