A sum of £16 was divided among the poor in January of each year, arising partly from a 1648 bequest by Edward ab Evan of the farm Cae'r Llan.

It comprises about 12,000 acres (4,900 ha) of extremely irregular surface, rising in some parts into lofty hills, alternated with large tracts of level ground, forming extensive commons and bogs.

The soil on the higher grounds is rocky, and in the lower generally of a marshy nature, but on the banks of the Wye and Elan there are some fertile meadows.

[6] On the hills are several cairns, especially on the height named Drygarn, or Derwydd Garn, implying "the Druid's rock, or mount," part of which is in the adjoining parish of Llanfihangel Abergwesyn.

St. Gwrthwl's Parish Church churchyard has a prehistoric standing stone about 1.75 metres (5 ft 9 in) high near the south porch.

It is an open-air theatre constructed of living willow trees[13] and occasionally outdoor performances of William Shakespeare are staged.

[14] In the early 1800s, engineer James Watt retired to Doldowlod House, about a mile south of Llanwrthwl on the A470 road, when he left Birmingham.

By 1891, the grand Glan-Rhos House had been built to the north of the village with surrounding grounds laid out stretching down to the river.