Aberaeron
town and community in Ceredigion, Wales
Aberaeron (Welsh pronunciation: [abɛˈrei̯rɔn]), previously anglicised as Aberayron, is a seaside town and community in Ceredigion, Wales. Located on the coast between Aberystwyth and Cardigan, its resident population was 1,274 in the 2021 census.
The name of the town is Welsh for "mouth of the Aeron". It is derived from the Middle Welsh aer (slaughter), which gave its name to Aeron, believed by some to have been a Welsh god of war.
One of the main Ceredigion County Council office sites is located in Aberaeron.
History and design
In 1800, there was no significant coastal settlement here. The present town was planned and developed from 1805 by the Rev. Alban Thomas Jones Gwynne. He built a harbour which operated as a port and supported a shipbuilding industry in the 19th century. A group of workmen's houses and a school were built on the harbour's north side, but these were reclaimed by the sea.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Aberaeron” is town and community in Ceredigion, Wales. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Aberaeron, town and community, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “town and community in Ceredigion, Wales” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 29, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1765460. VIAF identifies the subject as 134161553. The Library of Congress control number is nr2002027047. Authority coordinates are 52.242, -4.259. 2 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2021, 1800 and 1805.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Aberaeron”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Aberaeron primary sources, Aberaeron archive and Aberaeron research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Aberaeron”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Aberaeron” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.