From The Powys Montgomeryshire Village Book: "For over 200 years, until the end of the 19th century, Llangynog was the largest lead mining area in Europe, with at times a population of about 2,000. It is now a quiet farming village of about 200 people, set at the heard of the Tanat Valley with steep mountains on three sides.On the mountains to the north of the villag are the remains of an Iron Age fort."