LLANPUMSAINT HERITAGE
WALKING TOUR

Martha Llwyd was a noted composer of many Welsh hymns. She was born in 1766 at Nantbendigaid Farm on the Cynwyl Elfed to Llanpumsaint road but her family moved to Y Felin farm in Llanpumsaint when she was a child.

It is thought that she may have learned to read at one of the Gruffydd Jones Schools in the area but for many years she could not write. Despite this she composed many poems and hymns which she held in her memory and taught to others. It is believed that she acquired some writing skills later in life.

In 1785 she married blacksmith Dafydd Llwyd and they settled in the house which bears her commemorative plaque, Glanafon. Together they had nine children and it's thought that the strain of raising such a large family took a toll on her health and Martha became crippled.

She was often seen being carried around the village in a specially built chair, especially on a Sunday when she and her family attended Bethel Methodist Chapel where her hymns were sung and popularised.

Martha died in 1845 and is buried along with her husband in the churchyard opposite their house beneath the yew tree. Their gravestone carries the anglicised versions of their names, David and Martha Lloyd.