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Glamorgan

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"The County of GLAMORGAN is 112 Miles in Circumference, contains about 540000 Acres, 10 Hundreds, 9 Market Towns, 118 Parishes and 9644 Houses. It had formerly 25 Castles and 3 Monasteries most of which are now demolished. The Air is various, sharp on ye Mountains, covered with Snow but very Mild & Warm on ye Seavern Coast. The Soil in ye North Part is full of Steep, High & Barren Hills, abounding with Woods, in ye South more plain rich & fertile, feeding multitude of Cattle & Sheep; it is called for its fruitfullness ye Garden of Wales. It is plentifully stored with Fish, Flesh, Fowl, it also has many Coal Pits, The Cheif Comodities are Corn & Cattle." [Emanuel Bowen, Britannia Depicta, 1720]

"GLAMORGANSHIRE, a maritime county of SOUTH WALES, bounded on the north by Brecknockshire, on the east by the English county of Monmouth, on the south by the Bristol channel, and on the west and north-west by the bay and county of Carmarthen. It extends from 51° 23' to 51° 48' (N. Lat.), and from 3° 7 to 4° 17' (W. Lon) ; and comprises an area, as estimated by Mr. Cary, in his Communications to the Board of Agriculture, of six hundred and sixty square miles, or four hundred and twenty-two thousand four hundred acres. The population, in 1831, was 126,612...... More " [A Topographical Dictionary of Wales by Samuel Lewis 1833]

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Archives & Libraries

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Bibliography

Here is a Brief Description of several books which are specific to the County of Glamorgan

Here is a substantial reading list of books which relate to Glamorgan, either county or parish.  It is acknowledged that the principal source of the details of books etc included  on these pages is the online catalogues of the National Library of Wales - supplemented by reference to the RHS Bibliography site

See also  Independent Chapels of Wales: History Books and Pamphlets by Huw Walters.

Additionally, these books below are name indexed or have contents extracts;

Bessborough, Earl of. Lady Charlotte Guest. Extracts from her journal 1833-1852. London, John Murray, 1950. A fascinating insight into the life of a quiet remarkable woman with particular reference to that period of her life as the wife of Sir John Guest of the Dowlais Iron Works. Here are substantial extracts from her Diaries.

Collieries of Wales [Engineering and Architecture] Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (Editors; Stephen Hughes, Brian Malaws, Medwyn Parry and Peter Wakelin) Index by Gareth Hicks.

Colyer, Richard. The Welsh Cattle Drovers(1976). Here is a contents listing/introduction and an index by Catherine Davies-Shiel. Reissued in 2002 by Landmark Publishing Co, with  revision of some chapters, now p192.

Colyer, R. J. Moore. Further References to the Welsh Cattle Trade. National Library of Wales journal. Volume XXV/3 Summer, 1988. Extract of this article by Bill Griffith-Jones 2002

Colyer, Richard. Archives/NLWjournals/Welsh Cattle Drovers in the Nineteenth Century - 1   National Library of Wales journal. 1972, Winter Volume XVII/4

Colyer, Richard. Welsh Cattle Drovers in the Nineteenth Century - 2   National Library of Wales journal. 1974, Summer. Volume XVIII/3

Colyer, Richard. Welsh Cattle Drovers in the Nineteenth Century - 3 National Library of Wales journal. 1975, Summer. Volume XIX/1

Craig, Robert. R J Nevill and the Early Welsh Coal Trade - A Comment  National Library of Wales journal. Volume X/4 Winter 1958

Davies, Alun Eirug. Paper-Mills and Paper-Makers in Wales 1700-1900. , National Library of Wales journal. 1967, Summer Volume XV/1

Davies, B L. British Schools in South Wales, The Rev William Roberts (Nefydd), South Wales, Representative of the British and Foreign School Society, 1853-1863 , National Library of Wales journal. 1974, Winter. Volume XVIII/4

