Airial view of Penderyn
St Cynog Church (Established 492)
St Cynog Church, there is a story that the church was first established there around the 6th century and possibly founded by St Cynog himself. The church in that era would have been probably made of small wooden structures with mud and wattle walls, stones structures were very scarce in this period.
During the Norman period there were many arguments between the Norman barons to what areas of land was theirs. A dispute arose between Humphrey de Bohun, load of Brecknock and Gilbert de Clare Lord of Glamorgan in respect of Morlais Castle “NeSubsequently to this dispute de Clare married the king’s daughter, whilst de Bohun was related to the queen. The king advised them to come to an amicable settlement, but soon after de Clare took up the offensive and sent a strong force to take the castle. Finding it deserted they moved onto Breconshire in the direction of Cwm-Taf-Fawr destroying everything in their path, they crossed into Cwm Cadlan and thence to Hepste and Ystradfellte, when they passed Penderyn they destroyed the church by fire.
It was many years before the church of St Cynog was rebuilt some say after the death of de Clare in 1295.The bells were installed around the 1700’s, the present bells bear inscriptions, dates and founders marks, on one of them is a 17in in diameter and the other is 20in. The larger bell bears the name of John Williams Rector, the bell also on it a banner design with the founder’s initials: H.W. “Henry Williams, bell founder, Brecon”, the other initials are of the church wardens at that time.
The present church stands on the place of the original, but the nave and chancel was rebuilt around 1895, the only evidence now of its medieval past is in the tower and the Holy Water Stoup, preserved in its place on the right hand side on the inner door of the church, and some embellished bosses from the old roof have been incorporated in the ceiling of the present chancel.
Most fonts in churches are covered in wood wherever you go in Wales because of an old folklore from ages past, people believed that witches would come by night and pollute the holy water and the witches did not like wood.
The lych-gate (Corpse gate) of St Cynog’s Church and other churches was where the local priests came to meet the body of a deceased person.
Inside Church
Many people think of the stain glass window behind the main alter is the representation of the Magi “wise men of the east” but this is untrue. It is in a betrayal of gentile kings doing homage, not to a babe, but a to the Christ child in the arms of the Madonna. Look closer and you will see two kings and their attendants and not three Magi. The picture appears to be based on evangelical prophecy of Isaiah, wherein he envisages Zion becoming the centre of universal attraction. The quote at the bottom of the window, it’s taken from Psalm 72, verse 11: "All Kings shall fall down before him all nations shall serve him".
Sanctuary windows donated by Bodwigiad family
South side is the presentation of Jesus in the temple and Mary, his mother making the requisite offering of a pair of turtle doves.
Menelaus South Stain glass
There is a beautiful glass on the south side of the church near the chancel, of two figures St David and St Andrew. This is memorial window to William Menelaus “Scotland”, St David “is adopted country” who was once an engineer at the Dowlais Iron Works, he married a lady from Ysgubor Fawr hence the connection to the parish. The window was place there by his cousins, C.J. and W.L. Darling, one of whom was the famous Justice Darling, who one time figured prominently in important cases.
North Side glass of St Martin of Tours
North side near the pulpit is in memory of Sarah Rhys and Phillip Rhys, and was placed there by Mary Edwin Jones and Sarah Jennet Gibbins, daughters of Sarah Rhys.
Faith and Charity
This glass was executed by one of the foremost artists in London, is on the south near the entrance. At Eastertide 1947 it was unveiled by Mrs Emiah George of Hirwaun and dedicated by the Bishop of the Diocese, as a memorial to Griffith William and Elizabeth Ann John, one time prominent business people in Glynneath.
It was given by their children Emiah, Rhys, William and Marie.
Folklore
It is surprising to know that 200 years ago there were no seats in churches and when people came to church the old were permitted to stand leaning against the wall. A saying ‘to have your back leaning against the wall’ may have come from this.
If a man and woman in a village were leading immoral lives they may have their life’s taken off dabbed with mud, they might be carried around on ladders nude, they might be tied on a pony back nude and the horse given a bump and left out on the common all night. Now these were practicing the Ceffyl Pren.
