Llanddewi Brefi

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Map sources for Llanddewi Brefi at grid reference SN662553

Llanddewi Brefi ([ɬan'ðɛwi 'brɛvi]) is a small village in Ceredigion (Cardiganshire).

The village was founded in around AD 6. In the 6th century Saint David (in Welsh, Dewi Sant), the patron saint of Wales, held the Synod of Brefi here and it has born his name since; "Llan" referring in Welsh place names to a church or holy place. The parish church is dedicated to St David and contains a modern statue of him.

Today the village is most famous for the similarity of its name to Llandewi Breffi - the fictional home of Daffyd Thomas, a character in the BBC comedy, Little Britain. The footage of the village in the comedy, however, is not shot in the real Llanddewi Brefi and, in fact, the locations used bear no resemblance to any part of the real village.

[edit] History and description

Llanddewi Brefi is one of the largest parishes in Wales. Its parish church dates from the 12th century, on a site associated with religious worship since the 7th century. Fragments of much older buildings are incorporated into the Norman church. The church holds a collection of Norman crosses, some of the oldest religious artifacts in the United Kingdom. When the Synod of Brefi was held in the village in the sixth century, it is said that the small hill upon which the church stands marks the spot where the ground was miraculously raised up under St David so that he could be heard better at this Synod.

In addition to the Anglican Church, there is a non-conformist chapel, two pubs and one shop. The village and the surrounding area are largely Welsh speaking and the local economy is dominated by sheep and dairy farming.

In 1977 the village was the scene of one of the world's biggest ever raids involving the drug LSD. Over 6million tabs of the drug were seized as part of Operation Julie on March 26 of that year.

[edit] Little Britain

Llanddewi Brefi is now arguably more famous as the home of Daffyd Thomas, a character in the Little Britain comedy show, played by Matt Lucas (though in the show the village is actually called "Llandewi Breffi"). Daffyd is a homosexual man, who believes himself to be "the only gay in the village". However, in the show, Llanddewi Brefi appears to have a fairly large gay population, despite its small size, and many of its inhabitants are either gay or have had gay experiences. The fictional view of the village also sees a very tolerant attitude to homosexuality, with gay nights at the pub and lesbian pottery lessons on offer. Daffyd's encounters with homosexuality and reluctance to believe the acceptance and existence of other gay men and women form the background to the comedy sketches. However, inhabitants of the real village report that, as of 2004, there were no known homosexuals living there ^[1].

Daffyd however has been controversial for other reasons, particularly as it has been claimed he constitutes a stereotype, although this is probably intentional and meant as ironic as Lucas himself is gay.

There have been a number of attempts to steal road signs showing the village's name, since Little Britain has been broadcast. ^[2].