Llanybydder (, sometimes formerly spelt Llanybyther) is a market town and community straddling the River Teifi in Carmarthenshire, West Wales. At the 2011 Census, the population of the community was 1638, an increase from 1423 at the 2001 Census. Llanybydder is located around southwest of Lampeter and the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. The Mynydd Llanllwni (408 m) and Mynydd Pencarreg (415 m) mountains are respectively located to the south and east of Llanybydder. Etymology The name may be a corruption of 'Llanbedr', the church dedicated to St Peter; or of 'Llanybyddair', the church of the Ambuscade. Alternately, the town's name is a combination of Welsh "church" + "the" + , the plural form of "deaf", meaning "the church of the deaf ones". This may be in reference to a congregation whose deaf ears were opened by the call of the preacher or who remained deaf even upon hearing it. History There is evidence of an Iron Age settlement on the hill that overlooks the town. Highmead, formerly the country mansion Dolau Mawr, built in 1777, was most recently a centre of religious studies for the Muslim faith but is unoccupied as of early 2017. Llanybydder gained a connection to the national rail network on the Manchester and Milford Railway in 1867; this was originally part of an ill-fated scheme to link Manchester to the deepwater port at Milford Haven. However, financial pressures led the route to be diverted to Aberystwyth, and it remained a cross country route, with passenger services running until flooding severely damaged the line south of Aberystwyth in December 1964. The cost of repairs to a little-used rural line was deemed prohibitive, and although a limited service continued running from Carmarthen to Tregaron for another few months this was the era of the Beeching Axe. The line was closed to passengers in February 1965. Llanybydder is notable for the horse fairs held there on the last Thursday of each month. These attract dealers and buyers from all parts of the UK and Ireland; the biggest are held in September and October. Of particular interest are the sales of local Welsh cobs. Governance An electoral ward in the same name exists. This ward stretches north east to Pencarreg. The total population of the ward at the 2011 Census was 2,807. The community is bordered by the communities of: Pencarreg; Llansawel; Llanfihangel Rhos-y-Corn; and Llanllwni, all being