Cowbridge ( cy, Y Bont-faen) is a

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...

in the

Vale of Glamorgan The Vale of Glamorgan ( cy, Bro Morgannwg ), often referred to as The Vale, is a county borough in the south-east of Wales. It borders Bridgend County Borough to the west, Cardiff to the east, Rhondda Cynon Taf to the north, and the Bristol C ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

, approximately west of the centre of

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

. The Cowbridge with Llanblethian

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...

and civil parish elect a town council. A

Cowbridge Cowbridge ( cy, Y Bont-faen) is a market town in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, approximately west of the centre of Cardiff. The Cowbridge with Llanblethian community and civil parish elect a town council. A Cowbridge electoral ward exists for e ...

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 ...

exists for elections to the Vale of Glamorgan Council. This ward includes Cowbridge, Llanblethian and Llanfair. The total population of the ward taken at the 2011 census was 6,180.

Etymology

The town is first recorded as ''Pontyfon'', (with ''mon'' or ''fon'' meaning cow in

Old Welsh Old Welsh ( cy, Hen Gymraeg) is the stage of the Welsh language from about 800 AD until the early 12th century when it developed into Middle Welsh.Koch, p. 1757. The preceding period, from the time Welsh became distinct from Common Brittonic ...

), and as ''Pontyfuwch'' (bridge of the cow in modern Welsh) by 1645. The modern Welsh name, ''Y Bont-faen'', translates as 'the stone bridge'. The English name is a direct translation of the older Welsh name of the town.

History

Roman times

The town lies on the site of a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

settlement identified by some scholars as the fort of ''Bovium'' (cow-place). Recent excavations have revealed extensive Roman settlement; the town lies alongside a

Roman road Roman roads ( la, viae Romanae ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, and were built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Re ...

Middle Ages

The town centre is arranged on its

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

plan, with one long street divided into "

burgage plots Burgage is a medieval land term used in Great Britain and Ireland, well established by the 13th century. A burgage was a town ("borough" or "burgh") rental property (to use modern terms), owned by a king or lord. The property ("burgage tenement ...

". It is one of very few medieval walled towns in Wales, and substantial portions of the walls, together with the south gate, are still standing. On 13 March 1254, Cowbridge received its first borough charter from

Richard de Clare Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'stron ...

, the Lord of Glamorgan. Richard de Clare was one of the most powerful Barons of the day, having huge estates stretching across much of south Wales and also lands in southeast England. The

town walls A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

were built sometime in the latter half of the 13th century. From 1243, de Clare was actively extending his authority in Glamorgan. In 1245, he seized the manors of Llanblethian, Ruthin and Talyfan from Richard Siward, and the lordships of Miskin and Glynrhondda from Hywel ap Maredudd. In Llanblethian he founded the town of Cowbridge and in Miskin he founded the castle and town of

Llantrisant Llantrisant (; "Parish of the Three Saints") is a town in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales, lying on the River Ely and the Afon Clun. The three saints of the town's name are SS ...

. The largely medieval church of the Holy Cross was initially a

chapel of ease A chapel of ease (or chapel-of-ease) is a church architecture, church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently. Often a chapel of ea ...

to the parish church at Llanblethian. In 1307 Earl Gilbert de Clare, grandson of Richard de Clare, began work on the stone fortifications of St Quintins Castle in Llanblethian. The Battle of Stalling Down was fought near Cowbridge between an English army, serving

Henry IV of England Henry IV ( April 1367 – 20 March 1413), also known as Henry Bolingbroke, was King of England from 1399 to 1413. He asserted the claim of his grandfather King Edward III, a maternal grandson of Philip IV of France, to the Kingdom of F ...

and a combined force of French and Welsh soldiers under

Owain Glyndŵr Owain ap Gruffydd (), commonly known as Owain Glyndŵr or Glyn Dŵr (, anglicised as Owen Glendower), was a Welsh leader, soldier and military commander who led a 15 year long Welsh War of Independence with the aim of ending English rule in Wa ...

in 1403. Details of the battle, its exact site and its outcome are scant, but the site has been recognised by

Cadw (, a Welsh verbal noun meaning "keeping/preserving") is the historic environment service of the Welsh Government and part of the Tourism and Culture group. works to protect the historic buildings and structures, the landscapes and heritage s ...

for possible inclusion in a Register of Historic Battlefields in Wales.

Georgian times

The 18th century

antiquary An antiquarian or antiquary () is an fan (person), aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artifact (archaeology), artifac ...

