Carno Village – fame and infamy

The quiet village of Carno is probably best known for being the home of Laura Ashley, whose iconic textile company was based in Carno from the 1960s until recent years. She and her husband Bernard are buried in the churchyard here. Almost everyone in the village worked for ‘Ashleys’ or has a memory of connection to the company, and Laura Ashley’s legacy lives on in the many talented needleworkers who still live in the area – including a thriving patchwork quilting group.

Carno has two other more infamous claims to fame. The father of Al Capone’s deputy, “Murry the Humph” (Morris Llewelyn Humphreys) was born in Castell, Carno in the early 1890s. In 1977 the largest haul of LSD in the world was found at Plas Llysun in Carno, which became the centre of “Operation Julie”, the biggest anti-drugs operation of its day.

Back in ancient times, Carno was the site of a Roman fort, on the banks of the river Carno from which the village takes its name. Alongside the churchyard you can still find the fort remains.