A Tudor farm and a Roman fort

Having recently taken over as chair of RSPCA Llys Nini, a branch that covers most of south Wales from Carmarthenshire to Cardiff, I thought it would be interesting to look at the history of the charity's animal centre.

As the Llys Nini site records, the branch was established by animal-loving volunteers in the Swansea and Neath areas nearly 200 years ago, with its first animal centre being situated in Singleton Park, leased from Swansea Corporation in 1935, with the capacity to house 31 dogs and 18 cats.

When the lease of the old Swansea Dogs’ Home expired in the early 1990s, the branch raised enough money to buy its own premises and in 1994 bought the old Llys Nini farm in Penllergaer:

The old farm was a Welsh long house comprised of an animal barn and human living quarters in one building. The door was centrally placed, when you entered Llys Nini, you turned left for the barn and right for the human accommodation.

Llys Nini was special, as unlike other Welsh long houses which had the fire place in the end wall, Llys Nini had a large fire place in the centre of the building with stairs to the hay loft behind.

Llys Nini Farm is recorded as being ancient in the 1507 Quit Claim. Whether Llys Nini was in existence before that is unknown but at least one local person says that he remembers a Roman Fort on the site and if true that could have formed the basis of the later Llys or Court.

The Llys Nini RSPCA Administration Block is built on the foot print of the old house. It is possible that a Roman practice fort existed there and that it was used by Prince Einon ap Owain ap Hywel Dda, in the 10th Century’ He was the Penteulu (translated as head of the family but was probably the leader of his father’s war band) of Owain of Dinefwr, King of Deheubarth in the 960/70s. It is probable that he established a Llys (court) on the site and that it was called Llys Einon or Llys Enniaun in the Latinised form and that in the interim the name has become Llys Nini.

The quit claim of 1507 says the deceased owner was Gwilym Thuy ( probably Ddu) who was a direct descendent Gryffydd Gwyr, Lord of Gower in the 13th Century who was a a descendent of the House of Deheubarth.

There is more information on the farm here.