Press Cuttings

John Edwards 51 or 54 ? Head coal miner

Thomas Edwards 22 son

Seth Edwards 19 son

Ann Edwards 12 daughter

Margaret Griffiths 38 Servant ?? , House servant

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Where is Charles ? should be 25

1861

South Wales Gazette Friday April 19 1912

David Edwards Gives address at Llanhilleth, the first of a series on local history.

Interesting address at Llanhilleth - Local History

Mr Arthur Parry presided over the weekly debating society at Glandwr Church Llanhilleth on Thursday week. Mr David Edwards, St Illtyd delivered the first in a series of monthly papers on local topics, the subject being "Local History".

The paper was much appreciated and at the close many expressed their warm approval and indebtedness to Mr. Edwards for the same. Mr Edwards in the course of his paper remarked that there were facts of national interest buried in the oblivion of every village and town in the land. Castles and castleated mansions and even what today only appeared to be a heap of ruins, stones which had been ground to dust by the storms of centuries, were the keepers of momentous truths and secrets that, were they revealed would shed a light over many dark pages of history.

Possibly the physical features were the key, the index to all other phases of local history.

That part of their county in the Abertillery Urban District area formed a part of Gwent (Gwlad Gwent). Gwentland was divided into five different parts as follows:- Gwent-uch-goed (Gwent above the woods), Gwent-is-coed (Gwent below the woods), Gwent-llwen (Fenny Gwent), Blaenau Gwent (the hilly western part of Gwent) and Gorwenydd (uppermost Gwent), or all of Glamorganshire, west of Wentllweh, except Gower.

Gwent was one form of another Welsh word, "Gwen" which in modern English history would be "smiling land". They were living in a part of Gwent which was called Blaenau Gwent.

Many a person had been carried away by the beauties of Monmouthshire, and Blaenau Gwent especially. One of their great national Welsh poets, meditating on the varied feature and beauty spots, had described Gwent above the woods as a land famed for her physical beauties and rich productive qualities.

Welsh place names were closely related to some physical and local condition. It was the case with Eliwy. "Wy" was the equivalent of water, and "Eli" meant speaking, hence a very pretty but natural, commonsense, and descriptive name "speaking water". The Ebwy Fach and Ebwy Fawr meet at Aberbeeg, and if the latter name was accepted as being correct another descriptive name was given, conveying the very fact of the joining of the two rivers. "Aber", a confluence, the fall of one river into another, and "beeg" a big point, hence the point of the confluence.

Another name that had been given to Aberbeeg, namely "Aberbugeiliaid", a free translation of which would be "the meeting place of the shepherds".

In the year 1779 the Rev Edmund Jones published a history of the parish of Aberystruth, and after making due allowance for the sharp diversions of the area, he (Mr Edwards) thought that then the population of the whole area of the urban district did not number more than 400, and in a hundred years previous to that the population of the valley was much less.

The greater part dwelt in the Tylerwg Dingle, Cwmtillery. It was hardly probable that there were more than twenty houses in the valley from Blaentylerwg to Crumlin. There were a few more farmsteads on the hilltops.

Indeed all things pointed to the fact that the majority of people lived either on the hillside or on the hilltop.

The old road that ran down the valley was evidently very close the the river. Until very recently that could easily be found out from Aberbeeg to Six Bells, or Hafod Fan, as it was then called and from Hafod Fan to Abertycerwy.

Colonel Bradney had noted a concrete case to prove that coal was worked in Llanhilleth before the year 1659, as he had an account of a survey which detailed the encroachment on mineral rights in the manor of Llanhilleth.

Nature had been very lavish in her deposits to this district and undoubtedly the coals produced in these parts are equal to any in Wales.

Penybont and South Wales pit were sunk in 1850 and 1851 and that marked the commencement of a rapid and wonderful development of the coal industry in the district.

Previous to the railway being opened, coal was conveyed in large drams drawn by horses down to Newport.

Then came the days of the canal, the coal again being taken to Crumlin in large trams and afterwards being put into boats and taken by means of the canal to Newport.

On the 27 of May, 1857, an explosion occurred in Ty'r Nicholas pit, Cwmtylerwg, when 13 men lost their lives.

Then again on April 5, 1874, another explosion took place at Cwmtylerwg and six fatalities was the result.

It was on the 18 December, 1876 that the most serious explosion occurred at Cwmtylerwg, when 24 lost their lives.

Mr Edwards concluded by remarking that at that time he was an eleven year old lad, living at St Illtyd, and could well remember the six funerals of the victims of that explosion on the same day.

He then realised that the life of the collier was always in peril, which caused him to paint the miner as one of the strongest and bravest men in all the earth.

The coal pit had produced poets and preachers, leaders and teachers, scientists and singers of the very first order, and last but not the least the men of the mines have made their way to St. Stephens. (Applause.)

"South Wales Gazette," April 19, 1912

1917 Death of Daniel Evans

Funerals of local people. The funeral of the late Mr D. Evans of St.Illtyd, took place on Thursday lat week, when his remains were interred by side that of his late wife and daughter, at the old Parish Church graveyard. The coffin, which was of unpolished oak had inscribed upon the breastplate "Daniel Evans, died April 2nd 1917, aged 62 years". Prior to leaving the house the Rev. W.H. Jones,pastor of Glandwr, who was the officiating minister, was assisted in the service by the Rev. J Mark Evans, Abertillery. The mourners included Mr David Edwards (brother-in-law), mr and mrs J Evans (brother and sister in law), mr and mrs J young, six bells (brother in law and sister), mr and mrs T Mayers, mrs t rees pontypool, mr j evans, pontnewynydd (cousins); Mr and Mrs Oldham, miss marion evans, mr wyndham young, six bells, masters T H Evans, Bryn Edwards, Bronwen and Gwladys Edwards (nephews and nieces). Floral tributes were sent by "Davy and Polly",, mr H cook, abertillery and workmen of the llanhilleth red ash colliery, Messrs simon cook (abertillery), j howells (six bells) t Harris and d harris acted as bearers. Mr J Down, Abertillery carried out the funeral arrangements