St Lleurwg's Church Hiwaun
Hirwaun Town
John Mayberry of Brecon founded the ironworks in 1757: this became the foundation of the village if Hirwaun. The remains of Hirwaun Ironworks are down a lane between the Cardiff Arms and Hirwaun Clock.
In 1830 the then ironmaster of Hirwaun William Crawshay purchase the first railway locomotive steam engine to be seen in the Cynon Valley since Richard Trevithick’s train in Abercynon.
Hirwaun Common
The common itself existed before the invasion of the Normans and it was called “Hyrwenunworgan” is documented under a charter 1203 due to the fact of the grazing rights between the Cistercian Monasteries of Llantarnum (Carleon) and Margam.
The effect of the Norman Conquest was the marcher lords of Glamorgan would have assumed the rights of the of the last Independent ruler of Glamorgan Iestyn ap Gwrgant his father Gwrgant ap Ithel was rumoured to have granted the rights of the common of all men.
Hirwaun Common was a waste land of Miskin Manor and Glynrhondda over the common of grazing rulers over by the marcher lords of Glamorgan.
In 1547 Edward VI granted the lordships to Glynrhonnda and Miskin to William Herbert whom in 1551 became Earl of Pembroke.
Cadogan of the Battle Axe (Glyn Rhondda)
Cadogan of the Battle-Axe lived at Glyn Rhontha during the time of Owen Glyndwr’s war and was one of the chieftain’s captains over the men of that Vale. When Cadogan went to battle, he used to perambulate Glyn Rhontha, whetting his battle-axe, as he proceeded along from which circumstance, Owen would call out to Cadogan, “Fadogan, whet thy battle-axe” and the moment that Cadogan was heard to do so, all living persons, both male and female, in Glyn Rhontha, collected about him in military order: and from that day to this, the battle-shout of the men of Glyn-Rontha has been, “Cadogan! whet thy battle-axe,” and at the word, they all assemble as an army.
Crawshay Family (Hirwaun Ironworks)
In 1818 was bought on behalf of the head of the Crawshay family. William 1. He left their management to his son, William 11, and bequeathed them along with Cyfarthfa to the latter upon his death in 1834. In 1831 William 11 devoted everyday management at Hirwaun to his own third son, Henry who subsequently married a Penderyn village girl named Eliza Harris to the annoyance of his father. Their first two daughters were christened in Nebo Chapel (Hirwaun).
Anthony Bacon of Cyfartha, who leased Hirwaun Ironworks, decided to manufacture heavy canon for the American War of Independence. However he was a Member of Parliament for Aylesbury, and the law forbade him making arms. He overcame this problem by producing them in the name of his partner, Francis Homfray. It was under this name that the finished product was taken bridle paths by mules and packhorses from Hirwaun to Cardiff.
Cast steel was produced in small quantities at Hirwaun Ironworks in 1890.
David Davis Grocer in Hirwaun
There is a tomb in the graveyard to David Davis of Blaengwawr who started life as a grocer and draper in Hirwaun. He prospered and sunk collieries as Blaengwawr (1843) Abercwmboi (1851) and Ferndale (1862). David Davis was one of the directors who built the Penarth Docks due to the increase of taxes from Cardiff.
Merthyr Riots (Lewis Lewis)
In 1829, there was a general depression in the iron Industry in Merthyr and there were cuts in wages this reverberated to Hirwaun and by then it was quite possible that Lewis Lewis was involved in the mining industry or the iron industry, he was partied to the terrible depression that followed 1829. As the depression hit Hirwaun many people they had to appear in Court of request in Merthyr, where they were then fined and the fine was usually paid by the removal of goods to the person who was in debt. In other words, Lewis Lewis was one of those and he lost a chest, which was taken to a shop in Hirwaun, when the riot started, Hirwaun was one of the first places attacked and Lewis was naturally involved, emotionally involved because a piece of furniture possible descended from his parents had been taken from him. It’s a small thing that triggers off a sequence of events and Lewis was involved there. But Lucin was prominent from then on in the Merthyr Riots. On June 2nd he was of the party that raided a hundred shops in Merthyr and removed goods and returned them to poor people.
The Battle of Hirwaun Wrgant
Rhys ap Tewdwr was supposedly to have been the last king of South Wales (Deheubarth), his then death in 1093 was clearly the beginning in history in when Welsh independence disappeared.
There was a deep-seated grievance between Iestyn ap Gwrgant, Lord of Glamorgan and Rhys ap Tewdwr who became the ruler of Deheubarth in 1077 regarding the lordships of South Wales. Also the death of Caradog ap Gruffydd who was Lord of Morgannwg a relation to Iestyn who died with Trehaearn ap Caradog at Mynydd Carn in 1081 against Rhys ap Tewdwr and Gruffydd ap Cynan.
The battle started at Aberdare and ended up on Hirwaun Common a distance of seven miles this battle which involved a tremendous loss of life, particularly among the natives forces of Iestyn, Einion and Cedrych, as the Normans seemed to have occupied the rear of the fighting line, and therefore in an unfavourable position to assert their strength. It appears that Rhys ab Tewdwr’s army was considerably smaller and quite unequal to the task. Consequently he and his men were driven to the upper reaches of Rhigos/ Penderyn, where there are still vestiges of this great conflict in such places as Cwm Cadlan and Bodwigiad. In the Cadlan Valley there are numerous mounds or carneddau, several of these are reputed to be memorials of the men who fell in the battle between Iestyn ab Gwrgant and Rhys ab Tewdwr e.g. Carn y Frydwr (Battle Cairn) & Maes y Gwaed (Field of Blood). On the Rhigos side, there is a brook called “Nant-yr-Ochain” which tradition tells, is associated with the groans of men mortally wounded in battle.
The Battle eventually went completely against Rhys Iestyn over the mountain to a place about seven miles form Hirwaun, between the rivers Rhondda Fach and Rhondda Fawr, now known as Penrhys (Rhys’s head).
Rhys actually met his death in a conflict against Bernard de-Newmarch in the vicinity of Brecknock at a place called Battle. Bleddin ap Maenarch Prince of old Brycheiniog (Brecon) and brother in law to Rhys ap Tewdwr who both died in the battle in 1093. There is a well was named after him “Pen Sir Rhys” or the well of Sir Rhys’s.
Einion ab Callwyn took his army after the battle to the Gower and settled down (Port Eynon)
Local Eisteddfod's
1895
Monday September 23rd
President:
Thomas Richards Esq.
Conductors
Mr D.W. Jones “Dafydd Morganwg”
1897
September 6th (Mabon ‘s Day) In aid of the new library
Presidents:
Sir W.T. Lewis
H.C. Lewis Esq.
E.M. Whitting Esq
Capt C.R Powell