Rhondda
51°36′57″N 3°25′03″W / 51.615938°N 3.417521°W
Rhondda | |
---|---|
Valley region | |
UTC+1 (British Summer Time) | |
Postal code | |
Area code | 01443 |
Rhondda
Etymology
In the early Middle Ages, Glynrhondda was a commote of the cantref of Penychen in the kingdom of Morgannwg, a sparsely populated agricultural area. The spelling of the commote varied widely, as the Cardiff Records show:[3]
|
|
Many sources state the meaning of Rhondda as "noisy", though this is a simplified translation without research. Sir Ifor Williams, in his work Enwau Lleoedd, suggests that the first syllable rhawdd is a form of the Welsh adrawdd or adrodd, as in "recite, relate, recount", similar to the Old Irish rád; 'speech'.[3][4] The suggestion is that the river is speaking aloud, a comparison to the English expression "a babbling brook".[3]
With the increase in population from the mid-19th century the area was officially recognised as the
Early history
Prehistoric and Roman Rhondda: 8,000 BC – 410 AD
The Rhondda Valley is located in the upland, or Blaenau, area of
Mesolithic period
The earliest evidence of man's presence in these upper areas of Glamorgan was found in 1963 at Craig y Llyn. A small chipped stone tool found at the site, recorded as possibly being of
Neolithic period
The first structural relic of prehistoric man was excavated in 1973 at Cefn Glas near the
Bronze Age
Although little evidence of settlement has been found in the Rhondda for the Neolithic to
In 1912, a hoard of 24 late Bronze Age weapons and tools was discovered during construction work at the
Iron Age
With the exception of the Neolithic settlement at Cefn Glas, there are three certain pre-medieval settlement sites in the valley – Maendy Camp, Hen Dre'r Gelli and Hen Dre'r Mynydd. The earliest of these is Maendy Camp, a hillfort whose remains lie between Ton Pentre and Cwmparc.[12] Although its defences would have been slight, the camp made good use of the natural slopes and rock outcrops to its north-east face. It consisted of two earthworks: an inner and outer enclosure. When the site was excavated in 1901, several archaeological finds led to the camp being misidentified as Bronze Age. These finds, mainly pottery and flint knives, were excavated from a burial cairn discovered within the outer enclosure, but the site has since been classified as from the Iron Age.[12]
The settlement at Hen Dre'r Mynydd in Blaenrhondda was dated around the Roman period, when fragments of wheel-made Romano-British pottery were discovered. The site consists of a group of ruinous drystone roundhouses and enclosures, thought to have been a sheep-farming community.[13]
The most certain example of a Roman site in the area is found above Blaenllechau in Ferndale.[14] The settlement is one of a group of earthworks and indicates the presence of the Roman army during the 1st century AD. It was thought to be a military site or marching camp.[15]
Medieval Rhondda: AD 410–1550
The 5th century saw the
Relics of the Dark Ages are rare in the Glamorgan area and
During the late 11th century, the
After the death of
Settlements of medieval Rhondda
Little evidence exists of settlements within the Rhondda in the Norman period. Unlike the communal dwellings of the Iron Age, the remains of medieval buildings discovered in the area follow a pattern similar to modern farmsteads, with separate holdings spaced out around the hillsides. The evidence of medieval Welsh farmers comes from remains of their buildings, with the foundations of platform houses being discovered spaced out through both valleys.
The Rhondda also has remains of two medieval castles. The older is Castell Nos,
The earliest Christian monument in the Rhondda is the shrine of St Mary at Penrhys, whose holy well was mentioned by Rhisiart ap Rhys in the 15th century.[31]
Post-medieval and pre-industrial Rhondda: 1550–1850
In the mid-16th century the Rhondda, then known as the Vale of Rotheney, belonged to the large but sparsely inhabited parish of Ystradyfodwg, St Tyfodwg's Vale. It was divided administratively into three
In the first half of the 17th century, rising costs of consumable goods and successive bad harvests brought economic change in Glamorgan.
Settlements of post-medieval Rhondda
The
There were few industrial buildings before 1850; those of note include a 17th-century
Industrial Rhondda 1850–1945
Industrial growth (1850–1914)
The
Along with the sinking of the first colliery at the head of the Rhondda, a second issue, transportation, was tackled with the extension of the Taff Vale Railway (TVR); royal assent was given in 1836.[44] The original line was laid from Cardiff to Abercynon, and by 1841 a branch was opened to link Cardiff with Dinas via Pontypridd. This allowed easier transportation for Walter Coffin's Dinas mine, an unsurprising addition, as Coffin was a director of the TVR. In 1849 the TVR extended into the Rhondda Fach and, by 1856, the railway had reached the furthest areas of the Fach and Fawr valleys at Maerdy and Treherbert. For the first time, the Rhondda Valley was linked by a major transportation route to the rest of Wales[43] and exploitation of its coalfields could begin.
The TVR line dominated coal transportation through the Rhondda's industrial history. Its monopoly was a bone of contention: the absence of rivals precluded colliery owners from negotiating lower haulage rates.
