Timeline 1851 -59
1851
February:
A newspaper reported: “The Rev. Walter Griffiths, late
Curate of Aberpergwm, in this county, has been presented by the worthy proprietor of the Aberpergwm
estate, W. Williams Esq; with an elegant silk gown, as a token of approval of
the way in which he discharged the duties of Curate for five years. (…) Other
members of his congregation have united in presenting him with some valuable
books. Mr. Griffiths is now Incumbent of Resolven and Perpetual Curate of
Glyncorrwg.”
The records show that the Road Surveyor for Resolven paid
out two pounds and ten shillings for the hire of four horses for a period of
five days at two shillings and sixpence per day.
March:
The ten-yearly census took place on the evening of Sunday 30
March. The 1841 Census had proved to be very incomplete, recording details, for
example, of only one farm in Resolven and Melincwrt. The 1851 Census, however,
listed details of thirteen farms. It also included details of the new buildings
which had been constructed since the previous census: a new Church, a vicarage,
four houses at Aberclydach Row (now Tan-y- Rhiw), three houses at Pen-y- cwar,
( situated above Pentwyn, so-called because of the fine views they afforded
over the top of Resolven quarry), and the Railway Inn at Melincwrt.
The Census revealed that thirty-five of the occupants of Lyon’s
Row worked for the colliery and included: one colliery engineer, twenty-two
colliers, four coal-hauliers, four colliery stable-men, two colliery
blacksmiths, and two men working as barge-men on the Neath Canal coal-wharf.
Those tenants working on the railway included: one rail inspector, two rail
block-layers, one rail plate-layer and six rail labourers. In addition, there
were four paupers, three servants, two stone-masons, two dressmakers, one
agricultural labourer, one farmer, one washing-woman, one laundress, one errand
boy, one errand girl, one housemaid, and one person financially helped by a
benefit society. Some of the occupants of the houses in Lyon’s Row were lodgers
working temporarily on the railway, and were born outside Wales: in Wiltshire,
Cheshire, Somerset, Oxfordshire, Hampshire; and one tenant, John Duncan, was a
collier born in Michigan, U.S.A. At the Ton farmhouse, there were five
colliers, three lodgers working as labourers and Samuel Jenkins, a grocer. The
New Inn housed three families: one headed by David Rees, described as a joiner
and a publican; another headed by Eleanor David, a pauper and a shoemaker’s
widow, along with two female lodgers employed as coalminers, and the third family
headed by Gwilym Davies, was a farmer of twelve acres. The occupants of the
newly-built Aberclydach Row (present-day
Tan-y-Rhiw) included five colliers,
a farmer, a rail inspector, an errand boy, an errand girl, a house-servant,
three laundresses, and one carpenter; whilst the adjoining Chapel House
included Thomas Davies, a master shoemaker, along with a journeyman shoe-maker,
one rail labourer, one visiting Calvinistic Methodist preacher and one errand
girl. In Nant-y- gleisiaid, in addition to a farmer of two acres, there were
four colliers and a coal-mine agent, two general servants and an errand girl.
At Melincwrt, most of the people living at Ffwrnes/Furnace (present-day
Waterfall Terrace) were employed either as colliers, rail labourers or agricultural
labourers, but there was also a journeyman carpenter, a lodging- house keeper,
and a master tailor. Railway Inn, housing five families, included four
colliers, a tailor, a carpenter, an Independent chapel minister and an
annuitant. The working farms, with the names of their farmers and acreage of
land, were recorded as follows: Drehir: John Thomas, a farmer of 80 acres. Nant-y-gleisiaid:
Gwenllian Williams, a widow and farmer of 2 acres. Ynysfach: Samuel Sims, a
farmer of 8 acres. New Inn: Gwilym Davies, a farmer of 12 acres. Aberclydach:
David Jenkins, a farmer of 10 acres. Pentwyn: Jenkin Jenkins: a farmer of 10
acres. Ty Llwyd: Gwenllian Jones, a farmer of 20 acres. Heolhir: Lewis Morgan,
a farmer of 60 acres. Ffald-y-dre: Morgan Jones, a farmer of 60 acres. Llwyncoedwr:
Morgan Jones, a farmer of 200 acres. Melin-y- Cwrt /Court Mill: Thomas Evans, a
miller and farmer of 30 acres. Ty’n-y-cwm: Morgan Jones, a farmer of 300 acres.
Hendre Owen Fawr: Thomas Jones, a farmer of 350 acres. Clun-y-castell/Glyncastle:
Jenkin Rees, a farmer of 365 acres. Tan-y-rhiw: Edward Williams, described as
an agricultural labourer. Pant-y-crybach: John Thomas, also described as an
agricultural labourer.
The general impression which the Census leaves us is of an
already vibrant and growing industrial community, made up of two villages (no
longer hamlets) which would, within a
few months, be linked by a railway service to the wider world. On the same day
as the main census, another census, the 1851 Census of Religious Worship, was
held. It showed that Resolven and Melincwrt covered an area of 4,560 acres and
had a population of 630 (329 males and 301 females). It comprised three places
of worship, two Nonconformist chapels and one Anglican church. Melincwrt
Independent Chapel, erected before 1800, had an average congregation of 180,
with 60 attending Sunday School; Seion Calvinistic Methodist Chapel, erected in
1821, had space for 144 worshippers, with an evening congregation of 70, and
St. David’s Church, erected in May 1850, had space for some 200 worshippers
with an average number of 40 attending on Sunday morning, along with 20 in the
Sunday School. This information was supplied to the Census enumerator by John
Thomas, a minister; Thomas Davies, a church elder; and Samuel Jenkins, a
churchwarden.
