Blaengwawr was, for much of the twentieth century, an

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to t ...

for the purposes of electing members to

Glamorgan County Council Glamorgan County Council was established in 1889 together with the administrative county of Glamorganshire under the Local Government Act 1888. The first elections to the council were held in January 1889. The council was abolished under the Local ...

and the

Aberdare Urban District Council Aberdare Urban District Council was a local authority in Aberdare, Wales. History It was created in 1894 as a result of the 1894 Local Government of England and Wales Act and the 1894 Aberdare Urban District Council election saw the election of ...

. Blaengwawr no longer forms an electoral ward and is part of Aberaman. Gadlys first became an electoral ward in the late nineteenth century with the formation of

. Gadlys was also one of the five electoral wards of the

from its formation in 1894. The other wards were

Aberaman Aberaman is a village near Aberdare in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, south Wales. It was heavily dependent on the coal industry and the population, as a result, grew rapidly in the late nineteenth century. Most of the industry has now ...

, Aberdare Town, Gadlys and

Llwydcoed Llwydcoed is a small village and community north of the Cwm Cynon, near the town of Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, with a population of 1,302 as of 2011 census. History The village initially developed in the Tregibbon area, where in 1801 ...

History 1889-1914

Blaengwawr first became an electoral ward in the late nineteenth century with the formation of

. From 1895, Blaengwawr was also an electoral ward for the purposes of elections to

following reorganisation of wards in the Aberdare area.

Glamorgan County Council

In 1895, John Howell, who was already a district councillor, became the first member to represent the ward. Howell was again elected unopposed in 1898 In 1901, Howell appears to have been again returned without opposition although the result cannot be traced. At the 1904 election, Howell was opposed by another Liberal candidate, Gwilym Treharne, who came within 71 votes of victory. Treharne intended to oppose Howell again in 1907 but withdrew before the poll. In 1910, however, Treharne finally succeeded in ousting Howell, who lost his seat after fifteen years. It can be seen, therefore, that Labour made no challenge for this seat at county level. The position in district election was, however, a different one.

Aberdare Urban District Council

Blaengwawr was also an electoral ward of the

from its formation in 1894. In 1899, John Howell was again returned unopposed. In

1900 As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15), 2 ...

, David Price Davies was returned without opposition. In 1901, Llewellyn was re-elected by a large majority. The 1902 result cannot be traced but in 1903, J.W. Evans was re-elected unopposed. In 1904 an additional seat was created, allowing T. Walter Williams to be returned alongside Rees Llewellyn.

References

{{reflist Wards of Rhondda Cynon Taf