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Laugharne development post 1607 Flood

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River and sea trade flourished in the area as a result of the increased freight of lime, a commodity that transformed agriculture and which, in turn, stimulated growth in traffic of other goods which contributed to an improving local economy. (see extract from Laugharne's Maritime Past)

At the start of the next century, January 1607 saw a great flood of the Bristol Channel, interpreted at the time as God’s Warning, and since as a possible tsunami. Some have ascribed to it the cause of changes to the landscape - for example the silting up and therefore decline of Laugharne as a portii . Evidence shows, however, as we shall see, that conversely Laugharne probably actually expanded to become a busy port from that time on and for centuries following that event. No doubt there was severe flooding of Laugharne at the time, and it is possible that huge quantities of sand were driven inshore along the seabed to contribute to the gradual expansion of the Carmarthen Bar, which did indeed contribute to the decline of shipping, but not until centuries later. The rise of Laugharne as a significant port seems to have occurred in the seventeenth century and appears to have owed much to the Bevan family, especially to Zacharias ‘Zachary’ Bevan of Laugharne. P


A period of relative decline occurred towards the end of the 18th century but population levels recovered by 1830 before later mass migration to developing industrial areas during the period between 1850 to 1880. (see Laugharne Population Chart)

1948 Carmarthenshire Antiquarian Society Visit




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