Abernant (or Abernant-y-Wenallt) is a small village north-east of the town of
Aberdare
Aberdare ( ; ) is a town in the Cynon Valley area of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, at the confluence of the Rivers Dare (Dâr) and River Cynon, Cynon. Aberdare has a population of 39,550 (mid-2017 estimate). Aberdare is south-west of Merthyr Tydf ...
,
Rhondda Cynon Taf
Rhondda Cynon Taf (; RCT; also spelt as Rhondda Cynon Taff) is a Principal areas of Wales, county borough in the South East Wales, south-east of Wales. It consists of five valleys: the Rhondda Fawr, Rhondda Fach, Cynon, Taff () and Ely valleys, ...
, Wales. Like many in the
South Wales Valleys, it was once a coal-mining village.
Etymology
Abernant is a shortening of the name "Abernant-y-Wenallt", and the area is recorded under this name in an 1800 lease of the land.
While the
place-name element ''Aber'' is easily understand as a confluence of watercourses, (here referring to meeting of the Nant y Wenallt and the Cynon) the rest of the name is more debatable. The element ''-wen'' may refer to the colour white, or as an indicator that the place was in some way "blessed" or "holy". Similarly, the termination ''-allt'' commonly refers to an area of sloping hillside but can also denote the area as heavily wooded. Finally, In the
language of South East Wales, ''nant'' refers to the watercourse itself, rather than the valley it sits in, therefore the name may be translated as either "the mouth of the white brook on the woody slope" or "the mouth of the blessed/
holy brook on the woody slope".
History
Thomas Dafydd Llewellyn states that the river "Nantywenallt" formed one of the ancient boundaries of the four ''Rhandir'' of the parish of Aberdare and that there were no workers houses anywhere in Aberdare in 1799. This would change in October 1800, when a lease of the lands and mines at ''Abernant y Wenallt'' was signed with the power to "sink (mine shafts), build furnaces, (and) divert water courses" for the next ninety-nine years.
This would see dramatic changes to the area with the founding of the Abernant Ironworks and the building of the first workers houses by 1801. Among the earliest structures were the homes at Little Row and Moss Place in Abernant.
By 1819, the works had been taken over by
Rowland Fothergill, and later passed to his nephew,
Richard Fothergill. The streets of Abernant reflect the importance of industry in the area in the 19th century, with streets named Engineer's Row, Foreman's Row and Collier's Row etc.
Abernant Railway Station opened in 1854 along the Vale of Neath branch line to
Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil () is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydfil, daughter of K ...
. For some time the village was nicknamed The Trap, possibly because the Aberdare Iron Company Tramroad crossed the Parish Road to Abernant.
The Marquis of Bute maintained a small cottage hospital in the area from 1875 until
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, which was later used as the Trap Surgery until it was demolished in 1980.
A number of collieries operated in Abernant, many originally operated by the Aberdare Iron Company. The collieries were: Werfa No.1 (1846–1910); Werfa No. 2 (1879–1910); Mountain Pit (1866–1927); Blaennant Colliery (circa 1840–1927); Forge Pit (1851–1910) and River Level Colliery (circa 1840–1939).
In 1896, a flooding disaster occurred at River Level Colliery which killed six colliers.
The disaster occurred after it was inundated by water from the abandoned Ysguborwen Colliery. Although the Abedare Iron Company was responsible for the production of much coal in the Abernant area, it was never as well documented as some of the other works in the Rhondda Valley.
In December 1912, the village was subject to extensive flooding, the Abernant Road in particular. In the mid-1980s, NCB reported that they intended to reopen a mine in Abernant and exploit
anthracite
Anthracite, also known as hard coal and black coal, is a hard, compact variety of coal that has a lustre (mineralogy)#Submetallic lustre, submetallic lustre. It has the highest carbon content, the fewest impurities, and the highest energy densit ...
reserves.
The Abernant pit was shut down in 1988.
Landmarks
Abernant House was built by
James Birch, cofounder with
Jeremiah Homfray
Sir Jeremiah Homfray (16 February 1759 – 9 January 1833) was an English ironmaster, best known for mineral developments in South Wales for and starting the Ebbw Vale ironworks.
Early life
The third son of Francis Homfray of Stourton Castle, joi ...
of Abernant Ironworks. In 1819 the ironworks were sold and the house was passed to
Rowland Fothergill and later his nephew
Richard Fothergill. Richard Fothergill was responsible for adding many extensions to the original building and landscaping of the grounds.
On 1 March 1892 Emma Talbot of
Margam
Margam is a suburb and community (Wales), community of Port Talbot in the Wales, Welsh county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales, close to junction 39 of the M4 motorway. The community had a population of 3,017 in 2011; the built up area being l ...
founded the St Michael's Theological College but in 1907 the college moved to
Llandaff
Llandaff (; ; from 'church' and ''River Taff, Taf'') is a district, Community (Wales), community and coterminous electoral ward in the north of Cardiff, capital of Wales. It was incorporated into the city in 1922. It is the seat of the Bisho ...
,
Cardiff
Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...
. Since 1917 Abernant House has been used as the site of
Aberdare General Hospital.
On 27 September 1929 a fire gutted the main building, destroying its notable interior furnishings too.
The hospital later reopened in April 1933, and in 1939 W M Llewellyn funded the construction of a new maternity ward.
Religion
The main active churches are:
*
St Matthew's Mission Church, Church of Wales, opened 1888
There are also defunct places of worship:
* Bethel Baptist Chapel opened in 1856. Now closed and demolished to make way for 4 houses.
* Bethesda Independent Chapel (opened 1860, disused by 2004). Now converted as a family home.
* Nazareth Calvinistic Methodist Chapel (opened 1860, closed 1965).
Notable people
*
Stuart Cable (1970–2010), the late former drummer of the Stereophonics and broadcaster lived in Abernant for a period.
*
Elaine Morgan (7 November 1920 – 12 July 2013) lived with her husband and wrote in a bungalow called Noddfa near Little Row, Abernant.
Gallery
File:Abernant Road c,1900.jpg, Abernant, c. 1900.
File:Abernant St Matthews Church.jpg, St Matthews Mission Church.
References
Bibliography
*
External links
Further reading at the Rhondda Cynon Taf libraryHistorical photographsGeograph
{{authority control
Villages in Rhondda Cynon Taf
1801 establishments in Wales
Populated places established in 1801