Please note, the majority of properties on the trail are now private residences,

please respect their privacy.

Pancross (Paincross)

Pancross has a long agricultural history and is one of the important farms in the historic landscape around Llancarfan. The name is also associated with the nearby medieval ringwork and bailey at Middlecross, a probable small timber castle dating from the period after the Norman Conquest. Archaeological records identify Pancross as the site of a medieval enclosure, and a medieval copper-alloy harness pendant discovered there in 2008 provides further evidence of activity in the area during the medieval period.

By the 19th century Pancross had become a substantial working farm. Jenkin Bowen farmed Pancross from the 1870s until the early 1900s, and was remembered locally as a particularly good farmer. The farm had an impressive group of buildings, constructed in the 1870s, and employed four men. After Bowen's retirement his nephew briefly took over, followed by William Hopkins, who farmed there until the end of the First World War. After the war, David James took over and became well known for breeding Shire horses and pedigree Hereford cattle. Unfortunately, the collapse in agricultural prices during the 1920s badly affected the farm, and he eventually gave up farming in 1928.

The later history of Pancross is closely associated with the Thomas family. Tony Thomas and his family moved into the Pancross farmhouse in 1964, and in 1975 Tony bought the freehold from the Church in Wales. He subsequently developed the farming enterprise considerably, building a champion herd of pedigree cattle and expanding the business. His account of Pancross provides a fascinating link between the traditional horse-powered farm of the early 20th century and the much larger, modern agricultural enterprise of today.