Bont Goch

The village is in the valley of the river Leri. The original settlement was by the bridge, hence the name "Bont Goch" or "Red Bridge". There are also several Bronze Age burnt mounds or hearths, and what may be a Bronze Age standing stone. The earliest mine appears to have been at Llanerch-clydau, which is said to be "quite ancient... worked in the 17th century, but not later". The area remained, however, essentially rural. By the late 18th century the Crosswood and Court Grange estates had landholdings in the area. The Crosswood estate maps in the National Library of Wales show that there was very little settlement or enclosure in the 18th century, with just a few cottages on unenclosed…

In about 1818, the Gilberston family moved to Plas Cefn Gwyn, Elerch, now a Grade II listed building, situated about 500 metres north east of what is now the church. He became a deputy lieutenant of Cardiganshire and a captain in the Cardiganshire battalion for Supplementary Militia in 1797, He was educated at Jesus College, Oxford, graduating B.A. in 1836 (M.A. 1839, B.D. 1847). In 1852 he returned to Jesus College and after a period as junior bursar and lecturer (1852–1855) became Vice-Principal in 1855, a position he retained until 1872. (who went on to design the Royal Courts of Justice in the Strand). The architect of the church was William Butterfield. The architect of the vicarage…