May:
The following advertisement was published in the newspapers:
“A Master is now wanted for Resolven School. He will be required to know Welsh.
For particulars as to salary etc; apply to the Rev. Walter Griffiths, or to Mr.
James Lewis, Resolven, near Neath.” Resolven School, built this year, was a
National School, that is, a Church of England school. It was not the first
school in the village for there had been
a short-term Circulating School based at Clun-y-castell/Glyncastle in the early
eighteenth century, two private schools, (one at Ynysfach from 1843, and the
other at Melin-y-cwrt from 1847), and there also had been a Church School run
by Anne Melin at Pentreclwydau from 1847. All the pupils from these schools
were admitted to the new National School. National Schools were built under the
auspices of ‘The National Society for Promoting the Education of the Poor in
the Principles of the Established Church’, an organisation set up in 1816. Its
first school in Wales was at Penley in Flintshire and, in the subsequent
decades, hundreds of such schools were built. Their growth gained momentum with
the foundation in 1848 of Trinity College, Carmarthen, which the Anglican
Church opened specifically to train teachers for these schools. The National
Schools depended for their funds on pupils’ fees, donations, subscriptions,
endowments and government grants. These last were handed over, after 1862, on a
‘payment by results’ basis. This meant that the money secured by a school
depended upon the success of its pupils in an annual examination in the three
Rs: reading, writing and arithmetic.
Religious instruction was also given and girls were required to learn needlework.
The daily routine often became a monotonous grind in constant repetition and
rote learning. Individual initiative was not encouraged, discipline was severe,
and canings were frequent. Resolven School remained as a National (or
Voluntary) School until June 1898 when it became a Board School, governed by a
Board of locally elected ratepayers, and it continued as a Board School after
relocating to new premises at the bottom of Lyon’s Place on 9 January 1899 until December 1902. After the
Education Act of 1902, Resolven Board School became a Council School in 1903,
governed by Glamorgan County Council and administered by the Local Education
Authority. The original 1851 school, on the site of today’s Tabernacl Chapel,
consisted of “(…) a Large Room: 45 feet long x 28 feet wide x 13 feet high; a
Classroom: 20 feet long x 18 feet wide x 13 high; a Lobby: 28 feet long x 10
feet wide x 13 feet high, and an Infants’ Room: 40 feet long x 28 feet wide x
13 high.” The school comprised two sections: Infants (3 to 7 years of age) and
‘Mixed’ (7 to 11 years of age.) The school’s first Manager was the Vicar of
Resolven, Revd. Walter Griffiths, followed by his brother, Rev. David
Griffiths, until he retired in 1891. Masters of the Mixed School included John
Morgan and Edwin Roberts, and the Mistresses of the Infants’ School, until
1910, included Elizabeth Morgan, Margaret Thomas, Ellen Harries and Sarah Ann
Jones, assisted in both teaching and maintaining discipline by pupil teachers
and school monitors.
In a newspaper article, Mr. J.R. Clarke stated that “(…)
Resolven coal was one of the best in south Wales for steam vessels on long
voyages.”
September:
The Board of Directors of the Vale of Neath Railway
expressed their unanimous opinion that, on the new railway line soon to be
opened, mineral traffic, not passenger traffic, should be regarded as the
principal source of revenue. The Board had also made arrangements with the
South Wales Railway Company to ensure the effective transport of minerals to
the ports at Swansea, Port Talbot and Briton Ferry.
The first locomotive to run on the new Vale of Neath railway
line had already arrived in Neath from Chepstow early this month, and it was
stated that stations along the line were now almost complete, with over £26
having been raised to give members of local Sunday Schools a treat on the day
when the line officially opened.
The Vale of Neath Railway opened on 23 September. The first
train, with its directors on board, left Neath railway station at 10.30 a.m.
1852
February:
The first coal to be transported from Resolven to Neath on
the new Vale of Neath Railway took place on Friday, 20 February and came from
the new colliery at Resolven owned by Messrs. Jones and Jenkins. The following
newspaper description gives a vivid description of the occasion: “At Neath the
firing of cannon throughout the day indicated the event. The coal has never
before been brought to market, and is worked from a level recently opened near
Resolven Station, whence the train started with its great load for Neath, amid
the cheers of the assembled multitude, after which the spirited proprietors
legally regaled their workmen with beer, who in loud vociferations wished their
employers success. The railway already appears to have some effect in improving
the uncouth manners of the people of this outlying and neglected
district.”
The inhabitants of the Vale of Neath had for some time
noticed a placard on the side of the Merthyr Road directing the public to
‘Ynysfach Railway Station’, prompting one newspaper correspondent to ask“(…)
how are strangers to know that this is a misnomer? It remains for those
concerned with the railway line to explain. The notice in its present site, not
only misguides people, but is of no earthly use, as it would appear to be the
whim or caprice of someone who did not dream of the confusion it might create.
It is indeed a source of great annoyance to those who visit the waterfall, but
as soon as the alteration is made and the proper name fixed up, the result will
be beneficial to all parties.”(This confusion probably accounts for the
still-held belief that, before the advent of the railway, the village was
called Ynysfach).
