Nantyglo
Encyclopedia
Nantyglo is a village
in the ancient parish of Aberystruth
and county of Monmouth situated deep within the South Wales Valleys
between Blaina
and Brynmawr
in the county borough
of Blaenau Gwent
.
incorporating 22 hectares of grassland, mire
s and reservoirs which was officially opened in 2007. Opening of Parc Nant y Waun Home to many wildlife species, it includes a picnic area, outdoor classroom and an angling club.
The current political makeup of the Council for 2008-2012 is as follows:
The town council owns and operates Salem Chapel on High Street, Blaina. The council are currently undertaking the renovation of the chapel to convert it into a museum and tourist attraction to display the religious, industrial and political history of the communities. Even though the main focus is on the Chartist movement, where many of its leaders came from and was from where the march on Newport began the chapel will still be used as a place of worship for the community.
producing centres in the world.
In March 1811 Matthew Wayne (1780–1853) furnace manager at Cyfarthfa
and Joseph Bailey
, nephew of Richard Crawshay
of Cyfarthfa, together purchased the lease of the existing but long stopped ironworks at Nantyglo.
They were so successful in reviving the works that by 1820 Matthew Wayne was able to sell-out and set up his own business at the Gadlys, Aberdare and Joseph's brother, Crawshay Bailey
, took Wayne's place in the Nantyglo ironworks partnership.
Turning Nantyglo into one of the great ironworks of the kingdom the two brothers, by 1827, had seven blast furnaces operating at Nantyglo and added the nearby Beaufort Ironworks to their business in 1833 putting their sister's son, William Partridge (1800–1862) in charge.
Joseph Bailey, whose wife had died in 1827, remarried in 1830 and retired from personal direction of Nantyglo to live at Glanusk Park
Crickhowell and manage his very extensive landed estates.
Crawshay Bailey continued to live at Ty Mawr, Nantyglo, and ran the iron-works. In the 1840s he retired to Llanfoist
House, Abergavenny, leaving direction to his nephew, Joseph's son, Richard Bailey (1816–1853) who died in Dijon France and was succeeded by his younger brother Henry, described in 1868 as managing partner.
At their height c.1844 the Baileys employed 3,000 men and 500 women and children in their ironworks and coal mining
operation.
The Bailey interests disposed of the Nantyglo works by 1869-70.
and the final defeat of Napoleon there was a general slump in iron manufacture, although Nantyglo was the only ironworks which actually increased its exports, and the high cost of wheat caused acute unrest
throughout the country. Fearful of unrest (which did not eventuate) Matthew Wayne and Joseph Bailey had built two fortified towers, the Nantyglo Round Towers
in 1816.
(1795–1874) a Master Collier and innkeeper, keeping the Royal Oak Inn at Nantyglo, from where he used to pay his colliers, was a free thinking man in religious matters and the local Working Men's Association met at his home. Williams emerged as a natural leader during the Chartist movement in south east Wales. Along with John Frost
and William Jones
, he led a large column of men from the Nantyglo area to march south on the Westgate Hotel, Newport
, site of what is sometimes regarded as the greatest armed rebellion in 19th century Britain.
For his part in the 1839 Chartist Newport Rising
at Newport, Monmouthshire he was convicted and deported to Australia. He died there a prosperous man in 1874.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in the ancient parish of Aberystruth
Aberystruth
Aberystruth was an ancient ecclesiastical parish beside the north-west corner of the county of Monmouthshire against the border with Breconshire and between the parishes of Bedwellty and Trevethin...
and county of Monmouth situated deep within the South Wales Valleys
South Wales Valleys
The South Wales Valleys are a number of industrialised valleys in South Wales, stretching from eastern Carmarthenshire in the west to western Monmouthshire in the east and from the Heads of the Valleys in the north to the lower-lying, pastoral country of the Vale of Glamorgan and the coastal plain...
between Blaina
Blaina
Blaina is a small town, situated deep within the South Wales Valleys between Brynmawr and Abertillery in the unitary authority of Blaenau Gwent, ancient parish of Aberystruth, preserved county of Gwent and historic county of Monmouthshire.-Notable people:...
and Brynmawr
Brynmawr
Brynmawr is a market town in Blaenau Gwent, south Wales. The town, sometimes cited as the highest town in Wales, is situated at 1,250 to 1,500 feet above sea level and nestled at the head of the South Wales Valleys...
in the county borough
County borough
County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control. They were abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 in England and Wales, but continue in use for lieutenancy and shrievalty in...
of Blaenau Gwent
Blaenau Gwent
Blaenau Gwent is a county borough in South Wales, sharing its name with a parliamentary constituency. It borders the unitary authority areas of Monmouthshire and Torfaen to the east, Caerphilly to the west and Powys to the north. Its main towns are Abertillery, Brynmawr, Ebbw Vale and...
