Senghenydd ( cy, Senghennydd, ) is a former mining town in the
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 ...
of
Aber Valley
Aber Valley is a valley community in Caerphilly county borough, South Wales. It has two main communities, Abertridwr and Senghenydd, which grew around the mining industry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Senghenydd has a longer histo ...
in South Wales, approximately four miles northwest of the town of
Caerphilly
Caerphilly (, ; cy, Caerffili, ) is a town and community in Wales. It is situated at the southern end of the Rhymney Valley.
It is north of Cardiff and northwest of Newport. It is the largest town in Caerphilly County Borough, and lies wit ...
. Historically within the
county
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
of
Glamorgan
, HQ = Cardiff
, Government = Glamorgan County Council (1889–1974)
, Origin=
, Code = GLA
, CodeName = Chapman code
, Replace =
* West Glamorgan
* Mid Glamorgan
* South Glamorgan
, Motto ...
, it is now situated in the county borough of
Caerphilly
Caerphilly (, ; cy, Caerffili, ) is a town and community in Wales. It is situated at the southern end of the Rhymney Valley.
It is north of Cardiff and northwest of Newport. It is the largest town in Caerphilly County Borough, and lies wit ...
. In the
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194.
The 2001 UK census was organised by the Office for National ...
, the population of the Aber Valley was 6,696.
Toponym
The name derives originally from the name Sangan + suffix ydd, probably meaning "the land or territory associated with Sangan". The suffix 'ydd' is often used in
Welsh
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 peop ...
, following a personal name, to denote ownership, as in '
Meirionnydd
Meirionnydd is a coastal and mountainous region of Wales. It has been a kingdom, a cantref, a district and, as Merionethshire, a county.
Kingdom
Meirionnydd (Meirion, with -''ydd'' as a Welsh suffix of land, literally ''Land adjoined to Meirion ...
' or '
Eifionydd
Eifionydd () is an area in north-west Wales covering the south-eastern part of the Llŷn Peninsula from Porthmadog to just east of Pwllheli. The Afon Erch forms its western border. It now lies in Gwynedd.
The commote of Eifionydd formed the ...
'.
Historically the name has appeared in a number of different forms, including: 'Seinhenit' (c. 1179), 'Seighenith' (c. 1194), 'Seynghenyth' (1271), 'Senghenyth' (1314), 'Seynthenneth' (1476), 'Seignhenith Suptus et Supra Cayach' (1578–84).
Alternatively, the name may be a spelling variant, from 1326, of 'Seint Genith', from
Saint Cenydd. The local church and school have taken this name, as has the nearby 20th-century settlement of
Trecenydd
Trecenydd is a residential area in Caerphilly, Wales, United Kingdom.
It is near the centre of Caerphilly and is relatively small compared to other areas of Caerphilly.
Trecenydd has several schools in its vicinity: Hendre Infant School, Hendre ...
. According to tradition, St Cennydd built a monastery near the town; although there is no evidence It is also claimed that the area Senghennydd was named after him. The son of Cennydd, St Ffili, is said to have built a fort in the area, making the name of Caerphilly (Ffili's Fort in the Welsh language).
History
Senghenydd was originally a rural farming community, which became industrialised with the discovery of coal in the late 19th century. With the closure of the coal pits in the second half of the twentieth century, most people in the town now commute outside the Aber Valley for employment.
Early history
The town was also a stronghold for the Welsh during the late 11th century. By the 13th century, it remained in Welsh hands and the Welsh chieftain Ifor Bach (hence the name of the local Welsh school in the town). Ifor Bach's great grandson
Llewelyn Bren (Llewelyn ap Gruffudd ap Rhys) was the last Welsh lord of Senghenydd, but lost control of his lands after the six-week siege of Caerphilly Castle and a brief battle at Castell Morgraig, a Welsh-built castle at Cefn-Onn ("Ash Ridge") which was possibly built by the Lords of Senghenydd.
It is also reputed that Ifor Bach built a medieval castle on the site that is now occupied by Castell Coch.
Llewelyn Bren was later sent as a prisoner first to Brecon and then to the
Tower of London
The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separa ...
along with his family
In 1318 Llywelyn became the prisoner of the ruthless
Hugh Despenser the younger
Hugh le Despenser, 1st Baron le Despenser (c. 1287/1289 – 24 November 1326), also referred to as "the Younger Despenser", was the son and heir of Hugh le Despenser, Earl of Winchester (the Elder Despenser), by his wife Isabella de Beauchamp, ...
, one of King Edward's favourites at court, who had become Lord of Glamorgan in November 1317 and thus the largest land owner in South Wales, and was a great rival of Mortimer. Without the king's direction, he took Llywelyn Bren to Cardiff Castle where he had him hanged, drawn and quartered without a proper trial. After the parts of his body were exhibited in various parts of the county he was buried in the Grey Friars at Cardiff. Llywelyn's lands were seized by Despenser. This action was condemned at the time and later used as example of the Despensers' growing tyranny. Despenser also imprisoned Lleucu and some of her sons in Cardiff.