The Road Surveyor for Resolven paid out the sum of six
pounds and five shillings to Thomas Roberts for “forming a piece of road 500
yards long at Ynysfach at three pence per yard”.
April:
A visitor to Resolven wrote: “When lately visiting the
beautiful scenery of this valley, I was desired by a friend to take a peep at
Cwmgarwed (Melincwrt) waterfall, which I did, and I am much surprised that this
is not better known. The approach to it is easy, a footpath having been cut
along the stream for the accommodation of strangers and it is situated on the
right bank of the river and about one mile from Resolven Station. After a little
rain, it is exceedingly good and well worth a visit.”
An inquest was held at the Edwards’ Arms on the body of
David Rodgers, a Resolven collier, who was killed by a fall of earth at the new
level recently opened by J. W. Lyon. The jury returned a verdict of accidental
death.
May:
A newspaper correspondent wrote: “The temporary machinery
for shipping coal brought down to Swansea Float works successfully, and we
notice that the barque ‘Alderman Thomson’ has been loaded with the well-known
Resolven coal. The vessel was loaded by Mr. Townshend Wood.”
June:
Messrs. Jones and Jenkins opened Tyllwyd colliery in the
parish of Resolven this month, and “(…) they are now enabled to supply a large
quantity of steam coal of a quality second to none in the principality, having
been fairly and openly tested, of which they hold an exceptional certificate.
They now have in stock a large quantity of hand- picked coals at Resolven
Station, which can be shipped at Neath or Swansea, at short notice. “
Jennet Duncan, a ten-year old girl living in Resolven, “(…)
failed to be elected a boarder at the Cambrian Institution for the Deaf and
Dumb in Swansea. Six boarder pupils were elected and Jennet received only 18
votes; the top successful candidate having received 373”.
October:
When the register of voters for Glamorganshire was being
revised, it was noted that “(…) in the parish of Resolven, the Conservatives
established one new claim. The Liberals made five objections, out of which they
expunged three.”
November:
After breakfast on a Saturday morning this month, Thomas
Thomas was returning to his work at Aberclwyd Farm, Resolven, “(…) when he was
observed to stagger and almost instantly fell down dead. He had appeared to be
in good health before this. The deceased was an inoffensive man and generally
respected in the neighbourhood.”
1853
April:
With the support of the Bishop of Llandaff, the Vicar of
Resolven was one of the petitioners to the House of Lords against the admission
of Jews to Parliament.
The Road Surveyor for Resolven paid out to Thomas Evans the
sum of one pound seventeen shillings and six pence for the hire, over a period
of five days, of two horses and cart.
May:
At the Neath Petty Sessions, John and Benjamin Thomas were
each ordered to pay one shilling and three pence per week towards the
maintenance costs of their mother.
Margaret Davies, aged ninety-three, died at Resolven on 11
May, having survived her husband for about fifty years. “She was the oldest
inhabitant in the neighbourhood, and was in possession of all her faculties
until death.”
On Whit-Monday, pupils of Resolven School were regaled with
tea and cake at the vicarage by the Vicar. “The children, who were upwards of
forty in number, appeared highly gratified with the treat and, previous to
their departure, sang several psalms and hymns.”
June:
The Vicar of Resolven received the degree of Bachelor of
Divinity from St. David’s College, Lampeter.
November:
Fourteen oak trees at Henllan Isaf and Henllan Uchaf were
put up for sale to timber merchants.
December:
On Tuesday evening, 13 December, “(…) the inhabitants of
Resolven were gratified with one of the most wonderful sights in nature. Early
in the evening, all the northern parts of the heavens were illuminated in a
most spectacular manner by the ‘aurora borealis’. It continued for hours, ever
varying its appearance, to excite astonishment among the ignorant and to extort
admiration from the more enlightened portion of the inhabitants.”
1854
February:
The following advertisement was placed in the newspapers:
“A Master is now wanted for Resolven Village School. Apply to the Rev. Walter
Griffiths, B.D; Resolven Parsonage, Neath.”
May:
At the Neath Petty Sessions, William Adams of Resolven
pleaded guilty to travelling by train on the Vale of Neath railway line from
Glynneath to Resolven without a ticket; he was was fined ten shillings and
costs. William Hopkins, also from Resolven, was fined twenty shillings, or
fourteen days in prison, for travelling on a train without a ticket.
The following Resolven farms were put up to let: Hendref
Owen Isaf (470 acres), Ffald-y-dref (220acres), and Heol Hir (100acres).
The parishioners of Resolven, at their annual vestry,
unanimously agreed to set a church rate for the ensuing year, and Mr Samuel
Jenkins of the Ton and Thomas Llewellyn of Clun Gwilym were appointed
churchwardens for the current year. (The vestry meeting was the precursor of
the parish council and, subsequently, of the community council. It was a
meeting of parish ratepayers chaired by the Vicar of the parish and was
originally held in the church vestry from which it derived its name. It dealt
with both church and secular matters until 1894 when parish councils took over
its civil powers, but not its ecclesiastical powers. The church rate was a compulsory
rate imposed on a landowner or a householder in the parish to meet the costs of
repairing the fabric of the church and also of paying the salaries of church
officials. It was made voluntary in 1868 under the ‘Compulsory Church Rate
Abolition Act’. The two main sources of church income at this time were church
rates and tithes.)
June:
The Road Surveyor for Resolven paid Jenkin Rees two pounds
and ten shillings for hauling stones to repair a road and David Rees eleven
shillings for three days’ work at “the wooden bridge in Resolven”.
