Tag: Gellifaelog

200 years of history at Gwaunfarren – part 1

by Brian Jones

At the junction of Alexandra Road and Galon Uchaf Road is a triangular piece of land on which are sited ten houses named as Gwaunfarren Grove at postal code CF47 9BJ. Of extra significance is an additional older property named “Gwaunfarren Lodge” positioned at the entrance to the much newer residential development. The location comprises a modern housing development on land which has undergone considerable change in the last 200 years. A review of the history of this small portion of the Gwaunfarren locality reveals a sequence of events which mirror cultural and social changes in pre- and post-industrial Merthyr Tydfil. This article plots the timeline of the land use played out between the latter years of the eighteenth century and the present day.

The Medieval Hamlet of Garth comprised of land stretching from Morlais Castle to Caeracca, then south to Gellifaelog, Goytre, Gurnos, Galon Uchaf, Gwaunfarren, Gwaelodygarth and Abermorlais. Some of this land was occupied by both yeoman and tenant farmers with pasture for sheep and cattle. The freehold ownership of the land, with its few farms, passed from family to family and at the geographical centre of the Hamlet was a parcel of land then called Gwaun Faren. In 1789 Gwaun Faren was mapped by William Morrice who noted that both farms, Gwaun Faren and the adjacent Gwaelod Y Garth, had been purchased by Mr William Morgan of Grawen in 1785. That map was redrawn in 1998, and annotated, by Griffiths Bros and show in detail the fields comprising Gwaun Faren farm. This revised map conforms to the 1850 Tithe Map and particular attention is drawn to the field marked C annotated as Cae Bach (little field). This field now relates to post code CF47 9BJ which is the locus for Gwaunfarren Grove.

The 1850 Tithe Map shows field number 1901 as the homestead identified as “The Dairy” at the centre of a number of fields which made up the farm named as Gwaun Faren. The name has varied over time to include Gwaun Varen, Gwain Varen, Gwaun Faren, Gwaun Farren to the present-day spelling of Gwaunfarren. There is some debate as to the meaning of part of the name: “Gwaun=meadow” however there is some uncertainty as to the origin of “faren/Farren”. The Welsh-English Dictionary “Y Geiriadur Mawr” does not have a translation for this word and there is some speculation that it may have originated in the Irish word “Fearann” pronounced “Farran” meaning “pasture”. The book “Merthyr Tydfil – A Valley Community” (1981) published by The Merthyr Teachers Centre Group records the name as “Gwaun=meadow” and “Farren= warren” thus “Warren Meadow”.

In 1850 the freeholder of the farm was Mary Morgan the widow of William Morgan and the farmland was leased to the Penydarren Iron Company. That ironworks was less than half a mile away and the roads accessing the general locality conform in major part to the present-day road system. These were trackways and subsequently they became the present-day Alexandra Avenue and Galon Uchaf Road. There is no evidence of coal mining on the Gwaunfarren farmland however it is likely that iron stone and coal transited the adjacent trackways into the nearby iron works. The 1850 map identifies the farm homestead as “The Dairy” and it is probable that the farm produced milk, butter and cheese for the growing industrial population. The nearby Penydarren Ironworks opened in 1784 in the ownership of the Homfray family and George Forman. This was the smallest of the four local ironworks and in due course it made the cables of flat bar link for the Menai Straits Suspension Bridge. The works closed in 1857 followed shortly thereafter by the Plymouth Ironworks in 1859 whilst the two larger works at Cyfarthfa and Dowlais remained open.

Field number 1901 on the 1850 Tithe Map configures with the 2-acre piece of land that is now identified as post code CF47 9BJ. This land was leased in 1862 to William Simons for 25 years and he funded its redevelopment He was the first of two successful wealthy individuals and their families who lived there in succession until the 1920s. William was a barrister practising in Castle Street and he lived in the house with his wife and children from 1862 until 1888. He purchased the farmhouse and set about making substantial changes to that building, laid out a new garden, driveway and built a Lodge at the main entrance to the drive. His great grandson, Graham Simons later recounted a story detailed by one of Williams daughters, Phoebe, that some of the walls of the house were 4 feet thick and this perhaps indicates that some of the original farm building had been incorporated in the new house identified in the 1850 Tithe Map as “The Dairy”. A plan of the new house and garden is shown below. Note that the architect identified the house as “Gwain-faren” later named as “Gwaunfarren House”.

Parts of the old farmhouse were retained, the building substantially increased in size and an impressive new facade was built based on a Victorian style of architecture much in vogue at the time as demonstrated in an early photograph of the new house.