In October 1326, after the successful rebellion led by Roger Mortimer, the Despensers and Edward had further cause to regret their actions in Glamorgan after they were forced to flee there. Edward and the Despensers' attempts to raise troops locally were (understandably) a dismal failure. This led to their capture in November; then Hugh endured the same death he inflicted on Llewelyn when he too was hanged, drawn and quartered.
With the overthrow of Edward II, the estates in Senghenydd were restored (11 February 1327) to Llywelyn Bren's sons: Gruffydd, John, Meurig, Roger, William and Llywelyn. The Earls of Hereford continued to pay at Brecon an allowance to their mother Lleucu until 12 April 1349.
Coal mining
Senghenydd, along with its neighbouring town
Abertridwr, make up the majority of the Aber Valley in the
South Wales Coalfield
The South Wales Coalfield ( cy, Maes glo De Cymru) extends across Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Bridgend, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Merthyr Tydfil, Caerphilly, Blaenau Gwent and Torfaen. It is rich in coal deposits, espec ...
, which became urbanised in the 1890s, when the
Universal
Universal is the adjective for universe.
Universal may also refer to:
Companies
* NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company
** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal
** Universal TV, a ...
and
Windsor
Windsor may refer to:
Places Australia
* Windsor, New South Wales
** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area
* Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland
**Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...
collieries were sunk in this region.
The Universal Colliery at Senghenydd suffered the first of two major
gas and coal dust explosions on 24 May 1901. Damage was sustained to both shafts, resulting in a restricted rescue attempt, and 81 of the 82 men working in the mine were killed.
![Miners' Rows, Senghenydd - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fd/Miners%27_Rows%2C_Senghenydd_-_geograph.org.uk_-_248424.jpg)
On 14 October 1913, Senghenydd suffered the
worst mining disaster in Britain's history, when a second gas explosion occurred at the Universal Colliery, resulting in the loss of 439 lives, and the death of one rescuer. Many of the surviving miners went back to help their workmates who were either trapped or buried alive.
Universal Colliery was finally closed on Friday 30 March 1928 (except for a ventilation shaft) with the loss of 2,500 jobs.
Health research
Men from Senghenydd participate in one of the world's longest running epidemiology studies – The
Caerphilly Heart Disease Study
The Caerphilly Heart Disease Study, also known as the Caerphilly Prospective Study (CaPS), is an epidemiological prospective cohort, set up in 1979 in a representative population sample drawn from Caerphilly, a typical small town in South Wales ...
. Since 1979, a representative sample of adult males born between 1918 and 1938, living in Caerphilly and the surrounding villages of
Abertridwr,
Bedwas
Bedwas is a town situated two miles north-east of Caerphilly, south Wales, situated in the Caerphilly county borough, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire.
Bedwas neighbours Trethomas, Graig-y-Rhacca and Machen, and forms a council ...
,
Machen
Machen (from Welsh ' "place (of)" + ', a personal name) is a large village three miles east of Caerphilly, south Wales. It is situated in the Caerphilly borough within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire. It neighbours Bedwas and Trethom ...
, Senghenydd and
Trethomas
Trethomas ( en, Thomastown) is a small village northeast of Caerphilly, southeast Wales, situated in the Caerphilly county borough, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire.
It neighbours Bedwas and Machen, and forms a council ward in co ...
, have participated in the study. A wide range of health and lifestyle data have been collected throughout the study and have been the basis of over 400 publications in the medical press. A notable report was on the reductions in vascular disease, diabetes, cognitive impairment and dementia attributable to a healthy lifestyle.
Transport
Senghenydd is served by the B4263 road to Caerphilly, and connects to
Nelson
Nelson may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey
* ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers
* ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...
via roads over
Mynydd Eglwysilan to the north.
Sport
Senghenydd Rugby Football Club is a
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
club affiliated to the
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 ...
who have played in the town since 1898.
Notable people
*
Ifor Bach
Ifor Bach (meaning Ivor the Short) (fl. 1158) also known as Ifor ap Meurig and in anglicised form Ivor Bach, Lord of Senghenydd, was a twelfth-century resident in and a leader of the Welsh in south Wales.
Welsh Lord of Senghenydd
At this perio ...
(fl. ''c.'' 1158), nobleman and progenitor of the minor Welsh royal house of Senghenydd.
*
Martin Thomas, professional footballer, most notably with
Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
.
* Major (Retired) Gillian Jones MBE, TD. Army Officer & Permanent Secretary to the Secretary of State for Wales.
* Major Huw Jone
ARRC MSc, BSc. Army officer and academic.
References
External links
www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Senghenydd and surrounding areaWelsh Coal Mines – research the local pit histories
{{authority control
Towns in Caerphilly County Borough