From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There is also a Llantrisant in Monmouthshire

Llantrisant is a town in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taff, traditional county of Glamorgan, south Wales, lying on the River Ely and the River Clun. The town is best known as the home of the Royal Mint, which manufactures all British coins.

Attractions in the town include the Mint's museum, the remains of Llantrisant Castle and a design centre. William Price lived in the town. The town is sometimes known as 'The hole with the Mint' a parody of the Polo slogan.

The town's name translates as The Parish of the Three Saints. The three saints in question are St Illtyd, St Gwynno and St Dyfodwg. At the towns highest point is the remains of a 13th Century windmill - stone tower known locally as “Billy Wynt”. By the early 19th century the tower was in ruins and in 1893 it was restored as a folly.

In 1346, Llantrisant was granted a Royal Charter months before the archers from the town helped Edward, the Black Prince, win a victory against the French army at Crecy. The Llantrisant longbow men were pivotal in the adoption of the longbow as the missile weapon of choice for the English crown during the Middle Ages.

An ancient tradition called the 'Beating of the Bounds',^[2] where local children are bounced by elders onto the border stones of the village, still occurs to modern times. This event occurs every seven years and has its roots set as far back as the 14th century. The rite was intended as a reminder to each generation of the importance of the village boundaries. The children in question are held under the arms and the legs, and their backside is bounced on each of the stones of the village. It is believed that the Beating of the Bounds started in 1346, when Llantrisant was awarded its Royal Charter. He allowed them the freedom to trade without paying tolls within the boundaries of the town. The last occasion of this event was in June 2003, but the event is now seen as a purely historic tradition and social community event.

At nearby Tarren Deusant is a spring with unusual petrosomatoglyph carvings of two faces, two saints (1696), but now six are present (Sharp 1979).

• Sharp, Mick (1997). Holy Places of Celtic Britain. Blandford. ISBN 1-85079-315-8. Pps. 32 - 33.

Coordinates: 51.54229° N 3.37849° W