Initially the shallower pits at Aberdare proved a bigger attraction to prospective mine owners, but once Aberdare became fully worked by the 1860s, the Rhondda saw rapid growth. During the 1860s and the 1870s, 20 Rhondda Valley collieries opened, with the leading owner in the Rhondda Fach being David Davis of Aberdare, and David Davies in the Rhondda Fawr.[43] In 1865, the coal output from the Rhondda Valley was roughly one-quarter of that of Aberdare; ten years later the Rhondda was producing over two million tons more than the Aberdare valleys. These figures would later be dwarfed by massive excavation rates in the last quarter of the 19th century and up to the First World War. In 1913, Rhondda Valley output was 9.6 million tons.[48]
By 1893, there were more than 75 collieries in the Rhondda Valleys. Initially most were owned by a small group of individuals,[49] but the trend changed towards the start of the 20th century, as companies began buying up existing collieries. The widespread adoption of limited liability status began a trend towards concentration of ownership,[50] reducing some of the economic risks involved in coal mining: unstable coal prices, inflated acquisitions, geological difficulties, and large-scale accidents.[51] The emerging companies were formed by the individuals and families who sank the original collieries, but by the start of the 20th century they were no more than principal shareholders. The firms included the Davies's Ocean Coal Company, Archibald Hood's Glamorgan Coal Company and David Davis & Son.[citation needed]
Population growth in the industrial period
Year | Male | Female | Total |
1801 | 265 | 277 | 542 |
1841 | 386 | 362 | 748 |
1851 | 493 | 458 | 951 |
1861 | 1669 | 1366 | 3035 |
1871 | 9559 | 7355 | 16914 |
1881 | 30877 | 24755 | 55632 |
1891 | 50174 | 38177 | 88351 |
1901 | 62315 | 51420 | 113735 |
1911 | 83209 | 69572 | 152781 |
1921 | 85351 | 77378 | 162729 |
source[52] |
During the early to mid-19th century, the Rhondda valleys were inhabited by small farming settlements. In 1841 the parish of Ystradyfodwg, which would later constitute most of the Rhondda Borough, recorded a population of less than a thousand.
The mass immigration in the period was almost entirely from other parts of Wales and from England.[58] A notable exception was a group of Italian immigrants, originally from northern Italy round the town of Bardi. In the late 19th century, they were forced out of London by over-saturation of the market, and instead set up a network of cafés, ice cream parlours and fish & chip shops throughout South Wales. These became iconic landmarks in the villages they served and they and subsequent generations became Welsh Italians. Peculiar to the Rhondda was that shops run by Italian immigrants were known as bracchis, believed to have been named after Angelo Bracchi, who opened the first café there in the early 1890s.[59] In the early 21st century several of the Rhondda's original bracchis were still open for business.
Decline of coal and economic emigration (1914–1944)
At the start of the
With the Great Depression, employment in the Rhondda Valleys continued to fall. This in turn led to a decline in public and social services, as people struggled to pay rates and rents.[66] One outcome of the lack of funds was a fall in health provisions, which in Rhondda lead to a shortage of medical and nursing staff,[67] a failure to provide adequate sewage works, and a rise in deaths from tuberculosis.[68] By 1932 the long-term unemployment figure in the Rhondda was put at 63 per cent,[69] and in Ferndale at almost 73 per cent.[61]
With little other employment available in the Rhondda,[70] the only solution appeared to be emigration. Between 1924 and 1939, 50,000 people left the Rhondda. During this time life was difficult for communities built solely around a singular industry, especially as most families were on a single wage.
The start of the Second World War saw a turnaround in the employment figures, and by 1944 unemployment figures in the Rhondda ranged from 1 per cent in Treorchy to 3.7 per cent at Tonypandy.[71]
Mining disasters
The possibility of serious injury or death was an everyday risk for the mine workers of the Rhondda Valley. The most notorious form of colliery disaster was the gas explosion, caused by a buildup either of methane gas or coal dust.[72] As mines became deeper and ventilation harder to control, the risk increased. The worst single incident in the Rhondda was the 1867 Ferndale disaster, when an explosion took 178 lives. However, the major disasters accounted for only about a fifth of the overall fatalities.[73] The list below shows mining accidents involving the loss of five or more lives in a single incident.
Colliery | Location | Date | Year | Death toll | cause |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dinas Colliery | Dinas | 1 January | 1844 | 12 | gas explosion[74] |
Cymmer Colliery | Cymmer | 15 July | 1856 | 114 | gas explosion |
Ferndale No. 1 Pit | Blaenllechau | 8 November | 1867 | 178 | gas explosion[75] |
Ferndale No. 1 Pit | Blaenllechau | 10 June | 1869 | 53 | gas explosion[76] |
Pentre Colliery | Pentre | 24 February | 1871 | 38 | gas explosion[77] |
Tynewydd Colliery | Porth | 11 April | 1877 | 5 | flooding |
Dinas Middle Colliery | Dinas | 13 January | 1879 | 63 | gas explosion |
Naval Colliery | Penygraig | 10 December | 1880 | 101 | gas explosion |
Gelli Colliery | Gelli | 21 August | 1883 | 5 | gas explosion |
Naval Colliery | Penygraig | 27 January | 1884 | 14 | gas explosion |
Maerdy Colliery |
Maerdy | 23–24 December | 1885 | 81 | gas explosion[78] |
National Colliery | Wattstown | 18 February | 1887 | 39 | gas explosion |
Tylorstown Colliery |
Tylorstown | 27 January | 1896 | 57 | gas explosion[79] |
National Colliery | Wattstown | 11 July | 1905 | 120 | gas explosion |
Cambrian Colliery No.1 | Clydach Vale | 10 March | 1905 | 34 | gas explosion |
Naval Colliery | Penygraig | 27 August | 1909 | 6 | cage fall |
Glamorgan Colliery | Llwynypia | 25 January | 1932 | 11 | explosion, afterdamp |
Blaenclydach Colliery | Clydach Vale | 25 November | 1941 | 7 | runaway trolley |
Lewis Merthyr Colliery | Trehafod | 22 November | 1956 | 9 | gas explosion |
Cambrian Colliery | Clydach Vale | 17 May | 1965 | 31 | gas explosion |
Modern Rhondda 1945–present
The coalmining industry of the Rhondda was artificially buoyed in the war years and there were expectations of a return to the pre-1939 industrial collapse after the end of the Second World War. There was a sense of salvation when the government announced the nationalisation of the British coal mines in 1947, but subsequent decades saw continual output reductions. From 15,000 miners in 1947, Rhondda had just a single pit within the valleys producing coal in 1984, located at Maerdy.[61]
