Treherbert
Encyclopedia
Treherbert is a village
and community situated at the head of the Rhondda
Fawr valley in the county borough
of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales
. Treherbert is a former industrial coal mining village which was at its economic peak between 1850 and 1920. Treherbert is the upper most community of the Rhondda Fawr and encompasses the districts of Blaencwm
, Blaenrhondda
, Tynewydd
and Pen-yr-englyn.
ic times, but prior to the Industrial Revolution
and the advent of coal mining
the villages of Treherbert, Tynewydd, Blaenrhondda and Blaencwm consisted of a number of isolated rural
farms and scattered homesteads. In 1841 there were only 218 people residing in the 'Middle hamlet of Treherbert', which had risen to 1,203 by 1861.
In August 1845, the trustees of the Marquess of Bute
bought the Cwmsaebren farm from William Davies for a fee of £11,000 to sink the first steam coal
pit in the Rhondda valley. A trial pit was sunk from 1850, but progress was slow due to the fact that all equipment was carried over rough tracks by horse and cart from the Taff Vale Railway
's then terminus at Dinas
. In April 1853 the first seam of what was called the Bute Merthyr Colliery was struck at a depth of 125 yards, and production was begun in early 1855.
Parish records showed the first use of the name Treherbert from January 1855, commemorating the Herbert earls of Pembroke, one of the ancestors of the Marquess of Bute
. The first 38 wagons of steam coal were transported from the newly extended Taff Vale Railway station at Gelligaled (Ystrad) to Cardiff Docks
on 21 December 1855. Installation of the railway line facilitated the rapid expansion of the village, and the need to build new houses, the first rows of which were built at Bute Street, Dumfries Street, and Baglan Street.
The first Rhondda member for the Welsh Assembly was Treherbert born Geraint Davies
. Treherbert is served by two county borough councillors sitting on Rhondda Cynon Taf CBC. They are Geraint Davies and Layton 'Percy' Jones who are members of Plaid Cymru
.
.
is the last stop on the Arriva Trains Wales
Treherbert line, which runs from the capital city
, Cardiff
. Prior to the Dr Beeching
plans in the 1960s the railway line continued from Treherbert through Tynewydd to Blaencwm
. From here it turned left at Pen Pych into Blaencwm. In Blaencwm, the line descended into a tunnel under Mynydd Blaengwynfi, emerging in the village of Blaengwynfi
in the nearby Afan valley. The journey took approximately 8 minutes.
club Treherbert RFC
. The team is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union
and was founded by local colliers in 1879.
Treherbert also produced one of Wales' first rugby league
teams, Treherbert RLFC
, playing for just two seasons between 1908 and 1910.
Following the closure of the colliery, the band continued but was renamed variously the Upper Rhondda Band, Treherbert & District Silver Band, Treherbert Band, and now Treherbert & District Band.
The band has enjoyed many successes in competition, at the National Eisteddfod of Wales, the Mineworkers Open, the National Championships of Great Britain and Wales' annual national competition, the Welsh Regional Championships. During the 1990's the band gained promotion from the fourth section right through to the elite Championship division, and became Welsh League Champions in 2002, Welsh Regional Champions in 2003 and Runner Up Welsh Regional Champions in 2007.
In 2011 the band became National Eisteddfod Third Division Champions, Runner Up Welsh Regional Champions and Runner Up SEWBBA Champions.
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...
and community situated at the head of the Rhondda
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...
Fawr 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, 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...
. Treherbert is a former industrial coal mining village which was at its economic peak between 1850 and 1920. Treherbert is the upper most community of the Rhondda Fawr and encompasses the districts of Blaencwm
Blaencwm
Blaencwm is a village in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, lying at the head the Rhondda Fawr valley. Blaencwm is very small village and is part of the community of Treherbert.- History :...
, Blaenrhondda
Blaenrhondda
Blaenrhondda is a village in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, lying at the head the Rhondda Fawr valley. Blaenrhondda is a very small village and is part of the community of Treherbert.-History:...
, Tynewydd
Tynewydd
Tynewydd is a village located in the County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, south Wales. With Treherbert, Blaencwm, Blaenrhondda and Pen-yr-englyn it is part of a community of former industrial coal mining villages at the head of Rhondda Fawr, the larger of the Rhondda Valleys.The village is...
and Pen-yr-englyn.
History
There is evidence of settlements in the Rhondda dating back to CeltCelt
The Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Iron Age and Roman-era Europe who spoke Celtic languages.The earliest archaeological culture commonly accepted as Celtic, or rather Proto-Celtic, was the central European Hallstatt culture , named for the rich grave finds in Hallstatt, Austria....
ic times, but prior to the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
and the advent of 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,...
the villages of Treherbert, Tynewydd, Blaenrhondda and Blaencwm consisted of a number of isolated rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
farms and scattered homesteads. In 1841 there were only 218 people residing in the 'Middle hamlet of Treherbert', which had risen to 1,203 by 1861.
In August 1845, the trustees of the Marquess of Bute
Marquess of Bute
Marquess of the County of Bute, shortened in general usage to Marquess of Bute, is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1796 for John Stuart, 4th Earl of Bute.-Family history:...
bought the Cwmsaebren farm from William Davies for a fee of £11,000 to sink the first steam coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
pit in the Rhondda valley. A trial pit was sunk from 1850, but progress was slow due to the fact that all equipment was carried over rough tracks by horse and cart from the Taff Vale Railway
Taff Vale Railway
The Taff Vale Railway is a railway in Glamorgan, South Wales, and is one of the oldest in Wales. It operated as an independent company from 1836 until 1922, when it became a constituent company of the Great Western Railway...
