Ystrad Meurig Collection

Ystrad Meurig School was established around 1734 by Edward Richard, a native of Ystrad Meurig, who had begun by teaching local boys in the parish church. Richard was a profound scholar and critic, an antiquary, and a Welsh poet; he was the author of some pastorals, which, for elegance of composition and purity of style, are said to be unrivalled by any writings in the Welsh language. He is thought to have been born in the year 1714, although his name does not appear among the baptisms in the register.

By 1759 Edward Richard was teaching over fifty pupils and in 1757, the school was legally established and endowed as a grammar school. In 1774 the school was declared open to boys from Cardiganshire, offering a free education in Latin and the principles of the Church of England. Following the death of Edward Richard in 1777, the Reverend John Williams took over as headmaster. Under Williams, Ystrad Meurig School established and maintained a reputation for classical scholarship. By 1812 a separate school building had been erected in the parish churchyard and between 1803 and 1827 Ystrad Meurig became the main institution for the training of ordinands in the diocese of St Davids.

At one point during this period the school was attended by 150 pupils. Although most pupils went on to become Church of England clergy within Wales, distinguished alumni include Dr David Davis, physician to William IV and Queen Victoria, and John Williams, first warden of Llandovery College. After the opening of St. David’s College at nearby Lampeter in 1827, the number of students at Ystrad Meurig fell. The curriculum became more like that of a secondary school; it developed into a preparatory institution for pupils who wished to go on to study at St. David’s College, or at the University of Wales. The school continued to provide education for local boys; it also accepted men whose education had been disrupted by either world war, prior to their advancement to university.

From the 1950s the school gradually declined. By this time, it was called St. John’s College, though the exact date of, and reasons for the change of name are unknown. Its main role became the provision of O-level and A-level courses for potential theology students at Lampeter. The last headmaster resigned in 1973. The school library has since been moved to UWTSD, Lampeter, and the school itself is now used as a village hall.