The decline in coal mining after World War II was a countrywide issue, but South Wales and Rhondda were more gravely affected than other areas. Oil had superseded coal as the fuel of choice in many industries and there was political pressure behind the oil supply.[80] From the few industries still reliant on coal, the demand was for high quality, especially coking coal for the steel industry. By then, 50 per cent of Glamorgan coal was supplied to steelworks,[81] with the second biggest market being domestic heating: the "smokeless" fuel of the Rhondda became once again fashionable after publication of the Clean Air Act.[82] These two markets controlled the fate of the mines in the Rhondda, and as demand fell from both, the effect was further contraction. In addition, exports to other areas of Europe such as France, Italy and the Low Countries experienced sharp decline: from 33 per cent of output around the start of the 20th century to some 5 per cent by 1980.[82]
Other major factors in the decline of coal related to massive under-investment in the Rhondda mines over the previous decades. Most mines in the valleys had been sunk between the 1850s and 1880s, so that they were far smaller than most modern mines.[83] The Rhondda mines were comparatively antiquated in their methods of ventilation, coal-preparation and power supply. In 1945, the British coal industry was cutting 72 per cent of its output mechanically, whereas in South Wales the figure was just 22 per cent.[83] The only way to ensure financial survival of the mines in the valleys was massive investment by the NCB, but its "Plan for Coal" paper drawn up in 1950 was overly optimistic about future demand,[84] which was drastically reduced after an industrial recession in 1956 and with increased availability of oil.[80]
British and Welsh employment bodies funded and subsidised external businesses to locate replacement ventures in the valleys. The first attempt to bring in business unconnected to coal began in the 1920s, when David Jones, Town Clerk of the Rhondda Urban Council, gained government support for so doing.[85] Arrivals included Alfred Polikoff's clothing factory,[86] Messrs Jacob Beatus manufacturing cardboard boxes, and Electrical and Musical Industries Ltd.[86] After the Second World War, 23 firms were set up in the Rhondda Valleys, 18 of them sponsored by the Board of Trade. Most had periods of growth followed by collapse, notably Thorn EMI in the 1970s and Burberry in the 2000s.[87]
The Rhondda Heritage Park, a museum marking Rhondda's industrial past, lies just south of Porth in the former Lewis Merthyr Colliery at Trehafod.[citation needed]
Governance
There is one tier of local government covering the Rhondda: Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council. Although the Rhondda is divided into sixteen communities, none of them have community councils.[88]
Administrative history
Historically, Rhondda was mostly covered by the parish of Ystradyfodwg. The small village of Ystradyfodwg was centred on its parish church of St John the Baptist, with the old village being absorbed into the urban area of Ton Pentre as it grew during the industrial revolution. In 1877 most of the parish of Ystradyfodwg was made a local government district, governed by a local board, excluding only the Rhigos area of the parish, which lay to the north of the hills at the top of the Rhondda Fawr valley.[89] The local government district was enlarged in 1879 to also cover parts of Llanwonno and Llantrisant parishes, which had the effect of bringing the Porth area within the Ystradyfodwg Local Government District.[90][91]
In 1894 the local government district became the Ystradyfodwg
Subdivisions and settlements
Rhondda is a conurbation of numerous smaller settlements along the valleys. The Royal Mail treats five of the settlements as post towns: Ferndale, Pentre, Porth, Tonypandy, and Treorchy, all of which come under the CF postcode area. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) deems most of the settlements in the Rhondda Fawr valley and lower Rhondda Fach valley to form part of the Tonypandy built-up area, with a population at the 2011 census of 62,545.[96] The ONS separately defines a Ferndale built-up area covering much of the upper Rhondda Fach valley, with a population in 2011 of 7,338.[97]
Until 1984, Rhondda constituted a single community. In 1984 it was divided into sixteen communities:[98]
Community | Population (2011 census) | Post town |
---|---|---|
Cwm Clydach | 2,799[99] | Tonypandy |
Cymmer | 4,807[100] | Porth |
Ferndale | 4,178[101] | Ferndale |
Llwyn-y-pia | 2,247[102] | Tonypandy |
Maerdy | 3,160[103] | Ferndale |
Pentre | 5,232[104] | Pentre |
Pen-y-graig | 5,554[105] | Tonypandy |
Porth | 5,970[106] | Porth |
Tonypandy | 3,750[107] | Tonypandy |
Trealaw | 4,040[108] | Tonypandy |
Trehafod | 698[109] | Pontypridd |
Treherbert | 5,727[110] | Treorchy |
Treorchy | 7,694[111] | Treorchy |
Tylorstown | 4,546[112] | Ferndale |
Ynyshir | 3,320[113] | Porth |
Ystrad | 5,854[114] | Pentre |
Rhondda Fawr
The larger of the two valleys, the Rhondda Fawr, extends from Porth and rises through the valley up to Blaenrhondda, near Treherbert. The settlements making up the Rhondda Fawr are:
- Blaencwm a district of Treherbert
- Blaenrhondda a district of Treherbert
- Cwm Clydach a community
- Cwmparc a district of Treorchy
- Cymmer a district of Porth
- Dinas Rhondda a district of Penygraig
- Edmondstown a district of Penygraig
- Gelli a district of Ystrad
- Glynfach a district of Cymmer
- Llwynypia a community
- Pentre a community
- Penygraig a community
- Penyrenglyn a district of Treherbert between Treherbert and Ynyswen
- Porth a community at the confluence of the Fawr and Fach branches of the river
- Ton Pentre a district of Pentre
- Tonypandy a community
- Trealaw a community
- Trebanog a district of Cymmer
- Trehafod the southernmost and smallest of the Rhondda Valley communities
- Treherbert a community
- Treorchy the largest community in either of the valleys
- Tynewydd a district of Treherbert
- Williamstown a district of Penygraig
- Ynyswen a district of Treorchy
- Ystrada community
Rhondda Fach
The Rhondda Fach is celebrated in the 1971 David Alexander song 'If I could see the Rhondda'; the valley includes Wattstown, Ynyshir, Pontygwaith, Ferndale, Tylorstown and Maerdy. The settlements that make up the Rhondda Fach are as follows:
- Blaenllechau a district of Ferndale
- Ferndale a community
- Maerdy a community
- Penrhys a district of Tylorstown
- Pontygwaitha district of Tylorstown
- Tylorstown a community
- Stanleytown a district of Tylorstown
- Wattstown a district of Ynyshir
- Ynyshir a community
Religion
The commote of Glynrhondda was coterminous with the earlier parish of Ystradyfodwg, but little is known of the Celtic saint Tyfodwg, or Dyfodwg, after whom the parish is named. He is thought to have lived around AD 600. Although the parish bears his name, there are now no religious monuments or places of worship named after him within the Rhondda boundaries,[37] although two churches outside the area are named after him: Y Tre Sant in Llantrisant and Saint Tyfodwg's in Ogmore Vale.
