Aberdare Canal
Aberdare Canal originated at a place called Ty Draw in the area of Plasdraw now part of Aberdare. It was built in the early 1800’s and joined the Glamorganshire Canal at Abercynon. When the canal was constructed Ty Draw had four wharves, these and the canal were the first major development in the Cynon Valley. The main purpose of the canal was to transport iron out of the valley. Then a tram road was built to Llwydcoed Ironworks. Later another tram road was built to Glynneath due to the high tariffs imposed on moving iron on the Aberdare Canal. Later the canal was used to transport coal, which then became the main export of the valley.
Aberdare Cenotaph
In the main square of Aberdare is a cenotaph, one of only two, the other one is the famous cenotaph in Whitehall, London all the other monuments are war memorials.
Griffith Rhys Jones
The statue dedicated to Griffith Rhys Jones (Caradog) who took the combined choirs known as the “Cor Mawr” (South Wales Choral Union) to the Crystal Palace in 1873 where they won a great victory. He is buried in Aberdare Cemetery.
Staue of Caradog
TO GRIFFITH JONES (CARADOG) AND HIS TWO FRIENDS (by Carw Coch)
Gruffydd, clutching his bow, -
gave us Charming entertainment;
And Iorwerth gave delight And crippled Tom*,
a bright flame. They shrugged convention -
in the way they arranged Their brilliant music;
These worthy men weaved
National Eisteddfod of 1861
The First National Eisteddfod, held under new rules, took place in Aberdare Market Hall in 1861. It was held over three days and the President’s were H.A. Bruce, H. Hussey Vivian (who later became Lord Swansea) and Crawshey Bailey (instigated Aberdare Railway) who took the place of Sir Watcyn Williams Wyn.
St John's the Baptist Church
St John’s Church
St John's the Baptist church was built in the late 12th century and is of Norman design. The Rev John Wesley, the great Methodist preacher preached twice in the church in 1749.
In the church graveyard is the of the Wayne family who owned the Gadlys Iron works and coal pit. An ancestor of the Wayne family was General “Mad Anthony”, so called for his daring acts of courage; he fought on the side of George Washington in the American War of Independence in 1776.
There are gated inside the church which were made in Abernant Foundry in the 19th Century. The inlays of the gates are shaped in the number three, which stand for the Holy Trinity the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. There is a plaque inside the church to Major General Edward Edwards of the Honourable East India Company, who fought and died in the battle of the Alamo.
We are not sure what side he was on the East India Company supplied General De Santa Anna with materials.
On the inside church wall to the left of the church door is a tablet to David William Watkins. Over the years folklore has grown up regarding this unusual burial. It is said that he was buried in the wall of the church so he could look down on his servant who is buried in the floor beneath him. The reason was that his servant was much taller than himself.
The reason behind St John’s Day
In the sixth century, Catholic missionaries were sent through the northern part of Europe to gather pagans into the Roman fold. They found that June 24th was a very popular day among these people. They sought to “Christianise” this day, but how? By this time, December 25th had been adopted as the birthday of Christ. Since June 24th was approximately six months before December 25th, why not call this the birthday of John the Baptist! John was born, we recall, six months before Jesus (Luke 1:26.36). Thus June 24th is known on the papal calendar as St John’s Day!
The Origins of St Elvan’s Church
(From a book by Ivor Morgan)
In early 1846 and due to the influx of people into the Cynon Valley it was considered necessary to build a bigger church than St John’s for ever increasing congregation of the valley. Also there was a new question on language where the new industrialists came from out England with their families and they also brought the manager’s with their families as well. During this period the churches were doing 2 services a day, the English in the morning and the Welsh in the afternoon which was much concern that the hard working families worked different shifts.
A new Vicar came to Aberdare name of Rev. John Griffiths who threw himself into the new church in Aberdare. The first problem was to find a site for this new church, the idea was to keep as close as possible to St John’s Church, the committee found a small hill in the centre of town which was once called Halewood’s Watermill which later turned into the clog mill, then fell into disuse, this was owned by the Marquis of Bute, lucky for them that the Marquis was already involved in evangelical work and he donated a piece of land to them.
