Llantrisant Town Trust is responsible for managing the extensive property owned by the Freemen of the Town.

Llantrisant Common

The largest parcel of land owned by the Freemen is the Cymdda, better known as Llantrisant Common which covers 274 acres.

The rights of the Freemen to graze cattle and horses on the common lands certainly predate the Charter of 1346 and may have been granted originally by Gwrgan ap Ithel in the 6th century. One can imagine how the famous longbowmen of Llantrisant used this terrain to practice their weaponry before the Battle of Crecy in August 1346. 

Because of the way the common has been managed over many centuries, with the exclusion of sheep, an interesting and diverse flora has developed. This has resulted in it being declared a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and is managed in close liaison with Natural Resources Wales to maintain the botanical diversity, and to provide suitable grazing for cattle and horses.

It is important for its variety of grassland, rich in different plant species. Much of the grassland is marshy, dominated in places by Purple Moor-grass and elsewhere by rushes. Tormentil and Devil’s-bit Scabious are typical flowers of these areas. Elsewhere the ground is very wet, with Bog Mosses, Star Sedge and Cotton Grass.