Carmarthen

Carmarthen (Welsh Caer Fyrddyn, the Maridunum of Ptolemy), the capital of Carmarthenshire, on the right bank of the Towy, 39 miles NW. of Swansea, and 56 S. of Aberystwith, by rail. It lies in a picturesque situation; the streets are irregular, steep, and often narrow. The 'winding Towy, Merlin's fabled hamlet,' is navigable for vessels of 200 tons up to the town, which is 9 miles from Carmarthen Bay; and salmon are caught in the river. Steele is buried in the old parish church; a ruined castle of the Welsh princes was in 1787 incorporated in a new county gaol; Generals Picton and Nott, both natives, are commemorated by an obelisk and a bronze statue; and a Innatic asylum (1863) and training-college (1847) may also be noticed. Near the town are tin and iron works; and Carmarthen exports tin-plates, slates, domestic produce, &c. It unites with Llanelly in returning one member to parliament. Pop. (1851) 10,524; (1891) 10,308.