Penygraig
Encyclopedia
Penygraig is a village and community
in the Rhondda Valley
in the county borough
of Rhondda Cynon Taf, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan
, Wales
. As a community Penygraig contains the neighbouring districts of Dinas
, Edmondstown
, Penrhiwfer
and Williamstown.
began in Penygraig in 1857 when Thomas Ellis sank a drift mine. In 1858 Moses Rowlands and Richard Jenkins discovered a seam at Penygraig and would later form the Penygraig Coal Company. The Company sank the first deep pit in the village, The Penygraig Colliery; after which the village would be named. After the Penygraig Colliery showed a successful profit the Naval Colliery Company opened a second deep pit, The Pandy, which reached the steam coal seam in 1879. The Pandy was then sold to the New Naval Colliery Company after three disasters, which then opened three more deep mines The Ely, the Nantgwyn and the Anthony Pits. The New Naval company would then become part of the Cambrian Combine, owned by Viscount Rhondda
. The Ely Colliery would be the centre of the Cambrian Combine dispute, which in turn would lead to the Tonypandy Riot
.
team Penygraig RFC
, which during the late 19th and early 20th century was one of the most notable rugby clubs in the Rhondda, producing Wales
international players Dai Evans
and Jack Rhapps
, and was the early club of British Isles
rugby representative Percy Bush
.
Penygraig, like many of the villages of the Rhondda, also produced notable boxers
, including Tom Thomas
, who in 1908 became the first British national middle-weight champion, and in 1909 was the first winner of the Lonsdale Belt
at the same weight.
Community (Wales)
A community is a division of land in Wales that forms the lowest-tier of local government in Wales. Welsh communities are analogous to civil parishes in England....
in the Rhondda Valley
Rhondda
Rhondda , or the Rhondda Valley , is a former coal mining valley in Wales, formerly a local government district, consisting of 16 communities built around the River Rhondda. The valley is made up of two valleys, the larger Rhondda Fawr valley and the smaller Rhondda Fach valley...
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 Rhondda Cynon Taf, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan
Glamorgan
Glamorgan or Glamorganshire is one of the thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It was originally an early medieval kingdom of varying boundaries known as Glywysing until taken over by the Normans as a lordship. Glamorgan is latterly represented by the three...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. As a community Penygraig contains the neighbouring districts of Dinas
Dinas Rhondda
Dinas is a village near Tonypandy in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Dinas is often referred to as Dinas Rhondda as in the railway station such as to avoid confusion with Dinas Powys in the Vale of Glamorgan...
, Edmondstown
Edmondstown
Edmondstown is an area in South Dublin. It situated on the R116 regional road, south of Ballyboden and north of Rockbrook, in the valley of the Oewdoher River. Edmondstown National School is a senior primary school which serves the local area. The school principal is Mr.Damien Burke.The school...
, Penrhiwfer
Penrhiwfer
Penrhiwfer is a village located in the County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales.There is one shop, one church and one community centre. Three mildly residentially segregated communities exist within this settlement; these regions are locally referred to as the Back-Lanes, the New Houses and the...
and Williamstown.
Early history
The original settlement which in now Penygraig was called Ffrwd Amos, though as with the rest of the Rhondda before industrialisation the only settlements were farmsteads. In 1832, Soar, one of the first baptist chapels in the Rhondda was built at Penygraig by preacher David Williams.Industrial Penygraig
Coal miningCoal 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,...
began in Penygraig in 1857 when Thomas Ellis sank a drift mine. In 1858 Moses Rowlands and Richard Jenkins discovered a seam at Penygraig and would later form the Penygraig Coal Company. The Company sank the first deep pit in the village, The Penygraig Colliery; after which the village would be named. After the Penygraig Colliery showed a successful profit the Naval Colliery Company opened a second deep pit, The Pandy, which reached the steam coal seam in 1879. The Pandy was then sold to the New Naval Colliery Company after three disasters, which then opened three more deep mines The Ely, the Nantgwyn and the Anthony Pits. The New Naval company would then become part of the Cambrian Combine, owned by Viscount Rhondda
Viscount Rhondda
Viscount Rhondda, of Llanwern in the County of Monmouthshire, was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1918 for the Welsh businessman and Liberal politician David Alfred Thomas, 1st Baron Rhondda, with special remainder to his daughter Margaret and her heirs male...
. The Ely Colliery would be the centre of the Cambrian Combine dispute, which in turn would lead to the Tonypandy Riot
Tonypandy Riot
The Tonypandy Riots of 1910 and 1911 was a series of violent confrontations between coal miners and police that took place at various locations in and around the Rhondda mines of the Cambrian Combine, a business network of mining companies formed to regulate prices and wages in south Wales...
.
The Naval Colliery pit disasters
The first of three disasters to occur at the Naval Colliery happened on December 4, 1875 when a flood broke through into the mine, resulting in two miners drowning and the lives of many others placed at risk. Then on December 10, 1880 a gas explosion took the lives of 101 miners out of the 106 who were working in the mine at the time. This was followed on January 27, 1884 when another explosion led to the death of fourteen men. These disasters are likely factors in the Naval Colliery Company selling the mine in 1887.Sport and leisure
Penygraig is home to rugby unionRugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
team Penygraig RFC
Penygraig RFC
Penygraig Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team based in Penygraig, Wales. Penygraig RFC formed in 1877, one of the earlier rugby clubs to emerge, and by 1890's were a strong voice in the Welsh Rugby Union, one of four clubs from the Rhondda Valley that held WRU representation.-Early...
, which during the late 19th and early 20th century was one of the most notable rugby clubs in the Rhondda, producing Wales
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
international players Dai Evans
Dai Evans
David "Dai" Evans was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Penygraig and international rugby for Wales.Evans was born in Maenclochog, Pembrokeshire, but came to the Rhondda Valley to find work...
and Jack Rhapps
Jack Rhapps
John "Jack" Rhapps was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Penygraig and international rugby for Wales...
, and was the early club of British Isles
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
rugby representative Percy Bush
Percy Bush
Percy Frank Bush was a Welsh rugby union player who played international rugby for Wales on eight occasions. Playing at fly-half, Bush is regarded as one of the most talented Welsh players before the first World War.-Rugby career:...
.
Penygraig, like many of the villages of the Rhondda, also produced notable boxers
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, including Tom Thomas
Thomas Thomas (boxer)
Thomas Thomas , was a Welsh boxer, the first British middleweight boxing champion.-Early years:He was born at Glynarthen, Cardiganshire but moved to Carncelyn Farm, Penygraig, in the Rhondda Valley of South Wales at an early age.-Learning the noble art:He began boxing in a sideshow, touring with...
, who in 1908 became the first British national middle-weight champion, and in 1909 was the first winner of the Lonsdale Belt
Lonsdale belt
The Lonsdale Belt was a boxing prize introduced by Hugh Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale, to be awarded to British boxing champions. It is still awarded to British champions today.-National Sporting Club:...
at the same weight.