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Llandovery
Llandovery: A Historic Meeting Place
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Llandovery has long been a place of welcome — from Roman soldiers camped on Llanfair Hill, to the hardy Welsh drovers on their journey to London markets.
Steeped in history, the town was home to national figures such as Llywelyn ap Gruffydd Fychan (commemorated in bronze beside the castle ruins), the great hymn writer William Williams of Pantycelyn, and the revered preacher Rees Prichard. It also hosted the influential Tonn Press and the Black Ox Bank — one of Wales’s earliest banks.
Legends from the surrounding area include the mystical Lady of the Lake, the healers of Myddfai, and the Welsh outlaw Twm Siôn Cati.
The name Llandovery comes from the Welsh Llan ymlith y dyfroedd, meaning “church amid the waters” — a nod to its location between the River Towy, Afon Brân, and the stream known as the Bawddwr.
The ‘Black Ox Bank’ (‘Banc yr Eidion Ddu’) - The Drovers Bank at Llandovery
The private bank of David Jones & Co. was founded in Llandovery in 1799 in what is now the Kings Head pub. The area was renowned for its black cattle and, indeed, it was these animals that brought about the formation of the bank. Llandovery was a central meeting point for the Carmarthenshire drovers – the men who herded the animals, on foot, along the long and dusty roads from Wales, into England and on to London, where the cattle were eventually sold. The drovers also acted as financiers for the farmers, paying their creditors with the proceeds of the sales in London.
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The job of the drover was a difficult and hazardous one, as their well-worn routes attracted highwaymen. With risks such as these, they carried as little cash as possible. As a result, droving banks were established along the way, including that of David Jones & Co.  
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The bank was locally known as the ‘Black Ox Bank’ (‘Banc yr Eidon’ ) because of the banknotes having been embellished with an engraving on the left-hand side of a Welsh black ox. The ox became such a strong symbol of trust and integrity that, even into the 19th century, Bank of England notes were treated with great suspicion in much of West Wales.
Cheque issued by David Jones & Co.'s Llandovery branch, c.1900
The Tonn Press
The Tonn Press was renowned for Welsh literary scholarship and was largely the work of William Rees (1808–1873), a prominent figure in the town. Llandovery was one of the important printing centres in Wales and Tonn Press publications are today sought by book collectors far and wide and are notable for their design, quality printing and the variety of their titles. (Text credit: Aled Betts)
 
The Tonn Press equipment is now kept at St Fagans National Museum of History near Cardiff but the original site in Llandovery, now a cafe and shop, is still called The Old Printing Office.
Photo by Bettsy1970, Flickr.
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