David Gam (Man at Arms to Henry V (Agincourt 1415)
Richard Games who ascended from one of the notorious traders in Wales, his name Dafydd Gam. He was the son of Einion App-Griffith of Pen Pont in Breconshire; wealthy family, distinguished family and Dafydd Gams grandfather had fought at the battle of Cressy. Dafydd Gam became an esquire, to the king because King Henry had married into the Buckingham Family, the lords of Breconshire. So Dafydd Gam joined the army as an esquire at 40 marks a year.
He did very well in the army and a legend is that in 1404 he was sent to the Parliament of Owen Glyndwr Parliament at Machynlleth with the purpose of murdering Owen Glyndwr. There is no actual foundation for that, but we do know that Dafydd Gam took an important part in defeating Owen Glyndwr on the banks of the Usk in 1412.
Dafydd Gam went with the English King to fight at the battle of Agincourt and was killed, he was knighted for his bravery and our friend Shakespeare has referred to Dafydd Gam and the host of English Knights who were killed with him on that day. Dafydd Gam was of Norman and Welsh blood, so one can understand that he fought for the English. He was called Dafydd Gam because he had a squint and he joined the army as a very young man because he had murder his cousin, the Lord of Slewch in Brecon and then he runaway and join the army.
Shakespeare has written about him in Henry VI Act 4. “Here was a royal fellowship of death, where is the number of our English dead. Edward the Duke of York, the Earl of Suffolk, Sir Richard Celty, Davey Gam Esq., none else of name and of all other men but five and twenty, oh god, thy arm was here”. In other words, he was suggesting that David Gam was killed with the elite of the English army.
It is known that David Gam took local archers from Penderyn and Ystradfellte and the bows came from the ewe trees at St Mary’s Church Ystradfellte.
Lewis Lewis (Merthyr Riots 1831)
Lewis Lewis was christened on the 21st March 1793 the son of Jenkin and Margaret Lewis of Blaencadlan in the parish of Penderyn, his father was a butcher. Lewis was a haulier by occupation hence his appellation ‘Yr Heliwr’ and he was engaged in carting coal from the pits at Llwydcoed to the limekilns at Penderyn. In the Merthyr Tydfil riots of 1831 he took a leading part, on the 2nd June in the attack on the house of Joseph Coffin, the clerk to the Court of Requests and in inciting the crowd to seize arms of the soldiers of the 93rd Highland Regiment where outside the Castle Inn on the following day.
William Harry “Gwilym Garw-dyle”1763- 1844 poet
He was born on the 18th December1763 at Garw-dyle in Penderyn, a grandson; it is said, of the poet Siôn Llewellyn of Vaynor. He was a weaver, as were his brothers Siôn Harry of Vaynor and Edward Harryof Cefn-Coed-y-Cymer.
After farming unsuccessfully at Llwyn-onn, Penderyn, he spent the greater part of his life at Pontbrenllwyd; he had nine children. He died 11 July 1844 in the house of one of his sons, at Dowlais, in his eighty-second year. He is buried at St Cynog's.
He wrote satirical and religious verse; He published two volumes, Yr Awen Resymol, 1828 , and Nodd Awen, 1835.
This quarry that W.D. Lewis own now, was once owned my numerous ironworks in Aberdare, the Crawshay Quarry, Gadlys Quarry, Abernant Quarry and Aberaman Quarry. With the demise of the ironworks these ceased working except for the Aberaman Quarry which together with Llwynon Quarry, was acquired by Messrs, W.P. Powell, Hirwaun for the production of road stone, agricultural limes and flus for the Ebbw Vale Street Worrks. Bothe quarries were linked to the G.W.R. at Hirwaun by the Hirwaun Railway. The photograph above was taken in the early 20th century is of the Aberaman Quarry, and shows clearly the characteristic bedding and joining of limestone. The railways liones run to the quarry face allowing the stone to be loaded directly on to the trucks. Below is a present picture of Aberaman quarry present day.