The earliest known religious monument is the Catholic holy well in Penrhys first mentioned in the 15th century, though it may have been a place of pagan worship before.[115] This pilgrimage site was identified as a manor belonging to the Cistercian Abbey of Llantarnam[115] and was seen as one of the most important religious sites in Wales, due to its Marian shrine.[115] This holy site was the main reason people would pass through the commote; it was even thought to be the main reason the first bridges were built over the River Rhondda.[116]
During the Middle Ages, the parish church of Ystradyfodwg near the bank of the River Rhondda served the parishioners of the Rhondda Fawr,[117] while the families of the Rhondda Fach attended Llanwynno Church. The inhabitants of the lower Rhondda, in the vicinity of Porth and Dinas, needed to reach Llantrisant to hear a service.[37]
Despite the importance of the
Chapel life was central to valley life throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but as with many communities throughout Britain, the post-war periods saw a decline in regular membership. To an extent the number of places of worship declined with the population, but this was exacerbated in the Rhondda by a swift decline in the number of Welsh speakers. Welsh-language chapels in particular saw a sharp drop in membership from the 1950s, and many closed in the next half-century. By 1990 the Rhondda had less than 50 places of worship and many premises had been demolished.[121]
Political activism
Political activism in the Rhondda has deep links with trade unions and the socialist movement, but was initially slow to develop. In the 1870s the
As part of the
The Rhondda also has a strong history of communist sympathy, with the
In 1979, Rhondda councillor Annie Powell became Wales' only communist mayor.[128]
Culture and recreation
Role of women
With an economy largely dependent on a single industry, there was a scarcity of paid jobs for women in Rhondda's coalmining heyday. The Encyclopaedia of Wales notes that the image of the Welsh Mam, a wife and mother constantly at home and exalted as the queen of the household, was essentially a Rhondda creation.[23] However the Rhondda did produce the suffragette and social reformer Elizabeth Andrews,[23] one of nine women among a list of a hundred great Welsh heroes chosen by ballot in 2004.[129]
Sport
Social amenities were rudimentary even before the Rhondda Urban District Council was formed in 1897. Due to the geographic layout of the valleys, land was a scarce resource, and so leisure pursuits that took up little space, time and money were sought. This resulted in activities such as
Rugby union
During the mid-19th century the influx of immigrants from older mining towns such as Aberdare and Merthyr brought the game of
The lack of playing fields in the valleys meant many rugby teams shared grounds, travelled every week to away grounds, or even played on inappropriate sloping pitches. The valley clubs had no clubhouses, with most teams meeting and changing in the closest local public house.[134] Many clubs built around colliery and pub teams appeared and disbanded, but many others survive to this day.
Football
Due to the dominance of rugby union, there have been few football teams of note in the history of the Rhondda Valleys. Several teams were formed around the end of the 19th century, but most folded in the Depression, including Cwmparc F.C. in 1926[135] and Mid-Rhondda in 1928.[135] The area's most successful club is Ton Pentre F.C.
Netball
Netball has become increasingly popular in the Rhondda during the 21st century. A local charity, Rhondda Netball, encourages more women to take part in sports both inside and outside school.[136]
Music
The temperance movement, absorbed into the moralistic system of the Nonconformist chapels, caused a shift in social attitudes in the mid to late-19th and early 20th century Rhondda. Alcohol was looked down on and so were the increasingly violent sports such as rugby,[137] so that many young men sought more acceptable pastimes. Voice choirs were a natural progression from chapel society and brass bands eventually gained acceptance by the movement.
Male voice choirs
The male-voice choirs of Welsh industrial communities are believed to have derived from
Brass bands
The mid-19th century brass bands had a poor relationship with the Nonconformist chapels, mainly due to the heavy social drinking that came hand in hand with being a member.[139] This changed towards the end of the 19th century, when on becoming more respectable, many bands had actually joined the temperance movement. Two Rhondda brass bands which both started as temperance bands are the Cory Band from Ton Pentre, who started life as Ton Temperance in 1884;[140] and the Parc and Dare Band, formerly the Cwmparc Drum and Fife Temperance Band.[141] The oldest in Rhondda is the Lewis-Merthyr Band, formerly Cymmer Colliery Band, founded as the Cymmer Military Band in or before 1855.[142]
As the temperance movement faded, the bands found new benefactors in the colliery owners and many took on the names of specific collieries. A memorable image of the connection between the collieries and brass bands came in 1985, when the Maerdy miners were filmed returning to work after the
Songs
Tom Jones, David Alexander and Paul Child have been among those who sang songs about the Rhondda as has Max Boyce who was born in Treorchy, Rhondda.
