A short history of the square, the Town Hall and St Illtud's Church

Llantwit Major takes its name from Saint Illtud. Its Welsh name, Llanilltud Fawr, means "the great church of Illtud".

A monastery and a school

Tradition holds that Illtud founded a monastery and school here around 500 AD, one of the earliest centres of learning in Britain. Later writers credited it with teaching figures such as Samson and Gildas; those links are traditional rather than firmly documented. The early community may have stood closer to the coast and moved to the present church site after Viking raids.

The church today

After the Norman conquest the lands passed to Tewkesbury Abbey. The present St Illtud's Church grew from a Norman cruciform building, with a tower and a second church added in the 13th century. It is listed Grade I, and the churchyard holds three scheduled monuments: the chantry priest's house, the churchyard cross and the footbridge (overview; Llantwit Major History Society).

The market square

The Town Hall on the square dates from around 1490, built under Jasper Tudor to collect rents and hold the weekly market. Around it, cobbled lanes and old inns survive from the medieval town; the Old White Hart describes parts of its own building as 15th century.