Davies, David W. ' November the first 1854 yr wif fi David W Davies the son of Wm Davies yn Esgrifenu Llufer Cofadwriaeth om achau gan Lechrhau ar fy thad yr Hwn ei enw oed William Davies the son of David J Davies llwunphelish ger llaw castellned and was born April 1784 and beread in the 25 of December 1848 in hurwain by the chapel of the Disenters called benepo glanmorganshire.'
This is the opening sentence of this book, a copy is held by the Family History Centre, Salt Lake City, the contents of which have been extracted with original spellings etc retained. It contains a lot of names from Glamorgan, some from Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire

Davies, Henry. Coal Mining, A Reader for Primary Schools and Evening Continuation Classes Published by The Welsh Educational Publishing Co, Merthyr Tydfil, 1904. Extracts by Gareth Hicks

Denning, Roy. The vale of Glamorgan in Old Photographs,1987.  Index by Huw Daniel

Egan, David. Coal Society: A History of the South Wales Mining Valleys 1840-1980. Gomer Press 1987/92. Here is a listing of sources quoted in the book, including details of photographs

Emanuel, H D. Dissent in the Counties of Glamorgan and Monmouth. National Library of Wales journal, 1954, Winter. Volume VIII/4   First in series . This has a general introduction to the subject, plus entries for places from Aberavon to Goytrey. Also 1955, Summer. Volume IX/1; The second in the series, covers places from Grosmont to Merthyr Tydfil. Also 1955, Winter. Volume IX/2  ; the final in the series, covers places from Michaelston-super-Avon to Ystradyfodwg.

Emery, F V. West Glamorgan Farming, circa 1580-1620. National Library of Wales journal. 1956, Winter. Volume IX/4  & 1957, Summer. Volume X/I. The two parts of the article embrace the lands of Gower, one of the medieval Marcher Lordships in South Wales, extending from the foothills of the Black Mountains in the north for thirty miles down to the Bristol Channel on its south coast

Evans, C J. The Story of Glamorgan. 1908 - the complete book is accessible on the Internet Archive site - click on Texts and search on Cardiff

Evans, David. Labour Strife in the South Wales Coalfield, 1910 - 1911. Index to Police Casualties extracted by David Pike.

Evans, Leslie Wynne. Colliery Schools in South Wales in the Nineteenth Century. National Library of Wales journal. 1957, Winter. Volume X/2.

Evans, Leslie Wynne. Copper-Works Schools in South Wales during the Nineteenth Century. National Library of Wales journal. 1959, Summer Volume XI/1. There are 27 Appendices which contain data concerning individual schools in Kilvey, Hafod, Llanelly, Pembrey, Margam, Maesteg and Pontamman

Evans, Leslie Wynne. Voluntary Education in the Industrial Areas of Wales before 1870 National Library of Wales journal. Vol XIV/4, Winter 1966

Evans, Leslie Wynne. School Boards and the Works School System after the Education Act of 1870. National Library of Wales journal. 1967, Summer Volume XV/1

Francis, Hywel & David Smith. The Fed; a history of the South Wales Miners in the twentieth century. Published by Lawrence and Wishart, 1980. A contents/illustrations listing and name index by Gareth Hicks

Grant, Raymond.     On the Parish,  Glamorgan Archive Service,1988. A list of Glamorgan parishes with extant Vestry minutes, Overseers books etc from this book is on Parish Poor Law records  

James, Brian Ll. The Great Landowners of Wales in 1873. National Library of Wales journal. 1966, Summer Volume XIV/3

Jones, E D. The Journal of William Roberts ['Nefydd'] 1853-62. National Library of Wales journal, Winter 1953, Volume VIII/2. The  first of three issues, it includes extensive general commentary on elementary education covering the whole of Wales, and with journal entries from Dec 1853 to July 1854, which cover his visits to places in Glamorgan and Monmouthshire

Jones, E D. The Journal of William Roberts ['Nefydd'] 1853-62. National Library of Wales journal, Summer 1954, Volume VIII/3. The  second of three issues, includes journal entries from July 1854 to Dec 1855, which cover his visits to places all over south and west Wales

Jones, E D. The Journal of William Roberts['Nefydd'] 1853-62. National Library of Wales journal, Summer 1955, Volume IX/1. The third of three issues, includes journal entries from February 1856 to June 1856, which cover his visits to places in Glamorgan, Monmouthshire and Brecknockshire.

Jones, G Penrhyn. Cholera in Wales. National Library of Wales journal Vol X/3 Summer 1958.