's then terminus at Dinas
Dinas Rhondda railway station
Dinas Rhondda railway station is a railway station serving the Dinas, Penygraig and Trealaw districts of Tonypandy, Wales. It is located on the Rhondda Line. The station has one platform with one small station shelter and is accessible by a small connector road...
. In April 1853 the first seam of what was called the Bute Merthyr Colliery was struck at a depth of 125 yards, and production was begun in early 1855.
Parish records showed the first use of the name Treherbert from January 1855, commemorating the Herbert earls of Pembroke, one of the ancestors of the Marquess of Bute
Marquess of Bute
Marquess of the County of Bute, shortened in general usage to Marquess of Bute, is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1796 for John Stuart, 4th Earl of Bute.-Family history:...
. The first 38 wagons of steam coal were transported from the newly extended Taff Vale Railway station at Gelligaled (Ystrad) to Cardiff Docks
Cardiff Docks
Cardiff Docks is a port in south Cardiff, Wales. At its peak, the port was one of the largest dock systems in the world with a total quayage of almost...
on 21 December 1855. Installation of the railway line facilitated the rapid expansion of the village, and the need to build new houses, the first rows of which were built at Bute Street, Dumfries Street, and Baglan Street.
Present day
During the early 21st century many of the notable buildings of 'old' Treherbert were demolished; including Treherbert Hospital, Treherbert Police Station, Dunraven School (Tynewydd), Blaencwm School, Blaenrhondda School, Penyrenglyn Infants and Junior School, Treherbert Infants School and Libanus Chapel.The first Rhondda member for the Welsh Assembly was Treherbert born Geraint Davies
Geraint Davies (Welsh politician)
Geraint Davies is a Plaid Cymru Welsh politician. He was the National Assembly for Wales Member for Rhondda from 1999 to 2003.-Professional career:...
. Treherbert is served by two county borough councillors sitting on Rhondda Cynon Taf CBC. They are Geraint Davies and Layton 'Percy' Jones who are members of Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru
' is a political party in Wales. It advocates the establishment of an independent Welsh state within the European Union. was formed in 1925 and won its first seat in 1966...
.
Transport
The main road in the northerly direction out of Treherbert is the A4061 Rhigos Mountain RoadA4061 road
The A4061 is a main road linking Bridgend with Hirwaun in Wales.Settlements served by this road include:*Bridgend*Sarn*Bryncethin*Blackmill*Lewistown*Ogmore Vale*Price Town*Nantymoel*Treorchy*Treherbert*Hirwaun-Links:*...
.
Railway
Treherbert railway stationTreherbert railway station
Treherbert railway station is a railway station serving the village of Treherbert in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is the northern terminus of the Rhondda Line north west of Cardiff Central....
is the last stop on the Arriva Trains Wales
Arriva Trains Wales
Arriva Trains Wales is a train operating company, owned by Arriva, that operates urban and inter urban passenger services in Wales and the Welsh Marches...
Treherbert line, which runs from the capital city
Capital City
Capital City was a television show produced by Euston Films which focused on the lives of investment bankers in London living and working on the corporate trading floor for the fictional international bank Shane-Longman....
, Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
. Prior to the Dr Beeching
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
plans in the 1960s the railway line continued from Treherbert through Tynewydd to Blaencwm
Blaencwm
Blaencwm is a village in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, lying at the head the Rhondda Fawr valley. Blaencwm is very small village and is part of the community of Treherbert.- History :...
. From here it turned left at Pen Pych into Blaencwm. In Blaencwm, the line descended into a tunnel under Mynydd Blaengwynfi, emerging in the village of Blaengwynfi
Blaengwynfi
Blaengwynfi is a village in the Neath Port Talbot area of South Wales.It is a part of the "Upper Afan Valleys". It used to be a coal mining village, and is directly below the village of "Abergwynfi"...
in the nearby Afan valley. The journey took approximately 8 minutes.
Sport
Treherbert 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...
club Treherbert RFC
Treherbert RFC
Treherbert Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team based in Tynewydd in the Rhondda Valley. Treherbert RFC play home games in red shirts with black shorts and black socks...
. The team is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union
Welsh Rugby Union
The Welsh Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Wales, recognised by the International Rugby Board.The union's patron is Queen Elizabeth II, and her grandson Prince William of Wales became the Vice Royal Patron of the Welsh Rugby Union as of February 2007.-History:The roots of the...
and was founded by local colliers in 1879.
Treherbert also produced one of Wales' first rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
teams, Treherbert RLFC
Treherbert RLFC
Treherbert Rugby League Football Club was a professional rugby league club based in Treherbert, Wales playing in the Welsh League and Northern Union. Based at the Athletic Ground, Treherbert were one of the first professional Welsh teams, formed in 1908 but folding after just two seasons...
, playing for just two seasons between 1908 and 1910.
Music
Treherbert Band is one of the longest established bands in the South Wales area. It was originally formed around 1897 as Treherbert Drum and Fife Band, later becoming a brass band associated to the Glenrhondda Colliery.Following the closure of the colliery, the band continued but was renamed variously the Upper Rhondda Band, Treherbert & District Silver Band, Treherbert Band, and now Treherbert & District Band.
The band has enjoyed many successes in competition, at the National Eisteddfod of Wales, the Mineworkers Open, the National Championships of Great Britain and Wales' annual national competition, the Welsh Regional Championships. During the 1990's the band gained promotion from the fourth section right through to the elite Championship division, and became Welsh League Champions in 2002, Welsh Regional Champions in 2003 and Runner Up Welsh Regional Champions in 2007.
In 2011 the band became National Eisteddfod Third Division Champions, Runner Up Welsh Regional Champions and Runner Up SEWBBA Champions.