.
Places of interest in Nantyglo
Parc Nant y Waun is a nature reserveNature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
incorporating 22 hectares of grassland, mire
Miré
Miré is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France....
s and reservoirs which was officially opened in 2007. Opening of Parc Nant y Waun Home to many wildlife species, it includes a picnic area, outdoor classroom and an angling club.
Notable people
- David Keith Brookman, Baron BrookmanDavid Brookman, Baron BrookmanDavid Keith Brookman, Baron Brookman is a British steel worker and trade unionist.The son of George Henry Brookman and Blodwin Nash, he was educated at Nantyglo Grammar School in Monmouthshire. Brookman worked as steel worker for Richard Thomas and Baldwins in Ebbw Vale from 1953 until 1955, when...
- Tom ClappTom ClappTom Clapp was an English-born international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Newport and Nantyglo RFC. He won 14 caps for Wales and captained the team on three occasions...
- William Evans
- William GoreBilly GoreWilliam "Billy" Gore was a Welsh rugby union and professional rugby league footballer of the 1940s who at representative level played rugby union for Wales, and at club level for Newbridge RFC, playing at Hooker, i.e. number 2, and at club level played rugby league for Warrington, playing at , i.e...
- Keith JonesKeith Jones (Welsh footballer)Keith Jones is a former Welsh international footballer.-Club career:Jones played for Stourport Swifts, West Bromwich Albion, Kidderminster Harriers and Aston Villa before joining Port Vale in July 1957 for £3,000...
- Patricia Law, née BolterTrish LawPatricia Law, née Bolter was the Blaenau Gwent People's Voice AM for Blaenau Gwent in Wales between 2006 and 2011.-Background:...
- David NashDavid Nash (rugby coach)David Nash is a former Wales international rugby union player. A number 8 forward, he attained 6 caps for Wales between 1960 and 1961. Nash was selected for the 1962 British Lions tour of South Africa. He played his club rugby for Ebbw Vale.In 1967 Nash was appointed as the first national coach of...
- Nick SmithNick Smith (British politician)Nicholas Desmond John Smith , known as Nick Smith, is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Blaenau Gwent since the May 2010 election...
, MP for Blaenau GwentBlaenau Gwent (UK Parliament constituency)Blaenau Gwent is a county constituency in South Wales, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- History :...
now lives in the area but was raised in nearby TredegarTredegarTredegar is a town situated on the Sirhowy River in the county borough of Blaenau Gwent, in south-east Wales. Located within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire, it became an early centre of the Industrial Revolution in South Wales...
and then moved to London until his election as the MP for the area. - Jack Williams VC, John Henry Williams, the most decorated Welsh non-commissioned officer of all time
Nantyglo & Blaina Town Council
Nantyglo & Blaina Town Council is made up of 16 elected members representing the coummunities of Nantyglo and Blaina, elected for 4 years. The next set of elections will take place in May 2012The current political makeup of the Council for 2008-2012 is as follows:
| Affiliation | Members |
|
| Labour Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
12 | |
| Independent | 4 (3 Independents + 1 former Blaenau Gwent People's Voice Group) | |
| Total |
16 | |
| Labour Majority |
8 | |
The town council owns and operates Salem Chapel on High Street, Blaina. The council are currently undertaking the renovation of the chapel to convert it into a museum and tourist attraction to display the religious, industrial and political history of the communities. Even though the main focus is on the Chartist movement, where many of its leaders came from and was from where the march on Newport began the chapel will still be used as a place of worship for the community.
History
Nantyglo Ironworks
During the middle of the 19th century, Nantyglo was one of the most important ironIron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
producing centres in the world.
In March 1811 Matthew Wayne (1780–1853) furnace manager at Cyfarthfa
Cyfarthfa Ironworks
The Cyfarthfa Ironworks was a major 18th century and 19th century ironworks located in Cyfarthfa, on the north-western edge of Merthyr Tydfil, in South Wales.-The beginning:...
and Joseph Bailey
Sir Joseph Bailey, 1st Baronet
Sir Joseph Bailey, 1st Baronet was an English ironmaster and Member of Parliament .Bailey was born in 1783 in Great Wenham, Suffolk, the son of John Bailey, of Wakefield and his wife Susannah...
