Whitland / Eglwys Fair Glyn-taf / Eglwys-Vair-Lan-Tâf / Hendy-gwyn ar Daf / Hendy Gwyn âr Daf

Lewis (1844) writes: "In the hamlet of Regwm, in the parish [of Llanboidy], is a chapel dedicated to St. David, called Eglwys-Vair-Lan-Tâf [...] on the border of Pembrokeshire: the living is a perpetual curacy". Davies (2010) writes: "The correct name for Whitland is Hendy Gwyn âr Daf - The Old White House on the Tâf. [...] The present town of Whitland [...] has no buildings older than the mid C19th and was built around the C18th turnpike road and the railway. Therefore, the name must refer to something much older, even older than the abbey itself. The monks referred to Whitland as Hendy Gwyn - the ‘Old’ White House - but the Laws refer to Ty Gwyn ar Dâf , just the ‘White House’. On the banks of the river Tâf, at the crossing point, stands the Victorian church of St Mary’s [...] It used to be called Capel Mair ar Glannau Dâf (St Mary’s Chapel on the banks of the Tâf) and its location warranted further study. The church was rebuilt in 1850 -1853 [...] The site of St Mary’s churchyard is a platform slightly raised above the flood-plain of the river Tâf, upstream from the mouth of the River Gronw, which drains Whitland Abbey lands. It is an ovalshaped Llan of classical form, probably built on an earlier island. This would suggest that this is the site of a British church dating from as early as the C6th. The site has another peculiarity - it once had a wet moat around it - which makes it a very unusual ecclesiastical setting." Davies (ibid.) argues that "there is some evidence of a pre-existing church provided by two exotic blocks of stone, one loose and one actually forming part of the foundation of the eastern chancel wall". [NB: we have no information on the font of the original church here].