On the committee at this time was Crawshay Bailey & Thomas Wayne (Ironmasters) and George Rowland Morgan was a local land owner and Magistrate. They contacted the architects from the Church Commissioners to design the building that would be able to hold about 800 people and for a price around £3000.
A vestry meeting was held on the 28th January 1851 to consider the designs for the church eventually it was won by Andrew Moseley of London. The following month the building committee met and examined the contracting firm of Strawbridge of Bristol, it was then discovered that the tender exceeded the estimate by the amount of £4685 which were given by the architects of the Church Building Society, so they decided to reduce the tender by cutting back by cutting back on the thickness on the walls, height of the nave, porch, transept were omitted as well ornamentation, these cut backs reduced the price to £3019. It was finally completed on the 6th July 1852, the church was offically opened by the Right Reverend Alfred Ollivant, Bishop of Llandaff on September 22nd 1852.
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If you are interesting in camanology, there is a link for you to have a look at:
Plaque to James James Maco
There is a plaque dedicated to James James Maco who supposedly wrote the music for the Welsh National Anthem in the Swan Hotel in Aberaman in 1856. His father Evan James wrote the words. We do not know when it became the Welsh Anthem but it was given prominence at the Eisteddfod in Llangollen in 1858. It known that local eisteddfods started around 1820 in the Swan Hotel in Aberaman, with poets, musicians and authors of essays.
St Joseph's Church
Abernant/ Aberdare Hospital
St. Michael’s Theological College 1892-1907
The main hospital was originally a mansion and was turned into a college in 1892. Canon H. R. Johnson was the first warden. In 1907 the college moved to Llandaff, Cardiff due to a problem leasing the property.
Dr Thomas Price Calfaria Chapel Monk St, (W.W Price)
He was the son of John and Mary Price of Maesyewper, near the hamlet of Ysgethrog, in the Parish of Llenhamlwch, and the valley of the Usk, about three miles below the town of Brecon. One of 6 children of parents of humble circumstances, without the advantages of education he commenced to earn his living as an early age by assisting a local farmer, yet before his death he had become one of the best known and popular men in the whole of Wales.
His parents had been members of the Established Church, but through the influence of his master’s wife and some friends, Thomas became a Baptist and was baptized in the River Usk. He soon had opportunities to develop his talents through Sunday school, prayer meetings, and by holding meetings in the surrounding villages, he thus gained confidence during his four years stay in London, he took advantage of the opportunities afforded him to study at the Dr. Birbeck’s Mechanics Institute, and to take part in the religious activities of both Welsh and English Baptists churches. He entered the Pontypool Baptist College with a view to entering the ministry in 1842, after three and half years there he accepted a call to Aberdare Welsh Baptist Chapel, then worshipping at Carmel Chapel, Monk St but better known as “Penpound”, he commenced here by the end of 1845 and was ordained on the 1st Jan 1846 and remained here as his only pastorate for 42 years until his death on the 29th Feb 1888 at the age of 67 years.
His abounding energy and skill organiser, Thomas Price was able to increase the numbers of Baptists in the Valley through opening Sunday schools and later erecting chapels in the surrounding villages as a great ratio than the increase in population. After releasing 121 members to form a church at Aberaman (Gwawr Chapel Regent St), 58 to form the English Church as Carmel, while the Welsh members entered their new chapel as Calfaria, and 69 to form the church as Mountain Ash, (Rhos), there still remained as Calfaria 1031 members. Then 163 members were transferred to form the new church at Abernant, 131 to Ynsyslwyd, 49 to Gadlys, together with others to form Heolyfelin. He also assisted the daughter churches to form at Cwmaman, Abercwmboi, Blaenllechau, Cwmdare, Llwydcoed and Glyn-Neath. In addition Rev. Price became very popular as a lecturer throughout North and South Wales, on such subjects as:- The Crimean War, Indian Mutiny, The Collier and his Dangers, The Literary History of the Bible, Garibaldi, it is said that a sum of £4000 was paid off the debt of chapels through his lectures which often took 2.1/2 to 3 hours to deliver with illustrations from maps.