Rhondda is mentioned in the folk song The Bells of Rhymney: "Who made the mine owner?" say the black bells of Rhondda, quoting poetry from Idris Davies.
Culture and nationality
Language
For most of its history, the Rhondda valleys were an exclusively Welsh-speaking area. Only in the early 20th century did English began to supplant Welsh as the first language of social intercourse.[143] In 1803, English historian Benjamin Heath Malkin mentioned that while travelling through Ystradyfodwg he had met only one person with whom he could talk, and then with the help of an interpreter.[143] This experience was repeated by John George Wood, who on a visit complained of the awkwardness of understanding the particular dialects and idioms used by the native speakers, which were difficult for other Welsh speakers to understand.[144] This dialect was once called "tafodiaith gwŷr y Gloran" (the dialect of Gloran men).
As industrialisation began, there was still little shift in the use of Welsh. Initial immigrants were Welsh: it was not until the 1900s that English workers began settling in any great numbers, and in any case it was not these new workers who changed the language. The erosion of Welsh had begun in the 1860s in the school classrooms. The educational philosophy accepted by schoolmasters and governmental administrators was that English was the language of scholars and Welsh a barrier to moral and commercial prosperity.[145] In 1901, 35.4 per cent of Rhondda workers spoke only English, but by 1911 this had risen to 43.1 per cent, while Welsh-speaking monoglots had fallen from 11.4 to 4.4 per cent in the same period.[146]
Thorough anglicization of the Rhondda Valleys took place between 1900 and 1950. Improved transport and communications facilitated the spread of cultural influences, along with dealings with outside companies with no understanding of Welsh, trade union meetings being held in English, and the coming of radio, cinema and then television and cheap English newspapers and paperback books. All these were factors in the absorption of the English language.[147]
Cadwgan Circle
Though the population of the Rhondda was embracing English as its first language, a literary and intellectual movement formed in the Rhondda in the 1940s that would produce an influential group of Welsh language writers. The group formed during the Second World War by Egyptologist J. Gwyn Griffiths and his German wife Käthe Bosse-Griffiths was known as the Cadwgan Circle (Cylch Cadwgan ) and met at the Griffiths' house in Pentre. Welsh writers who made up the movement included Pennar Davies, Rhydwen Williams, James Kitchener Davies and Gareth Alban Davies.
National Eisteddfod
The Rhondda has hosted the National Eisteddfod on only one occasion, in 1928 at Treorchy. The Gorsedd stones that were placed to mark the event still stand on the Maindy hillside overlooking Treorchy and Cwmparc. In 1947 Treorchy held the Urdd National Eisteddfod for children and young adults.[148]
Communal activity
Rhondda had a strong tradition of communal activity, exemplified by workmen's halls, miners' institutes and trade unions.[149] Miners began to contribute to the building and running of institutes – such as the Parc and Dare Hall in Treorchy – from the 1890s onwards, and were centres of entertainment and self-improvement, with billiards halls, libraries and reading rooms.[150]
Media
In 1884 the Rhondda Valley had a local newspaper, the Rhondda Chronicle,[151] which became the Rhondda Gazette and General Advertiser of the Rhondda Fach and Ogmore Valleys in 1891. In 1899, the Rhondda Valley was served by the Pontypridd and Rhondda Weekly Post while the Rhondda Post was also in circulation in 1898.
The Rhondda Leader, one of the more familiar local papers, appeared in 1899[152] and nine years later became the Rhondda Leader, Maesteg, Garw and Ogmore Telegraph. The Porth Gazette was published from 1900 to 1944,[153] and during that period there was a newspaper called the Rhondda Socialist. The Rhondda Gazette was in circulation from 1913 to 1919, while the Rhondda Clarion was available in the late 1930s.
The Porth Gazette and Rhondda Leader was published from 1944 to 1967. Also published in Pontypridd during that period was the Rhondda Fach Leader and Gazette. In more recent years the Rhondda Leader and Pontypridd & Llantrisant Observer combined, before the Rhondda Leader became separate once more.[154]
In August 1952 the BBC transmitter at Wenvoe began broadcasting, allowing the Rhondda to receive television pictures for the first time.[155] This was followed in January 1958 by commercial television from Television Wales and the West (TWW), giving Rhondda viewers a choice of two channels.[156]
Transport
The geological layout of the Rhondda Valley has led to restrictive transport links. The original road layout followed the valleys, with few links between them. In the 1920s, a major unemployment relief programme for out-of-work miners was created to build mountain roads connecting them. These had a lasting effect and transformed the valleys from being dead-end communities.[158][159] In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, new road projects such as the Rhondda by-pass were created out of former railway lines.[160]
Two main roads service the area. The
There is a single rail link to the Rhondda, the
British Rail reopened some of the closed stations, such as Ystrad Rhondda in 1986.[161]
Notable people
Due to the scarcity of inhabitants in the Rhondda prior to industrialisation, there are few residents of note before the valleys became a coal-mining area. The earliest individuals to come to the fore were linked with the coal industry and the people; physical men who found a way out of the Rhondda through sport, and charismatic orators who led the miners through unions or political and religious leaders who tended to the deeply religious chapel going public.
Sport
The two main sports with which the Rhondda appeared to produce quality participants were rugby union and
The most famous rugby player from the Rhondda in the latter half of the 20th century is Cliff Morgan. Morgan was born in Trebanog and gained 29 caps for Wales, four for the British Lions and was one of the inaugural inductees of the International Rugby Hall of Fame. Another notable player is Billy Cleaver from Treorchy, a member of the 1950 Grand Slam winning team. Maurice Richards, born in Tynntyla Road, Ystrad Rhondda, was a Welsh international and British Lion of note, still known today for his scoring achievements playing in this code.
