Near the village of Llanycefn, in Pembrokeshire, in south-west Wales, stands a small stone cottage. Legend has it that the cottage was built during the course of a single night following the tradition of tŷ unnos, which translates into English as “house in one night”. According to this centuries-old tradition, anyone who could erect a dwelling on common land between dusk and dawn could lay claim to the land and the house. Variations of the tradition held that there must be a fire lit in the hearth by first light, and smoke must be coming out of the chimney. It has been cited that the squatter could also extend the land around the house by the distance they could throw an axe from the four corners of the house.
The Llainfadyn Cottage in Rhostryfan was originally a ty unnos. Photo credit: museum.wales
Source: amusingplanet.com