Morgan, Kenneth O. Labour's Early Struggles in South Wales: Some New Evidence, 1900-8. National Library of Wales journal. 1972, Winter Volume XVII/4

Morgan, Walter T. Chartism and Industrial Unrest in South Wales in 1842. National Library of Wales journal Vol X/1 Summer 1957.

Morris, J H & L J Williams. R J Nevill and the Early Welsh Coal Trade. National Library of Wales journal. 1957, Summer Volume X/1.

Nicholas, Thomas, MA. History and Antiquities of Glamorganshire and its families. 1974. Index by Curtis Evans

Osborne, Brian. Glamorgan Agriculture in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. National Library of Wales journal. 1978, Winter Volume XX/4

Parry-Jones, D. Some Thoughts and Notes on the English of South Wales. National Library of Wales journal. 1974, Winter. Volume XVIII/4

Price, Cecil. Portable Theatres in Wales, 1843-1914National Library of Wales journal, Summer 1955, Volume IX/1. Selected extracts from this article intended to bring out the flavour of a theatrical life that the participants regarded as the then modern successor of  the "old strolling tradition". Mostly Glamorgan coverage.

Price, Cecil. Some Welsh Theatres, 1844 - 1870, National Library of Wales journal. 1961, Winter Volume XII/2. The towns featured are; Aberystwyth, Abergavenny, Brecon, Carmarthen, Merthyr, Monmouth, Newport, Tredegar and Wrexham.

Roberts, R O. Copper and Economic Growth in Great Britain, 1729-1784 National Library of Wales journal. 1957, Summer Volume X/1.

The Cambrian Journal   Volume 1 , 1854. Published under the auspices of the Cambrian Institute. London, Longmans & Co; Tenby, R Mason. Includes an extracted article styled 'The Industrial Capacities of South Wales'.

Thomas, Hugh. THE INDUSTRIALIZATION OF A GLAMORGAN PARISH (Llangiwg). National Library of Wales journal Winter, 1975, Vol XIX/2 . pp 194-208. A complete extract of the first of three articles.

Thomas, Hugh. THE INDUSTRIALIZATION OF A GLAMORGAN PARISH (Llangiwg). National Library of Wales journal Summer,1976, Volume XIX/3.  pp 227-242. A complete extract of the second of three articles.

Thomas, Hugh.THE INDUSTRIALIZATION OF A GLAMORGAN PARISH (Llangiwg). National Library of Wales journal Winter,1976, Volume XIX/4.  pp 345-361. A complete extract of the final of three articles.

Williams, Gwyn A. The Merthyr Riots: Settling the Account. National Library of Wales journal. 1959, Winter Volume XI/2.

Williams, Moelwyn I. A Contribution to the Commercial History of Glamorgan 1666-1735, National Library of Wales journal, Various volumes 1955-62. . Also A Further Contribution to the Commercial History of Glamorgan, same author and source. Extracts and indexes by Steve Keates & Gareth Hicks

Williams, W. Samlet Rev. The History of Methodists in West Glamorgan, 1916. Index by Margaret Jones.

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Cemeteries

The Glamorgan Family History Society have published indexes for a substantial number of Monumental Inscriptions which are available for purchase on Glamorgan Family History Society

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Census

The Glamorgan FHS have published a whole range of census transcriptions/indexes e.g 1841, 1851, 1861. They are mainly available for purchase on Glamorgan Family History Society

The UK BMD web site "provides 2556 links to websites that offer on-line transcriptions of UK births, marriages, deaths and censuses. A wide range of other indexes and transcriptions are also available for most counties, these may include parish records, wills, monumental inscriptions etc"

Carry out initial searches on all censuses 1841-1911  on  LDS Family Search  - using basic data supplied by Find My Past (subscription site) and all follow up searches are directed there

Class List of places appearing in each census year for Glamorgan This relates to the PRO's piece numbers, breaks it down into Registration Districts, Registration Sub Districts, Parishes and Hamlets/Townships.

1881 census place name index for details of 1881 census Registration District overlaps and a census district  index

Gibson, J.S.W. and Medlycott, M.T. Local Census Listings 1522-1930 (2nd ed.), Birmingham, Fed. of Fam. Hist. Soc. (1994) 52 pp. [ISBN 1-872094-75-9].

