Presteigne
Presteigne is a town in Powys, Wales, with a population around 2000. Historically it was part of Radnorshire.
It is located on the River Lugg, where it joins with the Clatter Brook, next to the border with England. It is surrounded by England to its north, east, and south. Nearby towns include Knighton about 9km north and Kington about 8km south.
The place is first recorded in the 12th century as Presthemed, seemingly referring to the "border meadow of the priests". By 1545 this had became Presteyne, close to the modern form. In Welsh the name is Llanandras, referring to the church/parish of St Andrew, this name is first recorded in the 13th century.[1]
Presteigne grew into a town in the mid-13th century, though it is likely a settlement was there before then. There was a castle at Presteigne, to the west of the town, which was captured by Llywelyn ap Gruffudd in 1262 but not much else is known about it. During the 15th century the town's size reduced again, to nothing more than a village, but by the end of the century it had received a town charter and became one of the more important towns in the region.[1]
St Andrew's Church in its current form largely dates to the 15th/16th centuries, but traces of Saxon stonework potentially from as early as the 10th century still survives.[1]
As a community, Presteigne has included the nearby village of Norton since 1983.[2] As of 2011 the community had a population of 2710, about 700 of which were in the rural areas surrounding the town.
A small part of the parish was part of Litton and Cascob, the remainder being from Cascob parish. Litton and Cascob was historically an exclave of the English county of Herefordshire until the Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844 moved it to Radnorshire.