History
Aberffrwd Cemetery, in Caegarw, was the first public cemetery in Mountain Ash with the first burial taking place there on 29 August 1866. The land was donated by Lord Aberdare and Mr Nixon and the Powell Duffryn Company fenced in the land free of charge.
In 1882, the cemetery had seen the burials of over 2,650 people. Lord Aberdare agreed to an application for the extension of the cemetery northwards towards his property when parts of the cemetery were almost full.
When the cemetery became full, a new cemetery was opened in 1906 known as Maes yr Arian in nearby Glenboi.
Aberffrwd cemetery was officially closed in 1991, meaning that no new plots were available – but it remained open for burials in family plots.
Aberffrwd Cemetery is no longer open to the public. Around a decade ago, Rhondda Cynon Taff (RCT) Council locked and closed the site, citing safety risks posed by unstable private graves. Since its closure, the cemetery has not been maintained, and over time, dense undergrowth has taken over, obscuring many of the gravestones from view.
Source - The Cabria Daily Leader 8 Aug 1865 (Newspapers.Com)
Source - Western Mail., 2 June 1882 (Newspapers.Com)