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Chronology

A chronology of Glamorgan has been provided by Bob Sanders

Part 1 - Pre 1700
Part 2 - 1700 - 1849
Part 3 - 1850 onwards

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Church History

Rees, Thomas & Thomas, John. Hanes Eglwysi Annibynnol Cymru. (History of the Welsh Independent Churches) 1873 - From the CD of the 4 volume book published by Archive CD Books. The Glamorgan section is fully extracted and translated 

Church Plans Online - the Lambeth Palace Library holds a database of the Incorporated Church Building Society's images of the plans of various churches (use the onsite search facility)

Glamorgan Chapels project (2005)

Welsh Chapels & Churches  

Cardiff  Places of Worship database produced by Glamorgan FHS

Pillars of Faith - a remembrance of Non-conformist and other  chapels in the Rhondda

The Presbyterian Church of Wales site  has a list of CM chapels still open  in each county. Under Churches, then use both parts of drop down menu (3rd paragraph down) 

The 1851 Religious Census. Here is a table detailing the statistics for the various denominations in South Wales

A History of Methodism in Glamorgan has been provided by Bob Sanders

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Church Records

Diocese of Llandaff - a pdf file called "A Handbook for Ministry Areas" first published in September 2020 containing a list of Existing Benifices with proposed  New Ministry Areas and includes in the Introduction the following explanatory extract;

"This Handbook draws the Diocese into the wider planning for Ministry Areas which has been our ambition since the ‘Transformations’ agenda was endorsed by both the Governing Body and the Diocesan Conference of Llandaff almost eight years ago. That agenda was a way of sustaining parish ministry, especially as our support base of Sunday worshippers diminished. Dioceses of the Church in Wales had to create an agile future if ministry and church buildings were to continue, adapting to changing social habits. During that time some parts of our Diocese have motored ahead in the shape of Rectorial Benefices, creating new teams of clergy and laity to direct and oversee the mission and ministry of the Church from Caerphilly, to Neath and the Vale of Glamorgan. Other parishes such as Pontypridd and Penarth, have built their own forms of co-operation and in ‘lockdown’ many of those relationships have been strengthened with churchgoers from different congregations worshipping together on- line........"

Name extracts from various sources - Bt's/PRs, mainly Gower parishes. Names include Bevan, Howell, Lewis, Lloyd, Owen, Rees, Prisson, Griffith

England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index Marriages 1754 - 1837 on Tinstaafl Transcripts  - Work in progress

Glamorgan Record Office in Cardiff  hold most extant parish church and non-conformist chapel records, these are listed on their site (click  ' history of your family' on main page and scroll down to the end of the next page) Parishes and Churches of the Diocese of Llandaff.

The Location of Methodist and other Non-conformist registers of Glamorgan has been provided by Bob Sanders

A list of Parish Register Copies in the Library of the Society of Genealogists

The Glamorgan Family History Society have published a whole range of indexes to parish records e.g baptisms, marriages and burials, most of these are available for purchase on Glamorgan Family History Society

Welsh Wills Index, Prior to 1858. Glamorgan Family History Society holds a copy on microfiche of the Abstracts and Indexes of Wills prior to 1858 deposited at the National Library of Wales at Aberystwyth . The Abstracts mainly consist of the names of those mentioned in the Will or Admon. The scope of the Indexes varies according to the Diocese. Coverage for each Diocese is as follows: St David's 1564 to 1653 and 1660 to 1858 Llandaff 1746 to 1832. Searches of the index are free (members only).

Family Search UK/Ireland - Historical Record Collections 
IGI Batch Numbers - Hugh Wallis's site  and Archer Software's site  

Ifans, Dafydd [ed]. Cofrestri Anghydfurol Cymru/ Nonconformist Registers of Wales. Aberystwyth, 1994. This book includes Ordnance Survey references for listed chapels.