July:
The case of the Vale of Neath Railway Company versus the
Overseers of the Poor in Resolven parish was heard at the Neath Petty Sessions.
Mr Williams, the secretary of the Railway Company, stated that the length of
that portion of railway line in the parish of Resolven, which was just over two
and a half miles, had formerly been rated at thirty pounds, but this had now
been considerably increased to one hundred and thirty pounds and ten shillings,
which was nearly treble the amount paid to any other parish. The Company stated
that it was willing to pay the same amount of poor rates as other railway
lines, and an agreement was reached between the two parties that a more
equitable rate be submitted.
Thomas Morgan, a Resolven publican, was fined forty
shillings and costs for drawing beer at hours prohibited by law.
The sale, by private contract, was advertised of “(…) a
commodious, modern, well-built house, situated in a delightful part of the
Valley, between Resolven and Glynneath railway stations, and within two miles
of a post office. The house is replete with every convenience, and is
well-suited in every respect for the residence of a small family; with a
productive garden, a plentiful supply of excellent water, and a two-stalled
stable etc. The ground rent is moderate, and held under a lease for the
unexpired term of 84 years. Apply to Mr. Place, Maes-y- Berllan, Glynneath.”
September:
At Neath County Court, the case took place between Samuel
Jenkins, the plaintiff, and John Edmond, the defendant. “The plaintiff was a
grocer at Resolven, and the defendant resided in the same place. The amount
sought to be recovered was five pounds, nineteen shillings and three pence for
goods sold.” A Court order was made for Edmond to pay Jenkins six shillings a
month.
John Jenkins was charged by Mr Leach, Superintendent of
Police of the Vale of Neath Railway, of trespassing on the railway line at
Resolven. He was fined one pound.
October:
At the Ton farm, a turnip measuring two feet six inches in
circumference and weighing fifteen pounds was dug up from the garden.
On 21 October, “(…) a club feast was held at the Vaughan
Arms, Resolven, when most of the members gathered together at an early hour and
formed a procession from the public house to the Methodist Chapel, where the
Rev. Mr. Matthews, of Neath, preached a very suitable discourse (…). After the
service, the procession returned to the Vaughan Arms, where an ample and
excellent repast was provided by the worthy host and hostess, Mr. and Mrs.
Lewis. The prospects of the club are most encouraging, the majority of the
members being young men.”
November:
Morgan Jenkins of Pentwyn, Resolven, purchased a Game
certificate for the sum of four pounds and ten pence.
1855
February:
At Court, Phoebe
Howells of Resolven accused William Davies of Llantwit of not financially
supporting her newly-born illegitimate child, alleging Davies to be the father.
“The paternity was satisfactorily proved, and, in fact, was tacitly admitted by
the defendant, who told the officer who served him with the summons that he
would allow her two shillings a week. The defendant’s mother appeared at Court
in Davies’ stead. In the course of the evidence, it transpired that Howells had
before strayed from the paths of virtue, and the magistrate, therefore,
although making an order for two shillings a week, refused to make payment of
other expenses, saying that she was an immoral character.”
April:
Morgan Jones and William Jones were appointed ‘Overseers of
the Poor’ for the current year to cover Resolven and district.
On Saturday, 24 April, “(…) the neighbourhood of Ynysarwed
was thrown into a state of great alarm in perceiving that a portion of
woodland, known by the name of the ‘Graig’ and belonging to the Ynysarwed
Estate, was on fire. (…) Large flames were observed to roll before the wind and
the devouring element raged furiously. Rev. Walter Griffiths, Incumbent of
Resolven, along with some other people, managed to check the spread of the fire
within a few hours. It was rumoured that the fire was occasioned by some boys
playing incautiously with some matches, but efforts were being made to
ascertain the real cause.”
On Easter Monday, according to annual custom, a vestry
meeting of the ratepayers of Resolven was held for the purpose of appointing
churchwardens for the ensuing year. Thomas Llewellyn, of Clun Gwilym,
was appointed People’s Warden and Samuel Jenkins, of the Ton, Vicar’s Warden.
May:
David Rees, publican of the New Inn, Resolven, was accused,
on the information received by Police Superintendent Wright, of keeping his
public house open for the sale of beer at 4.30 p.m. on Sunday. “Police Sergeant
Richards visited the house at the time in question, and he saw four men leaving
the house at the back, two more within the house, and some vessels containing
beer on the table.” Rees admitted the offence, but said that “with one
exception they were all strangers, and that this man had no beer.” He was
nevertheless fined five shillings and costs.
Mrs. Edwards Vaughan, of Rheola, presented a beautiful altar
cloth to St. David’s Church, Resolven. “Although not resident in the parish,
she expresses in so substantial a manner her good feeling towards the
Incumbent, the parishioners and the church of their fathers. Mrs Vaughan is
also a strong and liberal supporter of the schools erected by Mr. Vaughan for
the education of the children of the district.”
June:
Through the good offices of L. L. Dillwyn, M.P. for Swansea,
about 250 pupils from the Swansea Industrial and Ragged School, accompanied by
about forty teachers and friends, enjoyed a trip by train from Swansea to
Resolven. “The children were marched to the chapel near the railway station
where several hymns were sung and an address delivered by W.H. Michael Esq; the
majority of the boys were taken to visit the waterfalls, while others enjoyed
rustic games in the fields.”
