Roman Laugharne Day

Saturday 26th October from 10:00 am till 4:00 pm will be an exciting time for Laugharne’s energetic local historians.

Though famous for its castle and Dylan Thomas, the Laugharne and District History Society aim to bring the town’s Roman past to life instead.

The Millennium Hall will be the centre of a celebration of the area’s Roman heritage with displays and family fun activities. The day will feature members of the world-famous Ermine Street Guard and some of the Roman imperial coins that were discovered just outside Laugharne in 2006.

Members of the community visited Cardiff University last March to see the coins being cleaned in the archaeological laboratory. Edward Besley, coin expert at the National Museum Cardiff, who then studied the hoard will be giving a talk about his findings in the afternoon.

“Putting together this event has really opened my eyes to the richness of Laugharne’s past. The hoard is not just a one-off Roman discovery. The old camp at Coygan was probably the seat of a local chieftain in Roman times and shows that Laugharne was important centuries before the castle was built” said Peter Stopp founder member of the History Society.

The day will also feature an exhibition of Laugharne’s Roman past which will be on display in the Hall between 26th & 30th October.

Peter has organised the day on behalf of Carmarthenshire Museums Service as part of the Romans in Carmarthenshire project. The hoard will form part of the new Roman displays at the County Museum in Abergwili which will also be funded by the Roman project.

The ‘Romans in Carmarthenshire’ is a CADW Heritage Tourism Project which has been part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government. The project is being led by the National Trust and delivered in partnership with Carmarthenshire County Council and Brecon Beacons National Park Authority.

Contact Details

Gavin Evans (Museums Curator)

Marion Male (Business & Retail Officer)

Carmarthenshire County Museum

Abergwili

Carmarthen SA31 2JG

Telephone: 01267 228696

e.mail: museums@carmarthenshire.gov.uk

web: museums.carmarthenshire.gov.uk

twitter: @CarmsMuseums

facebook: amgueddfeydd sir gâr – carmarthenshire museums