Llanlleonfel
Llanlleonfel is a former parish in Powys, Wales. It is located some 10 km west of Builth Wells in historic Brecknockshire.
Llanlleonfel is an isolated settlement with only its parish church and a pair of cottages. It is located in the valley of the River Dulas. The settlement has never been of much importance but was probably less isolated in the past, due to it being near a roman road leading to the site of Caerau Roman Fort. The road remained accessible long after the Romans left.[1]
The church and settlement likely dates to the early medieval period and this is evident in early forms of the place name, Lanloeluayl (1280) and Llanllewenvoyl (1360-67). This suggests a personal name "Llywenfel", likely an otherwise unknown saint.[1] A spelling Llanllywenfel also sees some use, particularly in Welsh.
Theophilus Jones offered a different explanation of the place name in his 19th century book History of the County of Brecknock, that it originates from "llan lleon voel", meaning the church upon the bare moor.[2]
The parish church has no known dedication.[3] It was restored by the Gwynne family from about 1712 to the end of the 18th century, by which point it was effectively unused. Francis Kilvert noted in 1873 that it was ruinous. The church was completely rebuilt in 1876.[1]
As a civil parish it had a very small population, dropping to 59 when it was last recorded in 1971.[4] It was abolished in 1986[5] and is now in the community of Treflys.[3]