During the 20th century the Rhondda supplied a steady stream of championship boxers.
Although
The Rhondda Valleys have produced two world-class darts players. In 1975
Politics
Leanne Wood, the former leader of Plaid Cymru, was born in the Rhondda.
Film and television
The best-known actors born in the Rhondda have been Sir Stanley Baker and the brothers Donald and Glyn Houston. Baker was born in Ferndale and starred in films such as The Cruel Sea (1953) and Richard III (1955), though it was as actor/producer of the 1964 film Zulu that his legacy endures.[162] The Houston brothers were born in Tonypandy, with Donald gaining the greater success as a film actor, with memorable roles in The Blue Lagoon (1949) and Ealing's Dance Hall (1950).[163] Glyn Houston acted primarily in British B-Movies and was better known as a television actor.[163]
Literature
Of the Cadwgan Circle, the most notable is Rhydwen Williams, winner of the Eisteddfod Crown on two occasions, who used the landscape of the industrial valleys as a basis for much of his work. Writing in English, Peter George was born in Treorchy and is best known as the Oscar-nominated screenwriter of Dr. Strangelove, based on his book Red Alert. Reflecting the lives of the residents of the Rhondda, both Gwyn Thomas and Ron Berry brought a realism to the industrial valleys missing in the more rose-tinted writings of Richard Llewellyn.
Visual arts
The area has not produced as notable a group of visual artists as it has writers, though in the 1950s a small group of students, brought together through a daily commute by train to the
The notable members of the group include Ernest Zobole, a painter from Ystrad, whose expressionist work was deeply rooted in the juxtaposition of the industrialised buildings of the valleys against the green hills that surround them.[165] Also from the Rhondda Fawr was the sculptor Robert Thomas;[166] born in Cwmparc, his heavy-cast statues have become icons of contemporary Wales, with many of his works publicly displayed in Cardiff.[167]
Science and social science
In sciences and social sciences, the Rhondda has provided important academics for Wales and on the world stage. Donald Davies, born in Treorchy in 1924, was the co-inventor of packet switching, a process enabling the exchange of information between computers, a feature which enabled the Internet.[168]
In the social sciences, the Rhondda has produced the historian John Davies, an important voice on Welsh affairs, who was one of the most recognised faces and voices of 21st-century Welsh history, and was one of the main authors of The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales. The Rhondda has also produced J. Gwyn Griffiths, an eminent Egyptologist, who was also a member of the Cadwgan Circle. Griffiths and his wife Käthe Bosse-Griffiths were influential writers and curators in the history of Egyptian lore. It is where a cluster of three internationally-distinguished social geographers spent their early lives: Michael Dear; David Hebert;[169] and Kelvyn Jones. All three are Fellows of the Learned Society of Wales.[170][171][172] The noted political philosopher Brad Evans, who has written many books on violence and global affairs, was also born in the valleys of South Wales. His semi-biographical book How Black was my Valley provides a peoples history of the valleys with a particular focus on the problems blighting its towns. The book offers a reworking of Richard Llewellyn's How Green was my Valley as it documents the change in the regions landscape from black back to green. As the book rephrases from Llewellyn's text, “How black was my valley, and the valley of them that are gone”.
References
- ^ The Encyclopedia of Wales (2008) does not give the area of the Rhondda Valley, but gives it in hectares for each of the 16 communities as of 2001. Clydach (487 ha), Cymmer (355 ha), Ferndale (380 ha), Llwynypia (258), Maerdy (1064 ha), Pentre (581 ha), Penygraig (481 ha), Porth (370 ha), Tonypandy (337), Trealaw (286 ha), Trehafod (164 ha), Treherbert (2156 ha), Treorchy (1330 ha), Tylorstown (590 ha), Ynyshir (441 ha), Ystrad (714 ha). Total 9994 ha
- ^ "Parliamentary constituency population estimates". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
- ^ a b c Hopkins (1975), p. 222.
- ^ Gwefen Cymru-Catalonia Kimkat.org
- ^ "Rhondda Urban District Council records". Archives Network Wales. Retrieved 19 February 2009.
- ^ Davis (1989), p. 5.
- ^ a b Davis (1989), p. 7.
- ISBN 0-904730-04-2.
- ^ Davis (1989), p. 11.
- ^ a b Davis (1989), p. 12.
- ^ Davis (1989), p. 9.
- ^ a b Davis (1989), p. 14.
- ^ Davis (1989), p. 15.
- ^ Davis (1989), p. 16.
- ^ Nash-Williams, V.E. (1959). The Roman frontier in Wales. Cardiff: University of Wales Press.
- ^ Davis (1989), p. 17
- ISBN 978-0-7185-1235-4, p. 102.
- ISBN 0-571-09976-9
- ^ a b Davis (1989), p. 18.
- ^ Davis (1989), p. 19
- ^ Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments (in Wales), HMSO Glamorgan Inventories, Vol 3, part 2.
- ^ Pugh, T.B. (1971). Glamorgan County History, Volume III, The Middle Ages: The Marcher Lordships of Glamorgan and Morgannwg and Gower and Kilvey from the Norman Conquest to the Act of Union of England and Wales. University of Wales Press. p. 39.
- ^ a b c d e f g Davies (2008), p. 746.
- ^ Pugh, T. B. (1971). Glamorgan County History, Volume III, The Middle Ages: The Marcher Lordships of Glamorgan and Morgannwg and Gower and Kilvey from the Norman Conquest to the Act of Union of England and Wales. University of Wales Press. p. 47.
- ^ Davis (1989), p. 22.