, nephew of Richard Crawshay
Richard Crawshay
Richard Crawshay was a London iron merchant and then South Wales ironmaster.Richard Crawshay was born in Normanton in the West Riding of Yorkshire...
of Cyfarthfa, together purchased the lease of the existing but long stopped ironworks at Nantyglo.
They were so successful in reviving the works that by 1820 Matthew Wayne was able to sell-out and set up his own business at the Gadlys, Aberdare and Joseph's brother, Crawshay Bailey
Crawshay Bailey
Crawshay Bailey was an English industrialist who became one of the great iron-masters of Wales.-Early life:Bailey was born in 1789 in Great Wenham, Suffolk, the son of John Bailey, of Wakefield and his wife Susannah...
, took Wayne's place in the Nantyglo ironworks partnership.
Turning Nantyglo into one of the great ironworks of the kingdom the two brothers, by 1827, had seven blast furnaces operating at Nantyglo and added the nearby Beaufort Ironworks to their business in 1833 putting their sister's son, William Partridge (1800–1862) in charge.
Joseph Bailey, whose wife had died in 1827, remarried in 1830 and retired from personal direction of Nantyglo to live at Glanusk Park
Glanusk Park
Glanusk Park is an estate in Britain. It is situated near Crickhowell, Powys, within the historic boundaries of Brecknockshire. It was established in 1826 by a "retired" ironmaster, Sir Joseph Bailey. The park features in the hereditary title Baron Glanusk which was given to Sir Joseph's grandson,...
Crickhowell and manage his very extensive landed estates.
Crawshay Bailey continued to live at Ty Mawr, Nantyglo, and ran the iron-works. In the 1840s he retired to Llanfoist
Llanfoist
Llanfoist is a village in Monmouthshire, Wales at , very near Abergavenny.The name of the village derives from St. Fwyst, an early Christian Welsh Saint.-Attractions:...
House, Abergavenny, leaving direction to his nephew, Joseph's son, Richard Bailey (1816–1853) who died in Dijon France and was succeeded by his younger brother Henry, described in 1868 as managing partner.
At their height c.1844 the Baileys employed 3,000 men and 500 women and children in their ironworks and coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
operation.
The Bailey interests disposed of the Nantyglo works by 1869-70.
Round towers
After the Battle of WaterlooBattle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
and the final defeat of Napoleon there was a general slump in iron manufacture, although Nantyglo was the only ironworks which actually increased its exports, and the high cost of wheat caused acute unrest
Ely and Littleport riots 1816
The Ely and Littleport riots, also known as the Littleport riots, began in Littleport, Cambridgeshire, on 22 May 1816, against a background of similar unrest throughout the country following the Napoleonic Wars. A group of 56 Littleport residents met at The Globe Inn to discuss the high...
throughout the country. Fearful of unrest (which did not eventuate) Matthew Wayne and Joseph Bailey had built two fortified towers, the Nantyglo Round Towers
Nantyglo Round Towers
Nantyglo Round Towers are located at Roundhouse Farm, Nantyglo near Brynmawr in the borough of Blaenau Gwent in the South Wales Valleys. The two fortified towers were constructed in 1816 during the period of national unrest due to high wheat prices following the end of the Napoleonic wars, by the...
in 1816.
Link with Chartism 1839
Zephaniah WilliamsZephaniah Williams
Zephaniah Williams was born near Argoed, Sirhowy Valley, Monmouthshire, with much of his childhood spent near the then village of Blackwood, also living for some periods in Caerphilly and Nantyglo...
(1795–1874) a Master Collier and innkeeper, keeping the Royal Oak Inn at Nantyglo, from where he used to pay his colliers, was a free thinking man in religious matters and the local Working Men's Association met at his home. Williams emerged as a natural leader during the Chartist movement in south east Wales. Along with John Frost
John Frost (Chartist)
John Frost was a prominent Welsh leader of the British Chartist movement in the Newport Rising....
and William Jones
William Jones (Chartist)
William Jones was a political Radical and Chartist, who was a former actor, working as a watchmaker at Pontypool in Monmouthshire and was also keeping a beer house....
, he led a large column of men from the Nantyglo area to march south on the Westgate Hotel, Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
, site of what is sometimes regarded as the greatest armed rebellion in 19th century Britain.
For his part in the 1839 Chartist Newport Rising
Newport Rising
The Newport Rising was the last large-scale armed rebellion against authority in mainland Britain, when on 4 November 1839, somewhere between 1,000 and 5,000 Chartist sympathisers, including many coal-miners, most with home-made arms, led by John Frost, marched on the town of Newport,...
at Newport, Monmouthshire he was convicted and deported to Australia. He died there a prosperous man in 1874.