Iolo Morganwg Edward Williams, better known by his bardic name Iolo Morganwg (; 10 March 1747 – 18 December 1826), was a Welsh antiquarian, poet and collector.Jones, Mary (2004)"Edward Williams/Iolo Morganwg/Iolo Morgannwg" From ''Jones' Celtic Encyclopedi ...

, inventor of the present-day rituals of the

National Eisteddfod of Wales The National Eisteddfod of Wales (Welsh language, Welsh: ') is the largest of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales. Its eight days of competitions and performances are considered the largest music and poetry festival in Eur ...

, kept a bookshop in the High Street, the location of which is now marked with a plaque inscribed with the words ''Y Gwir yn erbyn y Byd'' ("Truth against the world") in

and

Coelbren y Beirdd The Coelbren y Beirdd (English: "Bards' lot") is a script created in the late eighteenth century by the literary forger Edward Williams, best known as Iolo Morganwg. The alphabet system consisted of twenty letters and twenty other representations ...

script. It was just outside the town that he held the first meeting of the

Gorsedd A gorsedd (, plural ''gorseddau'') is a community or meeting of modern-day bards. The word is of Welsh origin, meaning "throne". It is spelled gorsedh in Cornish and goursez in Breton. When the term is used without qualification, it usually r ...

, an assembly of bards, in 1795.

Cowbridge Grammar School Cowbridge Grammar School was one of the best-known schools in Wales until its closure in 1974. It was replaced by Cowbridge Comprehensive School. Founded in the 17th century by Sir John Stradling and refounded by Sir Leoline Jenkins, it had c ...

was founded in 1608 and had close links with

Jesus College, Oxford Jesus College (in full: Jesus College in the University of Oxford of Queen Elizabeth's Foundation) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship St ...

through its later benefactor, Dr

Leoline Jenkins Sir Leoline Jenkins (1625 – 1 September 1685) was a Welsh academic, diplomat involved in the negotiation of international treaties (e.g. Nimègue), jurist and politician. He was a clerical lawyer who served as Judge of the High Court of Admi ...

. Its famous pupils included the poet Alun Lewis and the actor Sir

Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor, director, and producer. One of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins has received many accolad ...

. The old

grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...

eventually merged with Cowbridge High School for Girls to become a

comprehensive school A comprehensive school typically describes a secondary school for pupils aged approximately 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is res ...

, and the original buildings, having for some time lain derelict, have been converted into private accommodation.

Notable buildings

The present

Cowbridge Town Hall Cowbridge Town Hall ( cy, Neuadd y Dref Y Bont-faen) is a public building in the High Street of Cowbridge in South Wales. The town hall, which is the meeting place for Cowbridge with Llanblethian Town Council, and also houses the town clerk's o ...

, a building whose foundations date back perhaps as far as the Elizabethan era, served as a prison until 1830, when it was converted into a town hall to replace the former

guildhall A guildhall, also known as a "guild hall" or "guild house", is a historical building originally used for tax collecting by municipalities or merchants in Great Britain and the Low Countries. These buildings commonly become town halls and in som ...

, demolished at that date. The conversion was completed in 1830 by Isaiah Verity of Ash Hall who in gratitude was made a Freeman of Cowbridge. Eight of the original prison cells are still intact, six of which house the exhibits of Cowbridge Museum. The remainder of the building is used by the town council and for public events. The museum holds archaeological finds from Cowbridge and district, as well as displays on the later history of the town, including industrial and domestic artefacts, a photographic collection, and a small historical costume collection. The main street contains a number of

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

houses, including the former town houses of important local families such as the Edmondes and Carnes. The Carnes' town house is known as Great House, a Grade 2* listed property of Medieval origin.

Modern times

Cowbridge contains the following inns: the Bear Hotel, the Horse and Groom, the Edmondes Arms, the Duke of Wellington and the Vale of Glamorgan. The latter is located at the premises of the former Vale of Glamorgan Brewery. Closely attached to the town of Cowbridge is the village of Aberthin. Aberthin contains two inns; The Hare and Hounds and The Farmers Arms. Cowbridge once had a railway station, which opened in 1865 and closed in 1951. On the 21 March 1950 a Bristol Freighter (Registration: G-AHJJ) on a test flight took off from Bristol Filton Airport. The aircraft crashed near Cowbridge after a structural failure of the fuselage. It caused the aircraft to enter spin and crash. The accident killed all four passengers and crew on board. Cowbridge was named one of the best places to live in Wales in 2017.