August:
“On Tuesday, 7 August, “(…) a little boy, son of Howell
Davies, while acting as coxswain in a barge going from Neath to Resolven ,
accidentally over-reached himself when he fell into the lock of the canal and
was drowned. The body was afterwards picked up and now awaits the coroner’s
inquest.”
September:
On 21 September, there was to be a sale by auction of the
livestock, farm implements and household furniture, belonging to Jenkin Rees,
Clun- y -castell/Glyncastle, Resolven. The auctioneer drew particular attention
to the livestock “(…) of real Glamorgan and Hereford breeds.” Other stock
included five hundred healthy mountain sheep and seven powerful draught horses.
October:
To be let on lease this month was Tyllwyd Steam Coal
Colliery, Resolven, together with about eight hundred acres of land. “Levels,
headings and stalls have been opened upon the nine veins of superior steam
coal, which are free from fire- damp. One vein produces the Resolven steam coal
which stands so high on the Admiralty list. There is also a vein of fire-clay,
four feet thick. Applications to the proprietor, William Jones, Tynyrheol,
Neath.”
On Monday evening, 9 October, at the Resolven school room, a
lecture was given by William Davies (Gwilym Wyn) on the subject of the Crimean
War which was currently raging. “There was a good attendance of working men
present. The chairman was the Vicar and the proceeds of the event went to the
Llandaff Church Extension Society.”
On Sunday, 28 October, a Thanksgiving Service was held at
the parish church for the abundant harvest this year.
November:
On 27 and 28 November, a sale by auction was to be held of
the Ynysarwed Estates which covered some two thousand acres. “They comprise a
considerable extent of rich, alluvial soil of great fertility; good arable,
meadow and pasture land; and over one hundred acres of woodland. There is also
a modern residence and excellent stabling, out-offices and farm buildings.
There is also a colliery on this lot now working by level the well-known
Resolven vein of steam coal. The Neath Canal, giving water communication to the
shipping ports of Briton Ferry and Swansea, runs through the property, and the
Vale of Neath Railway, with which a junction may readily be made, passes
through within fifty yards of it. The river would afford a water-power of great
value for either agricultural or mining purposes.”
1856
January:
Resolven Reading Room, or, to give it its original name,
Resolven Working Mens’s Club, was opened on Tuesday 1 January this year by “(…)
N. E. Vaughan, Esq; being President and a very liberal subscriber. The Rev.
Walter Griffiths, B.D; with his usual energy, has assisted in forming this
institution, aided by Mr. Lewis, coal-agent, Mr. Samuel Jenkins, Ton, and other
respectable inhabitants, who promise to be warm supporters of this
society.” The building was divided into
two rooms: the ‘smoking room’ housing a well- preserved billiards table, and
the ‘reading room’, containing, in three glass-fronted cupboards, the library.
Initially, the larger of the two rooms was for the use of readers, whilst the
smaller was for various games; but, in 1876, it was decided to use the larger
room for billiards, while the newspaper and book readers had to make do with
the smaller room. The minute-book, still in existence, reveals some of the
items discussed by the committee: for example, the type of gaslight to be
bought, the need for a new table to be acquired for the smoking room, and the
importance of excluding any members found guilty of inappropriate behaviour.
Many newspapers in both English and Welsh were subscribed to over the years,
but the only daily newspaper to be taken for the duration of the Reading Room’s
existence was the Western Mail.
Weekly and monthly magazines and periodicals were also bought or donated, and
the building was also used for popular readings, penny readings, concerts,
lectures and billiard tournaments. It was officially designated the Resolven
Reading Room, in preference to the Resolven Working Men’s Club, in 1896. The
Reading Room had over the years been frequented by several members who, in
later life, became eminent in their chosen fields: David Evans, Tom Hopkin
Evans, William Rhys Herbert, D. Rhys Phillips, and Clifford Darby. The building
was sadly demolished on 26 March 1973.
Also on Tuesday 1 January, in Resolven School, pupils were
orally tested on various subjects by the Vicar, in the presence of Mrs. Vaughan
of Rheola and a small audience. “At the close of the examinations, the pupils
were rewarded with useful and valuable books, through the benevolence of the
above estimable lady.”
At the Glamorgan Quarter Sessions held this month in
Cardiff, an appeal was made by the Vale of Neath Railway against a poor- rate
charge made on them by the parish of Resolven. “They inquired if the parish
would consent to quash the charge. A reply in the affirmative having been
received, the rate was quashed accordingly.”
February:
A letter, dated 11 February 1856, written by N. Edwards
Vaughan, Rheola, to the Editor of The
Cambrian newspaper was published. In this letter, he wrote: “I have taken
some trouble to ascertain the true etymology of Resolven. I possess a very
perfect deed in which the manor is spelt ‘Resovlyn,’ whilst in two other deeds,
dated 1555 and 1600, it is spelt ‘Resolven’ and ‘Soflen’. Two eminent Welsh
scholars have both agreed that the true etymology of the name is ‘Mynydd
Soflen’ or ‘Hill of Stubble’, and certainly on the hill above the railway,
(which, without doubt, gives its name to the manor and hamlet), are abundant
marks of the plough.” A week later, in reply to this letter, another
correspondent, Edie Ochiltree, wrote to the editor of the same newspaper: “(…)
I suggest ‘Sylvan’ as one of the component parts of ‘Resolven,’ which may mean
either a place of observation (‘sylw’ ‘man’) or a high observatory (‘sylw’
‘ban’). Perhaps from the ‘Sylfan’ near Resolven were observed the movements of
the Roman legion when forming their roads. As to the first syllable it may be
either ‘Rhos’ or ‘Rhiw’. ‘Rhos-sylvan’ would mean the meadow, common, or moor
of the watching-place, while ‘Rhiw-sylvan’ would mean the slope or the ascent
of the place of the observatory, either ‘Rhos’ or ‘Rhiw’ having been corrupted
by rapid pronunciation or ignorance into ‘Re’.”
