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Brecon - History |
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It
grew up around a Norman castle built in 1092. The Priory Church of
St John the Evangelist dates as well from the 11th century and
was adapted for use as a cathedral in 1923. Brecon
was granted its borough charter in 1246 by Humphrey de Bohun, Earl of
Hereford and Exeter, Hereditary Constable of England and Lord of
Brecknock.
By the middle of the 16th century, Brecon had become one of the most important towns in Wales because of its position on the main route across Southern Wales from London to the coast. It was named in the "Act of Union" in 1536 as one of four "local capitals" of Wales.
The
ruins of the Norman castle lie at two sites, one of which was
reconstructed during the reign of Edward I. Brecon was the county town (seat) of the historic county of Brecknockshire. The town lost its premier status in the southeast to Cardiff during the Industrial Revolution, but it has retained some importance as a shopping and service centre. |
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Brecon,
also called Brecknock, lies in Welsh Aberhonddu cathedral town, Powys
county, historic county of Brecknockshire, Wales, on the River Usk at its
confluence with the Honddu and Tarell. 
When
the Welsh made their last stand for independence at nearby Builth, the
Welsh patriot, Llewelyn ap Gruffdd rode through the town and was killed at
nearby Cilmery in 1282. On December 12, 1411, the borough received its
first Royal Charter from King Henry IV.
In
1542 Henry VIII set up a chancery and exchequer at the castle and
converted an earlier Dominican friary into a collegiate church and school
(Christ's College). 