Jones, I.G. & Williams, D. The Religious census of 1851 : A Calendar of the returns relating to Wales, Vol 1, South Wales.   Cardiff, 1976

MacDonald, R W. The Parish Registers of Wales, National Library of Wales journal. 1976, Winter. Volume XIX/4

Williams, C.J. and Watts-Williams, J. Cofrestri Plwyf Cymru: Parish Registers of Wales (National Index of Parish Registers, Vol. 13).Aberystwyth: National Library of Wales, Second edition,2000. This book has been used as a source of data of parish records and bishop's transcripts on the Genuki parish pages

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Civil Registration

Detailed listing, by Brett Langston, of the places covered by the old and current Glamorgan Registration districts

The UK BMD web site "provides 2556 links to websites that offer on-line transcriptions of UK births, marriages, deaths and censuses. A wide range of other indexes and transcriptions are also available for most counties, these may include parish records, wills, monumental inscriptions etc"

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Description & Travel

Rhondda Valley

Glamorgan parishes diagram

Conservation areas within the Vale of Glamorgan. "Conservation areas are areas of special architectural or historic interest, the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance"

The Book of South Wales, the Bristol Channel, Monmouthshire and the Wye 1847. By C F Cliffe. Here are selected extracts contributed by Josephine Jeremiah.

The Book of South Wales and the Wye 1861. By Mr and Mrs S.C.Hall. Here are selected extracts contributed by Jill Muir

Geography of South Wales - part of the Coalfield Web Materials site

Principal Markets and Fairs in South Wales. Extracted from Kelly's Directory South Wales 1910

Gazetteer of Markets and Fairs in England and Wales to 1516. The Gazetteer compiled by Dr Samantha Letters is a catalogue of markets and fairs in medieval England and Wales. This is the first comprehensive national survey.

Byng's Journal Of a Tour into South Wales, 1787..........'These tours are considered a last picture of pre-industrial England and Wales'. Here is a small collection of extracts compiled by Steve Keates

A Vision of Britain Through Time. "This site contains information about your home area from the 2001 census -- and from every earlier British census back to 1801. It can present this information both as maps of the whole country and as graphs showing change over time in your area. It truly offers a Vision of Britain through time"

The Glamorganshire Canal - Brief history with several photographs

Vale of Glamorgan Railway - on wikipedia

Glamorgan - on wikipedia

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Directories

Throughout the Glamorgan parish pages are transcriptions from the CD Kelly's South Wales Directory 1923 by Archive CD Books

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Gazetteers

Description of Glamorganshire from A Topographical Dictionary of Wales" by Samuel Lewis 1833

The transcription of the section for this county from the National Gazetteer (1868), provided by Colin Hinson.

Tallis's Topographical Dictionary of England and Wales, published in 1860 in six vols, editor E. L. Blanchard.  
See Welsh Family History Archive for all the excellent county maps (showing the hundreds) and the alphabetical gazetteer 
From the preface;
"In the following pages will be found fully described the past history and present aspect of every place of any significance in England and Wales, forming a work of permanent importance to the commercial world, of ready service to the tourist of the day, and of constant interest to the general reader, who may derive from this source a large supply of entertainment, as well as of information for the amusement and instruction of a leisure hour."

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Genealogy

Timeline of genealogically interesting dates by Gareth Hicks

John Ball's Welsh Family History Archive provides some very useful material and links for those with Welsh ancestry.

Here are details of the Genealogy Mailing Lists serving the Welsh counties. And here is the Glamorgan Mailing List's own site which contains guidelines, photograph album, surname list and much more.

A list of some published sources of Genealogy and History for Cardiff and Glamorgan by Bob Sanders

Glamorgan Families. Through this site you may submit details of your Glamorgan ancestry, and view the submissions of other Glamorgan family historians.

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Historical Geography

Hundreds in the County of Glamorgan; --- Glamorgan consists of ten hundreds, as listed below, each page contains some statistics from the 1841 census and a list of parishes within the hundred.

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History

An Introduction to Lordships and Manors - from Cardiff Records, Volume II, Chapter I  NOTES ON THE MANORS OF THE CARDIFF DISTRICT   (British History Online).  

The Glamorgan Gwent Archaelogical Trust - "Our goal is to preserve the best of the past for the benefit of the future, whilst also educating the public in archaeology."