March:
The Llandaff Church Extension Society gave a grant of fifty
pounds to St. David’s Church, Resolven towards the purchase, from H. J .Grant
of the Gnoll, of the tithe- rent charge of Clyne which would be attached in
perpetuity to St. David’s Church. By means of this grant, a gross rent- charge
of thirty- six pounds per year arising from tithes would be recovered as
endowment to the church.
April:
On Friday 4 April, at the Neath Petty Sessions, “James
Murphy and Thomas Buckley, labourers, were charged with stealing a quantity of
iron, belonging to the proprietor of the Resolven Colliery. Both pleaded guilty
and were each sentenced to one month’s hard labour”.
William Evans, aged 27, a shipper from Cardiff, left his
uncle’s house in Resolven to walk the short distance to the village railway
station but “fell down in a fit of apoplexy, which resulted in death.”
About twenty acres of larch were accidentally set on fire at
Lletyrafel farm. The fire began to spread in a north-easterly direction but,
fortunately, “by the well-arranged plans” of the Vicar of Resolven and of Henry
Strick of Dulais House, the fire was eventually extinguished after four hours.
May:
Antonio Francisco, a Spaniard living in Swansea, stabbed
John Jenkins, a collier from Resolven at The
Clock public house in Swansea after
an argument between the two. Jenkins was taken to The Picton public house opposite, where Dr. French dressed his
wounds. The Spaniard tried to escape but was found by P. C. Thomas hiding in a
cellar. “The knife in this bloody and unmanly act was not found. The accused
was remanded in custody till such time as the injured party has sufficiently
recovered to appear against him.”
July:
The post of schoolmaster at Resolven school was advertised:
“A trained Master acquainted with Welsh is now wanted to conduct a village
school. Salary £50 per annum and a house. Apply to the Rev. Walter Griffiths
B.D. Resolven, near Neath”.
In yet another published letter about the spelling and
meaning of the place-name ‘Resolven’, a correspondent from Swansea wrote; “I
suggest the prefix ‘Re’ is something to do with a king. The place was named
after ‘Re’ or ‘Rhea’ Sylvia, the mother of Romulus and Remus, and I challenge
all the archaeological etymologists in Britain to prove that it was not.”
September:
At the Neath Petty Sessions, an application for a
victuallers’ licence was granted to the Millers’ Arms, Melincwrt.
On Tuesday, 9 September, three hundred and fifty two Sunday
school teachers and their friends visited Rheola and Melincwrt after having
travelled to Resolven by train from Swansea.
October:
At the Neath Petty Sessions, Margaret Morgan of Resolven
named Thomas Lewis as the father of her illegitimate child. The father was
ordered to pay one shilling and sixpence per week from the time of the birth of
the child and all the expenses which had been incurred.
1857
February:
A train engine was derailed for a length of almost two miles
on the railway line between Resolven and Neath causing damage done to about a
thousand sleepers along the track.
March:
In a published letter, N. Edwards Vaughan of Rheola stated:
“In reply to your communication respecting the charges brought against me by
Mr. G. O. Ivey of Swansea that I had refused to let a piece of ground for the
erection of a Baptist Chapel in Resolven, Cwm-Neath, I beg to say that at a
very large public meeting on Monday last in the Guildhall, Swansea, I refuted
the charge to the entire satisfaction of two leading Baptist ministers (…). It
is true that I did refuse a piece of ground, but (…) I was asked for it close
to Resolven Church, then just built, and in full view of the road. The whole
Hamlet of Resolven contained but 300 people, Men, Women and Children. Within
half-a-mile of the Church on either side, were two large Independent Chapels,
one of which built on my land, and paying me One Shilling per annum Ground Rent
was then almost deserted. I could not discover more than Seven Baptists among
the whole 300, and they were colliers newly come to the place. I replied to the
applicants, that close to the Church I would not let ground or rather give it,
for I have never taken, and never will take, but an acknowledgment for a place
of Worship; and when I found a number of Inhabitants permanently settled in the
Hamlet, who entertained Baptist opinions, I would take the case into favourable
consideration.” He also wrote to the “Electors of Glamorgan” about his
candidacy in the next general election: “Should I have the honour of taking my
seat as one of your representatives, I should do so with no hostile feelings to
Lord Palmerston, but would support him whenever he and his colleagues propose
measures calculated to advance the honour and welfare of England. I am NO TORY,
and will go into Parliament UNFETTERED by PLEDGES to MEN or MEASURES.”
April:
An advertisement appeared in the press addressed to timber
merchants, railway contractors, ship builders, coal proprietors and others.
This related to the up-coming sale by auction on 15 April of (…) the following
valuable timber, with their top lop and bark: 684 oak trees, 800 fine oak
poles, 30 ash trees, 400 ash poles, 300 alder, birch and sycamore trees now
standing in the Tyrrau Wood, near Resolven station of the Vale of Neath
railway, where there is ample accommodation for depositing and loading the
same.”