- ^ Aileen Fox (1939). Early Welsh Homesteads on Gelligaer Common, Glamorgan. Excavations in 1938. Glamorganshire. Vol. 94. Archaeologia Cambrensis. pp. 163–199.
- ^ Rhondda Cynon Taf Library Service, Digital Archive Archived 2008-10-03 at the Wayback Machine Picture of the remains of Castell Nos.
- ^ Davis (1989), p. 25.
- ^ a b Davis (1989), p. 26.
- ^ Davis (1989), p. 26, "Morgan not only misidentifies the height of the 30-ft. mound as 100 ft. but states that '...all these sacred mounds were reared in this country... when Druidism was the established religion', but gives no historic proof. The book also has an illustration of the castle to which the artist has added a moat and several druids, neither of which are factual."
- ^ John Ward (1914). 'Our Lady of Penrhys', Glamorganshire. Vol. 69. Archaeologia Cambrensis. pp. 395–405.
- ^ a b c Davis (1989), p. 29.
- ^ Glamorgan County History, Volume IV, Early Modern Glamorgan from the Act of Union to the Industrial Revolution, Glanmor Williams, pp. 2–3. University of Wales Press (1974)
- ^ Lewis (1959), pp. 18–20.
- ^ Benjamin Malkin (1807), The Scenery, Antiquities & Biography of South Wales, Longman, Hurst, Rees and Orme.
- ^ Glamorgan County History, Volume IV, Early Modern Glamorgan from the Act of Union to the Industrial Revolution, Glanmor Williams, p. 26. University of Wales Press (1974).
- ^ a b c d Davis (1989), p. 31
- ^ a b Davis (1989), p. 38
- ^ Davis (1989), p. 40.
- ^ a b Davis (1989), p. 34.
- ^ Davis (1989), p. 35.
- ^ Davies (2008), p. 153.
- ^ a b c d John (1980), p. 182.
- ^ Barrie, D.S.M. "The Taff Vale Railway". trackbed.com. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
- ^ John (1980), p. 454.
- ^ Awdry (1990), p. 1.
- ^ John (1980), p. 455.
- ^ John (1980), p. 183
- ^ John (1980), p. 192
- ^ John (1980), p. 193.
- ^ John (1980), pp. 192–193.
- ^ John (1980), p. 342
- ^ a b Hopkins (1975), p. 112.
- ^ Williams (1996), p. 15.
- ^ Hopkins (1975), p. 113.
- ^ Hopkins (1975), p. 114.
- ^ Hopkins (1975), p. 206.
- ^ 1911 Census, of those who answered: Welsh 90.28%, English 8.23%, Irish and Scottish 0.92%, rest of world 0.58%.
- ^ Davies (2008), p. 408.
- ^ a b John (1980), p. 519.
- ^ a b c d Davies (2008), p. 748.
- ^ Morgan (1988), p. 100.
- ^ a b c Morgan (1988), p. 101.
- ^ Wales in the Twentieth Century World: Family on the Dole 1919–1939; Mid Glamorgan County Council Education Department (1994) pp. 3–4.
- ^ a b Morgan (1988), p. 102.
- ^ John (1980), p. 541.
- ^ John (1980), p. 542.
- ^ John (1980), p. 543.
- ^ John (1980), p. 539.
- ^ John (1980), p. 518.
- ^ John (1980), p. 563.
- ^ Davies (2008), p. 160.
- ^ Davies (2008), p. 161.
- ISBN 0-905928-82-2.
- ^ "Rhondda Cynon Taff library services – Ferndale History". Archived from the original on 4 October 2008.
- ^ Hopkins (1975), p. ix
- ^ "BBC Coalhouse - Pentre Colliery". BBC.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2 May 2012. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
- ^ "Rhondda Cynon Taff library services – Maerdy History". Archived from the original on 4 October 2008.
- ^ "Rhondda Cynon Taff library services – Tylorstown History". Archived from the original on 4 October 2008.
- ^ a b John (1980), p. 590.
- ^ John (1980), p. 595.
- ^ a b John (1980), p. 596.
- ^ a b John (1980), p. 588.
- ^ John (1980), p. 589.
- ^ "A Look back to the glory days". Rhondda Leader. Wales Online. 29 March 2007. Retrieved 5 October 2008.
- ^ a b John (1980), p. 572.
- ^ Burberry defends factory closure, BBC Online, 27 February 2007.
- ^ "Community councils". Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
- ^ Parliamentary papers. London: House of Commons. 1877. p. 41. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
- ^ "Ystradyfodwg Urban Sanitary District". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
- ^ Public Works. London: House of Lords. 1879. p. 23. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
- ^ Annual Report of the Local Government Board. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office. 1895. p. 250. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
The County of Glamorgan (Pontypridd, &c.) Confirmation Order, 1894
- ^ "Rhondda Urban District Council: The change of name sanctioned". Glamorgan Free Press. Pontypridd. 24 July 1897. p. 3. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
- ^ "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 22 October 2022
- ^ "Interpretation Act 1978", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1994 c. 19, retrieved 22 October 2022
- ^ "Tonypandy built-up area". NOMIS. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
- ^ "Ferndale built-up area". NOMIS. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
- ^ "The Rhondda (Communities) Order 1983", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1983/1530
- ^ "Cwm Clydach Community". NOMIS. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
- ^ "Cymmer Community". NOMIS. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
- ^ "Ferndale Community". NOMIS. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
- ^ "Llwyn-y-pia Community". NOMIS. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
- ^ "Maerdy Community". NOMIS. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
- ^ "Pentre Community". NOMIS. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
- ^ "Pen-y-graig Community". NOMIS. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
- ^ "Porth Community". NOMIS. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
- ^ "Tonypandy Community". NOMIS. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
- ^ "Trealaw Community". NOMIS. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
- ^ "Trehafod Community". NOMIS. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
- ^ "Treherbert Community". NOMIS. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
- ^ "Treorchy Community". NOMIS. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
- ^ "Tylorstown Community". NOMIS. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
- ^ "Ynyshir Community". NOMIS. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
- ^ "Ystrad Community". NOMIS. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
- ^ a b c Davis (1989), p. 27.