Schools

(founded 1608, closed 1974) was merged with other local schools to form Cowbridge Comprehensive School in 1973–4. The disused main building on Town Mill Road was converted to residences in 2006-8 and its associated prefabricated classrooms replaced by housing in 2013. Cowbridge Girls School, (previously known as Cowbridge Intermediate School for Girls) was built in 1896 and was the first school for girls built in Wales after the Welsh Intermediate Education Act (1889) provided for state-funding of education for all children. It included a hostel for boarders (funded by philanthropist John Bevan, a Cowbridge solicitor) so that girls could attend from a wider area. The school building was designed by Robert Williams. It was built from dressed limestone in a

baronial style Scottish baronial or Scots baronial is an architectural style of 19th century Gothic Revival which revived the forms and ornaments of historical architecture of Scotland in the Late Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period. Reminiscent of Scot ...

. It was extended in 1909, designed by Rhys S. Griffiths to match with the original building and this included a science laboratory, gym and more hostel accommodation as well as additional classrooms. At the formation of Cowbridge Comprehensive School in 1973-4 its building was used for the sixth form. When new buildings meant the whole school could be brought together on one site, it was unused after 2010. Proposals to demolish the building, or alternatively convert it and surrounding space to new housing, were made between 2018 and 2020. A request for it to be listed by

was rejected because of lack of distinctiveness in the building and some modern alterations.

Secondary Schools

Cowbridge Comprehensive School Cowbridge Comprehensive School is a secondary school in the town of Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan, near Cardiff, Wales. The school has approximately 1,500 pupils, 1,200 of whom are in the secondary years and 300 in the sixth-form years studying f ...

is an English-medium secondary school. As of 2021, the school had approximately 1528 pupils. It is one of the best performing

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

s in Wales. It achieved 94% A*-C at GCSE in 2010. The school was located on three sites, with the Lower School in the south-west of the town and Middle School and

Sixth Form In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for A-l ...

in the north-east. Cowbridge Comprehensive School completed a major redevelopment in September 2010 to bring the entire school to one site (the former Middle School/Sixth Form site) using

Welsh Assembly Government Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

funding. In September 2010, the new school was officially opened to students. All students can now be found on the one site, instead of the three separate buildings that were all situated in different locations in Cowbridge. The former sixth form site on Aberthin Road is now derelict and awaiting redevelopment.

Primary Schools

Y Bontfaen Primary School is an English-medium school situated in Borough Close. As of 2021, it has a roll of 279 pupils. Ysgol Iolo Morganwg is a Welsh-medium school situated in Broadway. As of June 2022, there were 203 pupils on roll, with 73.4% coming from Welsh-speaking homes.

Sport

Cowbridge is home to

Welsh Rugby Union The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU; cy, Undeb Rygbi Cymru) is the Sports governing body, governing body of rugby union in the country of Wales, recognised by the sport's international governing body, World Rugby. The WRU is responsible for the running ...

team

Cowbridge RFC Cowbridge Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club based in Cowbridge, Wales. The club is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is general ...

which fields two senior teams, a youth team and a ladies team. Cowbridge Cricket Club, part of the Cowbridge and District Athletic Club, first played in 1840. The club now has six teams and is affiliated to the South Wales Cricket Association, Cricket Wales and the South Wales Premier Cricket League. Notable cricketers who have played for the club include former test players Hugh Morris, John Clay, Tony Lewis, C F Walters and on one famous occasion Douglas Jardine. Among the many county cricketers produced by the club are the Glamorgan players Ben Wright and Alex Jones. Glamorgan CCC played county fixtures at Cowbridge in the 1930s. The club's 1st XI won the Dan Radcliffe Cup in 2019 as Champions of the South Wales Cricket Association with Christopher Willey as the captain. Ben Wright scored a club record 1,395 runs in the season. Cowbridge has a leisure centre with tennis, football and badminton clubs. Behind Cowbridge Leisure Centre is Cowbridge Bowling Club and tennis courts. September 2009 also saw the reintroduction of senior football to Cowbridge Town FC after a ten-year absence. Starting in the third tier of the Vale of Glamorgan Amateur Football League the team achieved great success in their first season back, achieving an unlikely cup-promotion double. The 2011–12 season saw the club gain their second promotion in three years to reach the premier division.

