The villages of Penperlleni and Goytre may have formed as separate settlements, but are now almost indistinguishable. According to an Archaeological Desk Based Assessment undertaken by Archaeology Wales, 'Penperlleni is a hamlet within the parish of Goytre in the old county of Monmouthshire. The name Goytre derives from the Welsh for settlement/town in the woods, corresponding to Wootton in English (Bradney 1906, 415). The current name of Penperlleni is less clear and derives from several older versions: Pelleny (1256/7), Pethllenny (1330), Pelleny (1349) and Pellenig (1593). Whilst the first element (Pen) refers to the summit of a hill, the second element has been interpreted as meaning a "round mass" and an "area of round hills", although the current Welsh word for orchard (perllan) may be relevant here (Owen and Morgan 2007, 370). The name Pelleny occurs as early as the mid-thirteenth century when a mill is
described as located at Pellenny within the accounts of the Manor of Abergavenny. The area is described within St Peter's Church history as "abounded with recesses and pleasant glades dotted with white cottages" (Torfaen Museum Trust 1996). St Peter's parish Church (NPRN 307332) is located in the northern part of Goytre. The original medieval church has a list of rectors dating from the mid sixteenth-century, although much of the current edifice dates from the mid-nineteenth century.
The Monmouth-Brecon Canal (NPRN 85124) is located 0.4k to the west of Penperlleni. Originally built in the late eighteenth-century to transport coal and iron and linking Brecon and Newport, it was abandoned in 1962, although small sections have reopened for leisure purposes since 1970. In order to facilitate industrial links with limestone quarries at Trevil the canal transport link was originally connected with the early rail network, but much of the existing network dates from the mid-nineteenth century. The 1838 tithe map shows the area around the villages before the building of the railway, whilst the 1882 first edition OS map clearly shows the impact of the railway line as it bisects and divides the small village.
Although the original school in the village has closed (NPRN 419388), Penperlleni still has a primary school - Goytre Fawr Primary School - which educated approximately 200 pupils. There are also two places of worship in the village - Capel Ed Calvinistic Methodist Church (NPRN 10670) and St. Peter's Parish Church, and two public houses - the Foxhunter Inn and the Goytre Arms. Other amenities include the scout and guide hut, and the Goytre village hall.
Sources: Archaeological Desk Based Assessment undertaken by Archaeology Wales; modern OS mapping; google maps and Estyn report on Goytre primary school published in May 2019.
M. Ryder, RCAHMW, 26th July 2019