Photo courtesy of the Alan George Archive                                      

Margaret Stewart Taylor did not include the house in her essay titled “The Big Houses of Merthyr Tydfil” published in the inaugural edition of the “Merthyr Historian Volume I” in 1976. However this was indeed a large house necessary to accommodate the first large family to reside there. The 1871 census shows that in addition to William Simons and his wife, Clara, there were 8 children and 7 staff: a governess, nurse, nursemaid, cook, laundress and 2 housemaids. Ten years later the family had increased to 11 children making a compliment of 20 family plus staff. It is suggested that there were legal disputes between William Simons, the leaseholder, and the freeholder of the land which played a part in the move of the Simons family to Cardiff in 1888.

To be continued……. 

Saturday Football in our Local Community

by Brian Jones

Allan “Salty” Jones has recently published the centenary story (1913 -2013) of football played by a myriad of local teams. His account draws on a vast number of photographs of boys and men who set out to enjoy Saturday football on pitches of variable quality from the north to the south of the Merthyr Borough. Their faces shine out of the black/white and coloured prints spanning a number of generations the vast majority of whom are sadly not still with us. Nevertheless their spirit epitomises their love for the game, and perhaps more importantly, their camaraderie bound together by work, community, church or public house.

The names of the clubs who played in the MERTHYR LEAGUE ring out through the ages. Merthyr Trams, Aberfan Thursdays, Bethania Chapel, Court Rangers, Gellifaelog Youth Club, Mountain Hare, Hoovers, Castle Rangers, Miners Hall, Great Escape and Vaynor Quarries. The list is endless. A review of the history of local football mirrored the social and industrial changes spanning the 100 years. Gone are the teams representing local employers such as Guest Keen, Lines, B.S.A , Teddington Controls, Kayser Bondor, Welsh Products to name but a few.

Of the hundreds of teams who joined then left the League was S.W.E.B. who played post World War II into the early 1950s. The South Wales Electricity Board team of young men who served in the Army, Navy or Royal Air Force and went to work in an industry which blossomed with the surge in demand for an alternative power source. The sprint was on to convert homes from coal gas to electricity. Mains cables had to be laid in streets, Electricity meters installed and wiring to be linked to light switches and power points. Who can recall the demand for one shilling coins for the electricity slot meters to ensure the lights stayed on during dark winter nights!

The S.W.E.B team of 1954/55 played their home games in Heolgerrig and perhaps there are readers who are the grandchildren and great- grandchildren of those in the photograph. Were they players of great skill, who knows, but we can be assured that on their Monday stint in their work base at the Traction Yard in Penydarren they would certainly be enthusing about the win, draw or loss of the previous Saturday game

P.S. The author is the eight year old in the photograph

Merthyr’s Chapels: Bethania Chapel, Dowlais

Bethania Welsh Independent Chapel, Dowlais

In the early part of the 19th Century, members of the Independent chapels in Merthyr who were living in Dowlais began holding meetings at various houses around the town.

When Josiah John Guest arrived in Dowlais and expanded the Dowlais Works, the population increased to an extent that the need arose for the Independent worshippers in Dowlais to have their own chapel. The old Bethel Chapel became vacant in 1822 so services could be held there on Sunday evenings. Rev Methusalem Jones of Bethesda Chapel in Merthyr was instrumental in starting the cause in Dowlais and he had oversight of the congregation for a time until he had a difference of opinion with some of the congregation and left them. Rev Samuel Evans of Zoar Chapel then took over the care of the congregation.

Within a year however, it was realised that the small Bethel Chapel was not adequate for the congregation, so land was found and a chapel was built in 1823 for the cost of £444 and called Bethania.

In 1826 Rev Thomas Jones, a student from Newtown, was invited to Bethania and was ordained as minister of the chapel on 23 March 1826. The congregation increased rapidly and the chapel was rebuilt in 1827. However, within a short time a serious disagreement occurred at the chapel which resulted in Rev Jones and several of the congregation leaving and starting their own cause; this eventually became Bryn Sion Chapel. Rev Samuel Evans once again took charge of the chapel and stayed here until his death.

Following Rev Samuel Evans’ death, Rev John Hughes was inducted as Bethania’s minister in December 1833. Under his leadership the congregation grew rapidly and in 1838 it was decided to build a new larger chapel and the chapel was rebuilt at a cost of £1000 by Mr Thomas Sandbrook, a member of the chapel.