A history of the Rebecca Riots in Glamorgan has been provided by Bob Sanders

Glamorgan  A  site incorporating historical snippets relating to the county, towns and parishes.  

The Norman Knights in Glamorgan . Extracted by Bernard Mainwaring from an article by The Rev. Dan Bryant M.A. D.C.L. printed in Historical Sketches of Glamorgan published by The Glamorgan Society in 1912

 The Normans in South Wales, 1070-1171 by Nelson, Lynn H. Austin and London: University of Texas Press, 1966

The Lordship of Glamorgan - on wikipedia

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Land & Property

Brief Histories of the Estates of the Gentry in and around Cardiff, provided by Bob Sanders

An index to Coleman's Deeds has been provided by Bob Sanders

Supplementary Planning Guidance: The Historic Environment (April 2019).  Part of the ' The Neath Port Talbot Local Development Plan (2011-2026)'. This is an useful document to peruse e.g it lists several local chapels 

Appendix A: Schedule of Buildings of Local Importance
"The BLIs are listed in the tables below by electoral ward, grouped into the eight LDP Spatial Areas. BLIs associated with the Swansea, Tennant and Neath canals are listed separately in Appendix B. The full schedules giving details of each BLI are in a separate document"

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Law & Legislation

A list of Glamorgan Clerks of the Peace, 1539-1953 as been provided by Bob Sanders

A list of Glamorgan High Sheriffs, 1541-1900, has been provided by Bob Sanders

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Maps

Here is a Parish Location Map  and the same map with the approximate position of the hundreds  superimposed on it

Undated map of Glamorgan - looks like post 1824 at least

Map of Glamorganshire from the Report of the Boundary Commissioners for England and Wales. Printed by Eyre and Spottiswoode, London, 1885.

Welsh county maps on the UK Genealogy Archives site

Here is a simple index relating to parish maps copied from Historic Parishes of England and Wales: an Electronic Map of Boundaries before 1850 with a Gazetteer and Metadata [computer file]. (Kain, R.J.P., Oliver, R.R.).

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Merchant Marine

Welsh Mariners  by Dr Reg Davies---includes a searchable database of over 21,000 (in 9/2005) Welsh born (or Wales resident) Master mariners, mates and engineers who held certificates of competency or service; in practice it is an index of men active from 1800 to 1945 in the merchant navy.

Swansea Mariners by Bryan Richards --- periods 1861 to 1874 and 1890 to 1894, a database of ratings such as un-certificated officers, bosun, able seaman, ordinary seaman, boy, cook, steward, etc in Glamorgan Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire, Cardiganshire, or from around the world. There are 43,000 detailed entries (8/2007).

Lighthouse Personnel in England and Wales and the Channel Islands 1841-1910. Includes;- Table of  Keepers; Table of Stations by county; Location map of the lighthouse sites.

A List of Shipping Records at Glamorgan Record Office, has been provided by Bob Sanders

Shipping Lists. A selection of items compiled by Steve Keates from various sources during his study of 18/19th century coastal shipping links between South Wales ports and the English counties of Devon and Somerset.

Crew and passengers on ships Crews & passengers of Cardiff ships in port on the 1881 census, also various other Welsh and English ports. By Bob Sanders

Maritime History. Although not particularly Glamorgan related here are a large number of links to websites dealing with maritime history. By Bob Sanders

Ships and shipping company recordsheld at Glamorgan Record Office By Bob Sanders

Arbitration records relating to shipping accidents held at Glamorgan Record Office By Bob Sanders

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Military History

Soldiers whose photos appear in the South Wales Echo     

  • This is a long list of names which can be found on the Internet Archives site, the original site having disappeared. The list starts at 9.11.1914 and ends at 25.8.1916.
  • It is believed to relate to soldiers who may have spent time at the  Welsh Metropolitan War Hospital in Whitchurch. The basis for this statement that there are other lists which appeared in the Western Mail and the latter can be accessed on the British Newspapers Archive site (subscription). Below is one example, there may be others at different dates;
    • Western Mail - Thursday 26 August 1915;  FROM THE DARDANELLES  NAMES OF 250 WOUNDED MEN AT WHITCHURCH. Two hundred and fifty wounded and invalided soldiers, mostly from the Dardanelles, have arrived the Welsh Metropolitan War Hospital, Whitchurch. The number includes several men of the 2nd South Wales Borderer's, and there are also a few members of the 53rd Welsh Divisional Cyclist Corps. The names are as follows: (not shown here)
    • This newspaper also has pages of photographs of soldiers that were published
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Military Records

A Brief history of the Glamorgan Militia has been provided by Bob Sanders

A Brief history of the Glamorgan Yeomanry Regiments, has been provided by Bob Sanders

The Glamorgan Yeomanry - on wikipedia

A Brief history of the Glamorgan Volunteer Regiments, has been provided by Bob Sanders.