At the Glamorganshire Quarter Sessions, the appointment of a
police constable was approved for Resolven “(…) in the neighbourhood of which
there are several collieries, several public houses, and a rapidly increasing
population.” A police constable for Resolven was subsequently sworn in at the
Neath Petty Sessions.
James Lewis, the agent for Resolven colliery, was elected
Guardian of the Poor for Resolven; and the Vicar of Resolven, Rev. D. Walter
Griffiths, was elected in a similar capacity for Clyne.
May:
A salmon weighing about twelve pounds was caught in the
River Neath at Resolven by Mr Jones, a druggist from Aberdare.
July:
At the Neath Petty Sessions, Gwenllian Lewis, wife of a
collier living at Tyllwyd, Resolven, accused her twelve-year old neighbour,
Mary Llewellyn, with assault. The dispute arose when Mary wanted Gwenllian’s
son to come with her and her sister to tend some sheep, which Gwenllian refused
to allow. In the ensuing disagreement, Gwenllian struck Mary’s sister on the
leg and, in retaliation, Mary threw a stone at Gwenllian “(…) hitting her on
the head until the blood spurted out.” In Court, Mary stated that she had not intentionally
meant to strike the plaintiff, but she was found guilty, fined seventeen
shillings , including costs, or seven days’ imprisonment.
September:
A description of the stock, crops and implements to be found
at this period on a typical farm in
Resolven and its immediate neighbourhood can be found in an advertisement for
the sale of the contents of Lletyrafal farm: “ Sheep: 330 breeding ewes, 120 wethers, 240 lambs, and 12 rams of
the pure new Radnor breed. Cattle: 16
heifers and 8 steers. Horses: 9 young
and powerful draught horses and a bay cob, steady in saddle and harness. Crops: 8 ricks of wheat, 4 of barley, 8
of oats and 2 of hay. Implements: 3
carts, 1 long harvest cart, 4 ploughs,1 scuffler,1 grubber, 2 pairs of iron
harrows,1 cast-iron roller, 1 turnip drill, 1 new seed drill, 3 sheep-dipping
tubs, 8 sheep nets and poles, 3 dozen hurdles, 1 long ladder, 2 pairs of sheep-shears,
and 3 sets of shaft harness.”
The following advertisement was published; “A trained
Master, acquainted with Welsh, will shortly be wanted to conduct a mixed
village school. For particulars apply to Rev. Walter Griffiths, B.D; Resolven
parsonage, near Neath.”
November:
Hugh Roberts of Resolven sued his employer £3 for
non-payment of wages. The Court ordered the employer to pay the amount and
costs.
At Swansea Police Court this month, “Ann Morgans, a low
prostitute, well-known to the police, was accused by a fashionably-dressed,
middle-aged man, with robbing him of eight pounds and ten shillings. The
complainant, who was staying at the New Inn, Resolven, said that the previous
night, as soon as he had come out of Resolven railway station, Morgans had
thrust her hand into his trousers’ pocket in which was the sum of twelve
pounds, seven shillings, and sixpence. He immediately held one of Morgans’
hands in his pocket and, with his other hand, caught her by the left wrist
saying ‘If you will not give me the money back, I’ll murder you here’. Morgans
gave him back four sovereigns, at the same time calling for a companion to help
her. A tall, pale-faced man dressed in the garb of a sailor appeared, to whom
it was thought Morgans had given the remainder of the money, since the
complainant distinctly heard some sovereigns fall to the ground. A cry of
‘Police!’ was then heard and Police Constable Brown arrived, taking Morgans
into custody. In reply to further questions from the Bench, the complainant stated
that he was not drunk, knew perfectly well what he was doing and would be able
to identify the partner in crime. Morgans was remanded in custody until further
evidence was obtained and until the man who had come to her assistance was
found, (…) evidently an accomplice in such a bare-faced and imprudent a
robbery.”
Month unknown:
“Three women came forward with the proposal to make a
collection with a view to paint Seion Chapel and to buy a lamp to hang from the
centre of the chapel ceiling. These women were Mari Davies, Catherine Jones and
Mari Siencyn Rosser. Within five weeks, to their great surprise, they had
collected a princely £58. Since such a great sum had been raised, the decision
was made to re-roof the chapel in addition to fulfilling their original
intentions. The total cost amounted to £60”
1858
February:
On 21 February, a
Resolven man met his death near the railway station in the village. He was last
seen alive leaving a public house in Glynneath. He had evidently lost his way
and “(…) it appears he was run over and cut to pieces by the late goods train on
Saturday.”
April:
The lease and stock of Resolven Colliery were advertised for
sale: “The present annual produce of the Colliery is about forty thousand tons
which can be greatly increased, as the Lessee has a right to follow the vein
now being worked, in addition to the vein above it and the one below it, all
lying beneath one thousand acres of land. The Royalty upon the first ten
thousand tons worked annually being sixpence and anything above this being four
pence per ton. To view the colliery and maps of the workings, apply to James
Lewis, Coal Agent, Resolven and for particulars of price apply to Mr. Lyon,
No.7, Spring Gardens, London S.W.”
May:
The Revd. Walter Griffiths, Vicar of Resolven, was elected
Vice-Chairman of the Neath Union Workhouse for 1859.
June:
The five Justices of the Peace for Glamorgan agreed to
petition the Queen for an increase in the number of polling stations in the
county, including one for Resolven.