The re-built Bethania Chapel

In 1849, a serious cholera epidemic broke out in Merthyr with 1,682 deaths in Merthyr and Dowlais alone. In the aftermath of this epidemic, a religious revival occurred and despite its huge size, Bethania Chapel could not accommodate the huge increase in the congregation. It was decided that it would be impractical to build an even larger chapel, so a new chapel was built nearby called Gwernllwyn.

In 1855 a schoolroom was built at Pwll-yr-hwyaid, and this was followed by schoolrooms at Gellifaelog and Caeharris.

Bethania Chapel Caeharris Schoolroom. Photo courtesy of the Alan George Archive.

In 1883 the interior of the chapel was renovated with a new pulpit and seating costing £1350; and a new organ installed costing £350. In 1886, the vestry was constructed behind the chapel. Major renovations were again carried out on the chapel in 1896 when the main entrance of the chapel was altered and a large porch built, and the chapel was we see it today took shape. These renovations cost £500.

The chapel closed in 1999, but in 2012 the building was renovated by the Victory Church who now hold their services there.

Christmas in Merthyr Tydfil A Hundred Years Ago – part 1

by Carolyn Jacob

In 1922 Merthyr Tydfil had just gone through the catastrophic First World War. There was an awareness of general poverty in Europe after war and Merthyr Tydfil had suffered considerably. The town had given a considerable amount of money in 1918 for the purchase of a tank, more than had Cardiff and other Welsh towns, and the town was now feeling the pinch. However, the ‘keeping of Christmas’ and celebrating the festive season was regarded as almost a sacred duty. The concept of giving and contributing to others less fortunate was still very much alive at Christmas time. The country had a recent struggle and now faced an exceptional amount of unemployment, but the Merthyr Express clearly stated, ‘We hope that that there will be few homes, hopefully none, which will not enjoy some Christmas cheer. We hope for the revival of commercial and industrial life which will bring happier conditions’.

Merthyr Express 23 December 1922

A hundred years ago the Christmas weather was described as inclement and seemed to have been more severe than nowadays. Snow was always expected in December and did not disappoint. There was a fall of snow on the Brecon Beacons a few days before Christmas which was visible for a few days on the mountain tops. The mantle of matchless whiteness made the outlook really ‘look like Christmas’ but the cold spell was followed by heavy rain. Despite the weather there was a great warmth of generosity and a desire to celebrate merrily as in years gone by. However, the fall of snow, followed by the heavy rain caused a Christmas disaster in Gellifaelog. The Morlais Brook flooded, houses collapsed in Mansfield Terrace and many families became homeless. This event was dramatic, with boulders carried in the roaring torrent. Thankfully there was no loss of life in the flooding, although the water level went way beyond the bedroom windows. Viewing the destruction became a post-Christmas ‘tourist attraction’, but many people were anxious to help-out and a relief fund was soon set up. The Dowlais Silver Band immediately cleared its band room to house a destitute family.

The Gellfaelog Flood in 1922. Photo courtesy of the Alan George Archive.

Although few would have heard of vegetarianism in 1922, the festive meal for an average household in Merthyr Tydfil would have been far less reliant on meat than today and the meal would have had more emphasis on vegetables, especially those that were home-grown. You might have dined on wild game such as rabbit or hare, but geese, hams and beef were also popular. Turkeys were rare as they were unusual and more expensive than goose. Hens were eaten but cheap chicken was unknown. Most people would save for months to afford the festive meat. There would be no pigs in blankets or cranberry sauce as these are an American import of the 1950s.

The windows of shops were carefully decorated in the run up to Christmas. In 1922 adverts in local newspapers and wonderful displays played a key role in attracting customers to shop locally. People living in Dowlais would have had no need to travel to Merthyr as they could find all their needs on their own doorstep. Everything possible was done to enhance the festive spirit. The commercial element of the festive season has been with us for a long time and the excitement of festive displays and bustling streets are all part of the Christmas magic, but Christmas goods would not have been in evidence until much nearer the actual date.

Merthyr Express – 23 December 1922

Whilst food preparations began with the making of the Christmas cake and Christmas puddings weeks before the day itself, Christmas did not begin for many until Christmas Eve when decorations were put up, shopping was finished, and food preparations made. With no fridge, people had to receive their fresh food as close to Christmas as possible. To ensure you had your meat and pies for Christmas you would have had to place an order with your local butcher, grocer, and baker in advance. Perishable goods would be collected or delivered on 23rd or 24th December to ensure freshness, meaning that the shops were full of bustle and Christmas cheer on Christmas Eve in 1922.