The Royal Regiment of Wales was formed in 1969 by the amalgamation of two of Wales' most famous and distinguished regiments, namely The South Wales Borderers (24th Foot) and The Welch Regiment (41st/69th Foot).

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Names, Geographical

INDIVIDUAL TOWNS AND PARISHES - See Alphabetical Listing

Here is a database with grid co-ordinates of 10,000 place names from the 1891/1901 censuses for certain parishes in PEM,CMN & GLA(Gower)

Here is a list of Place Names in Glamorgan which have alternative spellings or have changed completely over time

Index of place names in the West Glamorgan area on Swansea Archives

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Names, Personal

An Analysis of first names from the 1851 Glamorgan census  By Anna Brueton, Oct 2002- an updated version of that originally submitted to the Glamorgan mailing list - based on the CD published by Glamorgan FHS

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Newspapers

The following newspapers in circulation in South Wales have online editions, there are also local papers detailed on parish pages:

Bob Sanders' site - Extracts from The Times newspaper relating to Cardiff and/or Cardiff people covering the period 1785 to 1819. It includes references to some Cardiff shipping, the Merthyr Riots and the Bute v John Wood political wrangles, amongst other things.

Here is a selection of a variety of news items and other material gleaned from the Western Mail newspaper - as contributed to the Glamorgan Mailing list by John Patrick

The Cambrian was the first English language newspaper to be published in Wales running from 1804 - 1930. Swansea Library Service has a computerised index to the contents freely available to search online

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Occupations

The South Wales Coal Annual for 1908; Edited by Joseph Davies. There are extracts of the sections on Ferndale Collieries, and the Taff Vale Railway and Penarth Docks. Also the section 'Districts, Membership, & Officers of the South Wales Miners' Federation'

The Coal House Project - on BBC Wales (site archived and no longer updated)

South Wales Miners Federation (SWMF) Register of Deaths in the South Wales coalfield between 5 January 1934 and 17 January 1941. This is a letter written by Dr Glen Jenkins to the Editor of the Glamorgan Family History Society's journal in March 2006. It relates  to an index of the above Register of Deaths compiled by him and  now held by the Library and Information Services, University of Wales Swansea        Now  also here

Here is the Wales section from Outline Map of the Mining Districts of the UK from the Childrens' Employment Commission Report of 1842. The shaded areas denote the Coal and Iron Mining Districts.
Copied from the CD published by Archive CD Books

Material on the 'Digging up the Past' site  - A Photographic Archive from the South Wales Coalfield

  • Men at Work
  • Machinery used by miners over the centuries  
  • Stories about the mining industry
  • Pit Closures

Glamorgan Photographers   A list of over 1,600 references to commercial photographers working in the county of Glamorgan from the early days in the 1850s up to about 1930

Victorian Professional Photographers in Wales 1850-1925 - a county based database compiled by Mari Alderman, includes sources and a bibliography

South Wales Police Heritage Centre

Coalfield Web Materials. University of Wales, Swansea. ".......... aims to improve lifelong learning opportunities by stimulating in the local history and cultural heritage of South Wales. It offers digital versions of original documentary and audiovisual material relating to the history and development of the South Wales Coalfield......" Here are direct links to sections of the site;

Welsh Coal Mines  This excellent site has details and photographs of many Collieries in South Wales. Also many with lists of miners killed in pit disasters

Railway companies which operated in Carmarthenshire, Glamorgan & Monmouthshire plus some in adjoining areas which ran into the former counties. By Bob Sanders

