Efailwen is a small village situated on the A478 approximately thirteen miles north east of Haverfordwest and thirteen miles south east of Fishguard. On the first and second editions of the 25inch OS maps, there is a public house called the Rhos Inn in the village centre. There were also an Independent chapel half a mile north east of the village (Nebo chapel - NPRN 6271).
Although the public house is no longer open, there is a cafe in the village. Nebo Independent chapel is still open and Efailwen also has a primary school educating approximately sixty children aged three to eleven through the medium of Welsh. Both the cafe and the primary school are named after 'the Rebecca Riots, which started here in 1839 when a new tollgate was destroyed three times by merched Beca (?Rebecca's daughters?). The protest movement swept across South-west Wales and lasted until 1843. [...] In May, June and July 1839, the Efailwen gate was destroyed at night by a mob of men disguised with women's clothing and blackened faces. Their leader was Tomos Rees (?Twm Carnabwth?), who lived in a cottage called Carnabwth and worked as a farm labourer. He was also a pugilist (exhibition fighter) at fairs. He wasn?t involved in subsequent Rebecca Riots.'
Sources: modern and historic OS maps; www.caffibeca.co.uk; historypoints website - page about Merched Becca and an Estyn Report on Ysgol Beca, published in June 2018.
M. Ryder, RCAHMW, 29th November 2018.