As a writer he publishes as answer to the Rev: Wm Edwards book “Bapto a Baptiso in 1857” Juwbili Eglwys Calferia Aberdar 1862” and Trem 1885-1886, together with addresses etc. He was better known as the co-editor of “Y Gwron” 1885-1860 and “Y Gweithiwr” 1859-1860 and “Seren Cymru” 1860-76, he also served a Finance Secretary to “Seren Gomer”1853-1859 and edited “Y Medelwr Ieuane” and “Y Gwyliedydd”. No minister in Wales took so such a prominent part as he did in furthering the work of the Friendly Societies, particularly those of the Independent Order of Oddfellows “Odyddion” and the “Ivorites”, after filling the important posts of the I.O.O. in the Aberdare Valley and in Wales, he was elected in June 1865 at Worcester as Grand Master of the largest Friendly Society in the World,. He also helped other societies such as “Alfred’s” and the “Foresters”. He was elected on Merthyr Board of Guardians in 1852 on the Aberdare Local Board of Health 1854-71, was Vice-Chairman of the Aberdare School Board 1870- on the Aberdare Burial Board 1858 was secretary of the Aberdare Reading Society August 1848, Treasurer of the Aberaman Building Society which wound up its activities without a penny out in its accounts in August 1848.
He also took an active part in forming the Aberdare Gas Co. in 1848 and again in building the New Aberdare Market Hall in 1851/2 and was director of the “Glandare Woollen Manufactory Ltd” Aberdare Nov 1871 of which is stepson, Mr Edwards Gilbert Price was the Secretary. He often presided or conducted eisteddfodau and was Vice-chairman of the Aberdare National Eisteddfod, General and Literary Committee. He was the first secretary of the Aberdare British School Committee which established the first British School in the Aberdare Valley in 1848 “Park School” better known as “Ysgol y Comin”. He was Treseasure of the famous “Coe Mawr” with its headquarters as Aberdare under Caradog as its conductor in 1872 and 1873. He visited the United States and Canada on behalf of the Baptist Missionary Society in 1869, after spending three weeks in Ireland he had a wonderful reception in America and on his return to Wales.
Note:
Dr Price baptized his congregation in the River Cynon at the bottom of Commercial St in Aberdare by the iron bridge that once spaned the river.
Poem on Dr. Thomas Price (Carw Coch)
[On his return to Aberdar having toured America for 9 months]
Welcome gracious doctor,
from knowing old cheerful faces
to your home in the gentle heavenly town,
we praise thee
We hold out our outstretched arms,
Joyously to our elbows we shake (hands),
we offer obvious signs
of warm heartedness
and we further praise faultless kind Amelia
as she returns to her beloved country;
truly she is the subject of love,
and a profound shield for her tender father
Early Weekly Newspapers 1800’s
During the middle 1800’s and the increase coal mines a newspaper publisher name of Josiah Thomas Jones moved from Carmarthen in 1854. He then established a fortnightly paper called Y Gwron Cymreig (The Welsh Hero). The paper contained foreign and parliamentary reports and was for the workers and not Coal or Iron masters and was against the rules of established churches.
Then in 1858 the first issue of Y Gwladgarwr (The Patriot) which was a weekly paper which was owned by a group of local people one of these was David Williams (Alaw Coch) the man who built Deep Duffryn Pit in Mountain Ash. The paper was light hearted paper compared to most that was around at that time and use also to entice local poets and writers to write into them.
Folklore
There was a man called Charlie Dumbar was an extremely large person who travelled the local circus. When he died there were eight horses that had to pull the coffin to Aberdare Cemetery rumours are they could get a coffin large enough so they buried him in a grand piano.
Another saying relating to this folklore was when mothers so their children eating to much she said if you are not careful you will get to the size of Charlie Dunbar.
Picture from Aberdare Historical Society