The Employment Commission report of 1842 on Children in Mines and Factories. This partial extract of names of people from specified mines in Glamorgan giving evidence was contributed by Steve Keates

Report (1842) by Rhys William Jones, Esq., on the Employment of Children and Young Persons (web site disappeared) in Monmouth and the Pontypool and Merthyr Districts, Blaenavon and Clydach Iron Works near Abergavenny, Nantyglo and Beaufort, Sirhowy and Ebbw Vale, Tredegar and Rhymney and Bute Iron Works in the County of Monmouth, Dowlais, Penydarran and the Aberdare Iron works near Merthyr Tydvil, Cwmavon Iron, Tin and Copper works and the Collieries and the Oakwood Collieries, near Port Talbot. The Iron Works in Bridgend, Neath and Swansea, The Copper Works at Swansea and Llanelly, and the Collieries in the Western part of Glamorgan and Carmarthenshire, and on the State, Condition and Treatment of such Children and Young Persons. It lists the name, age and place of employment of every individual interviewed by the commissioners in their compiling of the report - some hundreds of names. Infomation about the South Wales Coalfield Collection can be found at the S.W.C.C website

Evidence to the House of Lords Committee on the state of Agriculture 1837. An exercise by Steve Keates to illustrate the average costing of running a Glamorgan farm in the Vale of Glamorgan in the years 1790, 1813 and 1833. The data is derived/adapted from the accounts of comparative expenses given as evidence to the Select Committee, House of Lords on the State of Agriculture. PP Vol V (464) pp 66-69

Indexes of Occupations extracted from Parish Registers, primarily concerned with individuals in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan  - by Bob Sanders

GLAMORGANSHIRE GAME DUTY from THE CAMBRIAN 7 NOV 1807  - A Correct Alphabetical List of the Game Certificates issued by the Clerk of the Peace for the County of Glamorgan
from the 29th day of July to the 19th day of October, 1807.      Contributed by Lyn Nunn

GLAMORGANSHIRE GAMEKEEPERS from THE CAMBRIAN 7 NOV 1807     Contributed by Lyn Nunn

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Politics & Government

Politics in South Wales - part of the Coalfield Web Materials site

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Poor Houses, Poor Law

The Workhouse  - on Peter Higginbotham's site

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Population

The Population of the whole county of Glamorgan was as follows :

  • 1841 - 171,188
  • 1851 - 240,095
  • 1861 - 326,254
  • 1871 - 396,010
  • 1881 - 511,433
  • 1891 - 693,072
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Schools

Day Schools in Glamorgan in 1847. This database consists of day schools which existed in 1847 included here within an alphabetical list of parishes 
It contains the names and types of day schools listed in the Reports of the Commissioners of Inquiry into the State of Education in Wales published in 1847

The Blue Books of 1847.  An inquiry into the state of education in Wales - on the NLW's site

In the area originally referred to as the County of Glamorgan are  three Universities :

Schools - part of the Coalfield Web Materials site

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Social Life & Customs

Disease in Glamorgan. These notes were contributed by Clive Blakemore to the Glamorgan mailing list and are based on   A Sanitary Survey of Glamorganshire by William Williams M.A., M.D., D.P.H. (Oxon), County Medical Officer. Published in Cardiff, 1895.

Home, childhood, family life - part of the Coalfield Web Materials site

Eisteddfod and Miner's Gala - part of the Coalfield Web Materials site

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Societies

Glamorgan FHS - The Society has a Resource Centre at Aberkenfig.

South Wales Record Society - "The society was set up in 1982 with the aim of publishing a regular series of books and other works on the history of South Wales and particularly Glamorgan and Gwent."

Glamorgan History Society   The Glamorgan History Society has concerned itself over the last fifty years with nurturing the study of  all aspects of the history of Glamorgan, within the wider context of the history of Wales.The Society has just (2011) published the fifty second edition of  its journal, Morgannwg .................."        [The NLW has included the Morgannwg in its Welsh Journals Online Project' and there are links to the articles also on the Glamorgan Bibliography section of Genuki]

The Gower Society   Publishes Gower,  an English language annual journal containing articles, photographs and news relating to the area's archaeology, history, natural history and landscape. It was first published in 1948 and continues. Available on Welsh Journals Online