Cultural activities

Cowbridge is home to the Cowbridge Amateur Dramatic Society (CADS), based at the Market Theatre. CADS was formed in 1947 and aims to stage three main productions each year. The Society also publishes a newsletter, ''"The Thespian"'', three or four times each year. Until 1997, when it 'outgrew' the Town Hall stage, Cowbridge was home to the Cowbridge Amateur Operatic Society (CAOS). Founded by a small group of enthusiasts, its first production was "The Pirates of Penzance" in 1969. CAOS continued its Gilbert and Sullivan theme until 1974, when the show of the year was "Die Fledermaus". Still going strong, CAOS is now based at Llantwit Major. Since 2004, the town has hosted the annual

Cowbridge Food and Drink Festival Cowbridge Food and Drink Festival is an annual food festival held in Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. Overview The festival takes place over the May Bank Holiday (Sunday 29 and Monday 30 May) and attracts up to 15,000 people. There is an ...

. Currently, the festival takes place in late spring having originally taken place every October. The festival incorporates various food and drink exhibitors, food court and fringe festival. Many of the town's inns hold beer, ale and cider events. In 2010 the Cowbridge Music Festival was founded which takes place every autumn in various venues throughout the town. The festival is made up of classical music, jazz and folk music and boasts an excellent outreach programme. In 2014 the acclaimed violinist Nicola Benedetti became the festival's patron. Cowbridge History Society was created in 2013 out of a merger between the former Cowbridge & District Local History Society (founded in the 1970s) and Cowbridge Record Society, publishers of several books on the topics relating to the history of the town. It holds monthly meetings at the Town Hall throughout the winter and funds a Local History Studies Room (the "Jeff Alden Room") containing archival material.

Notable residents

* Ieuan Evans, former Wales rugby union player and rugby commentator *

, seventeenth-century politician and judge * Caryl Parry Jones, singer and actress *

Ernest William Jones Ernest William Jones (December 1870 – 17 September 1941) was a Welsh trans-European steamship agent, and a first class cricketer. Family Ernest, who was born in Glamorgan during December 1870 and was educated at Wycliffe College, Glo ...

, cricketer for Glamorgan and Wales *

Stephen McPhail Stephen John Paul McPhail (born 9 December 1979) is an Irish former professional footballer and the sporting director of Shamrock Rovers in the League of Ireland Premier Division. A play-making central midfielder, McPhail started his career at ...

, Irish international and former Cardiff City football player * Anneka Rice, television presenter * Nia Roberts, television and radio presenter *

James William Webb-Jones James William Webb-Jones (1904 – 1965) was a Welsh choral conductor, educator, and cricketer. Family and Early Life James William, who was born in Cowbridge, Glamorgan, Wales, was the only child of the trans-European steamship agent Ern ...

, choral conductor Notable people who attended school in Cowbridge include: * James Frost, singer and guitarist of The Automatic. *

Iwan Griffiths Iwan Griffiths is drummer for Welsh rock band The Automatic. Iwan originates from Cowbridge in Wales, and lives in Cardiff. He has a law degree from Cardiff University. Musical career Along with bandmates Rob and Frost he was in the lineup of th ...

, drummer of The Automatic. * Patrick Hannan, political journalist *

Robin Hawkins Robin Hawkins (born 11 February 1986) is a vocalist and bassist. He was a member of Welsh band The Automatic. Personal life Rob studied at Cowbridge Comprehensive School, completing his A-levels and going on to take a chance with The Automatic i ...

, lead singer and bassist of Welsh rock band 'The Automatic'. *

Frances Hoggan Frances Elizabeth Hoggan (''née'' Morgan; 20 December 1843 – 5 February 1927) was a Welsh doctor and the first British woman to receive a doctorate in medicine from any university in Europe. She was also a pioneering medical practitioner, rese ...

, First woman doctor to be registered in Wales. *

, Oscar-winning actor * Alun Lewis, poet *

Garfield Owen Garfield David Owen (20 Mar 1932 – 17 Jan 2019) was a Welsh teacher, and dual-code international rugby union, and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s. He first played amateur rugby for Llanharan RFC, Maest ...

Welsh footballer of the 1950s and 1960s * Nicky Piper, former boxer * Rhian Wilkinson, Olympic football player

Twinning

Cowbridge is twinned with Clisson in the

Loire-Atlantique Loire-Atlantique (; br, Liger-Atlantel; before 1957: ''Loire-Inférieure'', br, Liger-Izelañ, link=no) is a department in Pays de la Loire on the west coast of France, named after the river Loire and the Atlantic Ocean. It had a population o ...

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

in northwestern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

References

External links

Cowbridge Town WebsiteCowbridge.co.uk Website & Web Camerawww.geograph.co.uk ; photos of Cowbridge and surrounding area
{{authority control Towns in the Vale of Glamorgan Market towns in Wales Aviation accidents and incidents locations in Wales