- ISBN 1-872430-05-8.
- ^ Carlisle, Nicholas (1811). A Topographical Dictionary of The Dominion of Wales. W. Bulmer and co.
- ^ Davis (1989), p. 32.
- ^ "Pillars of Faith". Retrieved 21 January 2014.
- ^ Morgan (1988), p. 252.
- ^ "Rhondda Places of Worship". LSJ Services [Wales] Ltd. TheRhondda.co.uk. Archived from the original on 30 September 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
- ^ Lewis (1959), pp. 172–173.
- ^ Davies (2008), p. 650.
- ^ Morgan (1988), p. 62.
- ^ "Moseley 1936: British fascism: Routed on the streets". permanentrevolution.net. 4 May 2008. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
- ^ a b Hopkins (1975), p. 70.
- ^ Davies (2008), p. 749.
- New York Times, 29 August 1986.
- ^ 100 Welsh Heroes Ranked at number 100.
- ^ Smith (1980), p. 103.
- ^ Smith (1980), p. 102
- ^ David Parry-Jones (1999). Prince Gwyn, Gwyn Nicholls and the First Golden Era of Welsh Rugby (1999). seren. p. 36.
- ^ Smith (1980), p. 136.
- ^ Morgan (1988), p. 393.
- ^ a b Morgan (1988), p. 396.
- ^ "Hundreds take part in Rhondda netball tournament as the sport flourishes in the Valleys". Wales Online. 5 June 2017. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ^ Smith (1980), p. 120.
- ^ a b Morgan (1988), p. 374.
- ^ a b Davies (2008), p. 80
- ^ Blue Plaque Scheme Announced[permanent dead link] Rhondda Cynon Taf Council website.
- ^ Harries, Lawrence. "A History of the Parc and Dare Band". brassbands.co.uk. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
- ^ [http://www.lewismerthyrband.com/about.htm[permanent dead link] Lewis-Merthyr Band website.
- ^ a b Hopkins (1975), p. 179.
- ^ Hopkins (1975), p. 180.
- ^ Hopkins (1975), p. 212.
- ^ Hopkins (1975), p. 209.
- ^ Hopkins (1975), p. 213.
- ^ Hopkins (1975), p. 19.
- ^ Davies (2008), p. 747.
- ^ Davies (2008), p. 558.
- ^ Welsh Newspapers Cardiff University information services
- ^ "Rhondda Leader". British Newspapers Online. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
- ^ Newspapers and Publications Archived 2008-05-16 at the Wayback Machine TheRhondda.co.uk.
- ^ Dave Edwards (4 September 2008). "Paper talk". Rhondda Leader. Retrieved 25 February 2009.
- ^ May, (2003), p. 50.
- ^ May, (2003), p. 54.
- ISBN 978-0-749-57435-2.
- ^ "Glamorgan Inter-Valley Road". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 22 May 1928. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
- ^ "Expediting Traffic in Wales". Commercial Motor. 19 November 1929. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
- ^ "Morgan opens £98m Rhondda by-pass". BBC News. 3 September 2007. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
- ISBN 978-1-85794-250-7.
- ^ Davies (2008) p. 47.
- ^ a b Davies (2008) p. 378.
- ^ "Walesart, Ernest Zobole". BBC Wales online. Retrieved 2 April 2010.
- ^ Obituary: Ernest Zobole, Independent.co.uk, 7 December 1999.
- ^ Stephens, Meic; Obituary: Robert Thomas independent.co.uk, 21 May 1999.
- ^ Stephens, Meic (28 May 1999). "Obituary: Robert Thomas". independent.co.uk. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
- ^ "Donald W. Davies CBE, FRS". The History of Computing Project. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
- ^ Researchgate.
- ^ Wales, The Learned Society of. "David Herbert". The Learned Society of Wales.
- ^ Wales, The Learned Society of. "Michael Dear". The Learned Society of Wales.
- ^ Wales, The Learned Society of. "Kelvyn Jones". The Learned Society of Wales.
Bibliography
- OCLC 19514063. CN 8983.
- Carpenter, David J. (2000). Rhondda Collieries. Stroud, Gloucestershire: Tempus Publishing. ISBN 0-7524-1730-4.
- Davies, John; Jenkins, Nigel (2008). The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. ISBN 978-0-7083-1953-6.
- Davis, Paul R. (1989). Historic Rhondda. Ynyshir: Hackman. ISBN 0-9508556-3-4.
- Hopkins, K.S. (1975). Rhondda Past and Future. Ferndale: Rhondda Borough Council.
- John, Arthur H. (1980). Glamorgan County History, Volume V, Industrial Glamorgan from 1700 to 1970. Cardiff: University of Wales Press.
- Lewis, E.D. (1959). The Rhondda Valleys. London: Phoenix House.
- May, John (2003). Rhondda 1203 - 2003: The Story of the Two Valleys. Caerphilly: Castle Publications. ISBN 1-871354-09-9.
- Morgan, Prys (1988). Glamorgan County History, Volume VI, Glamorgan Society 1780 to 1980. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. ISBN 0-904730-05-0.
- Smith, David (1980). Fields of Praise, The Official History of the Welsh Rugby Union 1881-1981. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. ISBN 0-7083-0766-3.
- Williams, Chris (1996). Democratic Rhondda: politics and Society 1885-1951. Cardiff: University of Wales Press.
External links
- Rhondda Valleys Information and History — The history of the Rhondda Valleys with high resolution mining photographs.