August:
On 17 August, at a meeting of the
owners of the Vale of Neath railway, a report from Mr. Isambard Kingdom Brunel
was read out in which he stated: “The stations at Hirwaun, Resolven and
Aberdulais have been repaired and painted. The works generally on the main line
and branches are in a satisfactory condition… At the Briton ferry Docks, works
are now approaching completion, and preparations are being made for forming
communications with the South Wales railway.”
October:
Mr. Jenkin Jenkins, of the Ton,
died on 24 October. “He was well known for his uprightness of character, integrity,
and warmth of love towards his neighbours and friends.”
1859
April:
J. W. Lyon expressed his concern about the considerable financial difficulty he was
experiencing with Resolven Colliery which he owned. In a letter written to
Major Vaughan Lee of Rheola dated 25 April 1859, he stated: “(…) I wish I could
send you a cheque for £354, but the colliery bank account is so bad that I
cannot. (…) I shall remain in town in the endeavour to unravel the mystery of
the colliery.”
May:
About eighty day pupils and Sunday School children of the
parish were treated to tea and cakes by the Vicar of Resolven and his wife.
Tables were laid out in the vicarage grounds and several musical items were
sung by Mr. and Mrs. Morgan, the newly appointed school-master and school-
mistress of the National School in the village, along with the children and
members of the church choir. Thanks were given to Mr. N.V.E. Vaughan who had
supported the new school at no small expense to himself. ”Such progress as
appears to be being made in the cause of educating the young of the district,
augurs well for the future state of the place.”
At the annual Church Vestry meeting held on 23 May, for the
purpose of reviewing the churchwardens’ accounts and for setting a church rate for the ensuing
year, it was resolved that the church rate be raised in order to meet the
future expenses needed for alterations on the church building and for other
items which would be required. The Revd .Walter Griffiths occupied the Chair,
while James Lewis, colliery agent, Morgan Jenkins, Samuel Sims and Evan
Williams duly proposed, seconded, and supported the new rate.
September:
At the Resolven National School, a concert of secular music
was given by the church choir and others to help raise funds for the school. “This
school is well- supported, but at the present time it requires new apparatus
and a grant of books (…). It was the first vocal and instrumental concert ever
attempted in the place. (…). Dr.
Denning, of Swansea, presided at the harmonium and the programme consisted of
ten songs, glees and catches. The school-room was decorated with oak leaves and
festoons of flowers. Every portion of the building –every nook and corner of
the room- was crammed, and the heat was almost unbearable (…). The singing of ‘Tis a very merry thing’ by Mr. John Morgan,
Mrs. Morgan and Miss Evans was much applauded, while Mr. Davies, Mr. Legg and
Mr. Thomas created roars of laughter in the catch ‘T’was you, sir’. The choruses were effectively brought out by the
remainder of the company who will be able, ere long, to contend with any choir
in the Principality.”
October:
Members of the Resolven Glee Society held a well-attended
concert at the Dulais Tin Works on 4 October. “The object was to raise money to
purchase a harmonium for Resolven Church. The choir has only been in training
for a short time under the instruction of Mr. John Morgan, the newly-appointed
national schoolmaster of Resolven schools. Dr. Denning, of Swansea, played in
his usual able manner, and Mr. Joshua Williams, at the conclusion, spoke in
warm praise of the performance and thanked members of the choir for an
opportunity of judging and hearing what native talent could do, and especially
those of the Vale of Neath.”
November:
The tenants and workmen employed on the Rheola estate met
outside the Farmers’ Arms to congratulate the squire on his recent marriage.
Mr. James Lewis, colliery agent, gave the following address: “To Nash Vaughan
Edwards Vaughan Esq; and Lady: It is not our desire to dilate upon your many
and charitable acts (…). We have only to
look southward to see the elegant and commodious church of Resolven, for which
we are indebted to your efforts. A littler further eastward also is the neat
and comfortable schoolroom at Resolven village, your promptness in erecting
which is worthy of all praise, affording as it does to the working classes an
easy mode of educating their children.
After this, the procession, headed by the brass band of the Vale of Neath
Brewery, (…) moved on to the mansion of
the worthy squire, amid loud and tremendous cheering with the booming of cannon
and the ringing of bells, and with flags and banners flying in all directions”.
The National School children of the parish were invited to
visit Rheola House on 3 November. “At about three o’clock in the afternoon the
teachers and children, who numbered about a hundred, formed in procession at
the school-room, in Resolven village, and walked to the residence of N. V. E.
Vaughan Esq. (…). After they had all partaken of the good things laid out for
them in the hall, which consisted of cake, buns , jam and various other kinds
of sweets, the children were taken by Mrs. Vaughan to see the conservatories,
the flower garden and other interesting
sights around the house.”
December:
T. Wood and Co; were appointed the Swansea shipping agents
for the Resolven Coal Company and William Rees was appointed in a similar
capacity for the Lower Resolven Colliery at Melincwrt.
It was reported that: “An excellent-tone harmonium, with
several stops, has been purchased for Resolven Church, and was played for the
first time on Christmas day, Mrs Edwards Vaughan, of Rheola, presiding at the
instrument (…). In the future, the harmonium will be played by Miss Elizabeth
Griffiths, of the Vicarage.”
1860
January:
David Edward Morgan, a Resolven miner and contractor, was
declared insolvent by the Insolvents’ Attorney.
May:
posted by eclecs | 2:13 pm
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home