Merthyr Express – 23 December 1922

Many Christmas cards were delivered by hand, and it was not unusual for children to be sent out on Christmas Eve to deliver the cards. It is a good thing that many families in Merthyr Tydfil had friends and relations in nearby streets. Hanging up stockings a hundred years ago would not have involved a purpose made, festive embellished stocking but instead a large sock that would be filled with whatever gifts could be afforded; fruit, nuts, a sugar pig and perhaps a small toy.

To be continued…….

Merthyr’s Chapels: Gwernllwyn Chapel

Gwernllwyn Welsh Independent Chapel, Dowlais

By the end of the 1840’s, the congregation at Bethania Chapel was growing so rapidly due to the revival that occurred following the devastating cholera outbreak in 1849, that the chapel could no longer accommodate them. Indeed, 250 new members were accepted into the chapel on one Sunday alone. The elders of the chapel met on 16 May 1850, and decided that rather than try to enlarge the already huge chapel, it would make more sense to build a new chapel nearby that would act as a sister church to Bethania.

A number of the congregation voluntarily left Bethania to form a new church and so Gwernllwyn Chapel was built in 1850 to seat 800 people. The new chapel was designed by Rev Benjamin Owen, minister of Zoar Chapel, Merthyr, and built by the Gabe Brothers at a cost of £900. On Sunday 2 February 1851, a prayer meeting was held at Bethania Chapel at 9 o’clock in the morning, and at 11 o’clock, 250 people ceremonially left Bethania to officially open the new chapel.

Mr John Hughes, the minister at Bethania took the services at Gwernllwyn for the first two years of its existence until Mr Benjamin Williams (left) became Gwernllwyn’s full time minister in July 1852.

Under Benjamin Williams’ ministry, the congregation flourished, and during his nine years at Gwernllwyn he was instrumental in the setting up of Penywern Chapel and the English Cause at Ivor Chapel.

The congregation at Gwernllwyn continued to increase and it was necessary to build a new larger chapel. The new chapel with seating for almost 1000 people was completed in 1874 at a cost of £2,210. As well as the new chapel it was also decided to build two schoolrooms – one at Gellifaelog in 1876 and one at Cwmrhydybedd in 1877; the cost being £500.

In 1889 a magnificent pipe organ was installed by Vowles and Sons at a cost of £334, and was opened by Mr J Haydn Parry, son of Dr Joseph Parry.

During the 1940’s a beautiful memorial window was placed in the vestibule of the chapel by the family of Messrs Enoch Williams & Sons in memory of their father who had been a deacon in the chapel for many years.

Gwernllwyn still had a flourishing congregation when the chapel was forced to close, and was demolished in the late 1960’s due to the redevelopment of Dowlais.

Company Sergeant-Major Charlie Jones

by Ann Lewis

I remember the above photograph of a handsome soldier in uniform, in a black frame taking pride of place in my parents’ living room. He was my father’s uncle, Charlie W. Jones, born at Dowlais, son of Mary and William Jones.

He served in the South African War with the 5th Welsh Regiment, being decorated with a medal. On his return to Dowlais, he, along with several other veterans of the war, was presented with a silver watch by the Dowlais Chamber of Trade at a public meeting. He was also presented with a long service medal by the Territorial Army. To date, however, I have been unable to obtain any information about his service in South Africa.

He was subsequently employed at the Bedlinog Colliery and lived at Greenfield Terrace, Gellifaelog with his wife Annie and his three sons.

At the start of the First World War, Charlie Jones, 37 years of age at the time, was promoted to the rank of Company Sergeant Major, number 59 in the 5th Welsh Regiment, and he was sent to fight in the Dardanelles. Sadly on 21 August 1915 he was killed in action and was subsequently buried at sea. Coincidentally, his eldest son, Private David J. Jones was also in action in the Dardanelles with the 5th Welsh Regiment (Gun Section). How he felt losing his father we can only imagine.

Charlie’s name is included on the Roll of Honour on the Helles Memorial in Turkey, and also on the Roll of Honour at the Merthyr Tydfil Conservative Club.

Merthyr Tydfil Conservative Club Roll of Honour

Our family has lost touch with Charlie’s side of the family, and I have often wondered if there are any of his grand- or great-grandchildren still living in the area, and whether they would be interested in having the original photograph.

If anyone has any information regarding CSM Charlie Jones, or of any of his family, please contact me at merthyr.history@gmail.com, and I will pass the information on to Ann.