Whitland (Welsh: Hendy-gwyn) is a small market town in the county of Carmarthenshire, South West Wales. Whitland sits on the banks of the River Taf close to the border with the county of Pembrokeshire.
It derives its name from the abbey which once stood here and was known as Ty Gwyn (White House) for short. The abbey, which was older than the Cistercian abbey at nearby Talley, was dissolved by Henry VIII and its limestone used for village buildings.
Whitland's main claim to fame is its connection with the 10th Century prince Hywel Dda, Hywel the Good, King of all Wales. Hywel Dda summoned representatives from each commote in the kingdom to an assembly at “The White House on the Taf” for the purpose of codifying the laws of Wales. The Hywel Dda Centre in Whitland recalls and celebrates his achievements. The lovely garden and heritage centre is a tribute to the legal code that he devised and was effective until the Act of Union in 1536. Hywel Dda was the king who had the Welsh laws written down. Extracts from the Laws are carved on slate slabs in the Centre garden.