Newcastle Emlyn is an unprepossessing and attractive place.The Castle remains here now are little more than a gateway. Like other castles in Wales, Newcastle Emlyn's turbulent history is in some ways confirmed by its present condition. Changing hands several times until it was destroyed during the Glyndr rebellion in the early 1400s, the castle fell into disrepair until given to Sir Rhys ap Thomas by Henry VII in the 16th century. The Castle was destroyed after the Civil War for harboring Royalist sympathisers.

(The following information has been reproduced, with the kind permission of Mrs Jenkins, from the Newcastle Emyln business directory)

The Last Duel

The last duel in Cardiganshire took place in Dan-warrin field in Llandyfriog, near Adpar on December 10th 1814. (Five years later in 1819 duels became illegal.) It was between John Beynon, a local solicitor, who owned Llwyncadfor, a small farm in the area and Thomas Heslop, a Jamaican living in Carmarthen, but who was staying in Newcastle Emlyn for the sport of shooting.

On December 8th Beynon had invited Heslop, together with the others, to spend the evening in the Old Salutation Inn (an ancient hostelry situated on the Adpar side of the bridge), to dine and drink. A dispute arose on the subject of shooting . Heslop claimed that he had had a very bad day's sport, because he had not been allowed to shoot when and where he pleased. He blamed the 'Cardigan gentlemen' present. Beynon tried to diffuse this outburst and began making derogatory remarks about the barmaid.

Heslop objected strongly to his coarse comments and turned round on Beynon and said, with his fist clenched, "You are a damned villain and a scoundrel and you shall answer for this!"

Beynon accepted the challenge to a duel. Two days later in the early morning of December 10th, the two men, together with their seconds, John Walters and James Hughes and also John Williams a doctor, met in Dan-warrin field, though which ran a stream.

Standing one on either side of the stream, with their backs towards each other, they proceeded to walk ten paces, before turning and firing. Beynon took five paces, then turned and shot Heslop in the back.

At his trail Beynon was found guilty of manslaughter, but was only fined, probably due to the kind words expressed by friends, the local Justices of the Peace.

The First Printing Press

In the early 18th century there was a demand for religious literature. In 1718 Isaac Carter established in Adpar (Trefhedyn) - at the back of the Old Salutation Inn - the first printing press set up in Wales. Two ballads were the first books printed in Wales. The author of one of these ballads was Alban Thomas, who became the Vicar of Blaenporth.

Carter did not stay long in Adpar. He took his printing press to Carmarthen in 1725 and remained there until 1734. A tablet can be seen at the original site, just opposite the bridge in Adpar.

The First Electricity in Wales

Newcastle Emlyn was the first town in Wales to have street lighting powered by electricity.
In 1906 J R Parkington arrived in town and began to restore an old corn mill near the bridge. He installed a turbine powered by the river Teifi. Using metal lamp posts the town was first illuminated on September 20th 1909.
The turbine has recently been restored and now power is supplied to the national grid.

The Dragon of Newcastle Emlyn

The well-known legend of Gwiber Castell Newydd Emlyn (the Dragon of Newcastle Emlyn) is a local tradition. It tells how on one of the fair days when the town was full of sellers and buyers "a fierce winged viper breathing forth fire and smoke, alighted on the castle walls and having cast threatening glances around, settled down to sleep. Its appearance on the castle at first brought terror to all, but after the fear had died down, a few brave townsfolk sought to destroy the fearsome monster.

A soldier devised the plan of wading the river Teifi to a point of vantage on the castle side, of letting a red cloak float with the river and shooting the gwiber in a vulnerable underpart of the body. The creature, so violently startled from its slumber, caught sight of the cloak and fell upon it with horrible shrieks and tore it to shreds.

The assailant meanwhile, escaped to a place of safety. The reptile in its death throes turned onto its back and floated down the river. From its wound gushed forth a most loathsome venom which polluted the water and killed all the fish. The legend tells of great joy of the townsfolk when they saw the monster dead.