Glamorgan Contents Nearby Places

Margam

"A village four miles south-east from Aberavon, noteworthy for its once prosperous Cistercian monastry founded by Robert de Gloucester in 1147. The site of the abbey is now occupied by a mansion, in the grounds of which are the ruins of the choir and chapter-house. The parish church, a late Norman building, was the nave of the minister and contains a fine collection of Celtic crosses and sepulchral slabs. There are several inscribed stones and camps on the neighbouring hills."

[Glamorganshire, 1911]

Bibliography Business and Commerce Records Census Church History Church Records Description and Travel Directories Genealogy

History Land and Property Maps Occupations Public Records Religion and Religious Life Schools  Social Life and Customs

Bibliography

Here is a substantial reading list of books which relate to Glamorgan, either county or parish.

References to the village of Margam at

• The National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth

An online index to the book A History of Taibach to 1972 by Rev. Richard Morgan has been provided by Carole Wilkes

Business and Commerce Records

• John and Mary Morgan, drapers
  1784-1808: ledger
  [Glamorgan Archive Service, Cardiff - Reference: D/DMa]

Census

The Glamorgan Family History Society have produced a set of microfiche containing an enumerated transcription and a personal name index. These are available for the years :

• 1851 - HO107/2462
• 1891 - RG12/4457,8,9 (name index only)

Church History

Chapels Database  - a  list of all known non-conformist chapels or other non-Anglican religions in the parish

See photograph of St Mary's Church, Port Talbot on Jill Muir's site

Church Records

The church is dedicated to St. Mary, is in the Benefice of Margam, and diocese of Llandaff. Details of the present incumbent of this benefice can be found at the Church in Wales website. The church can be located at grid reference SS803864.

A transcription of the registers is available from the Glamorgan Family History Society for the years: Baptisms, 1672-1901, Marriages, 1675-1837, Burials, 1672-1900.

Details of extant records on Archives Network Wales for the following;

• Margam Ecclesiastical Parish records        "........ including registers of baptisms, 1672-1951; marriages, 1672-1837; burials, 1672-1953; banns, 1754-1795; miscellaneous and civil records, 1775-1855; for abbey church of St. Mary and chapel of ease, Port Talbot"

Modern Parishes & Chapels of Ease :-

• St. Tydfil, Bryn
• St. Peter, Goytre
• St. David, Margam
• Holy Cross, Pen-y-cae
• St. Agnes, Port Talbot - Chapel of Ease to Margam
• St. Theodore, Taibach

The following Religious Institutions are covered in the Mormon International Genealogical Index (IGI) :-

• Margam, St. Mary - Christenings (BT's), 1814-1875
• Margam, Dyffryn Calvinistic Methodist - Christenings, 1815-1837

Description and Travel

Places, villages, farms etc within Margam  as shown on the parish map on the CD of  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.). (Extracted by Rob Frayne)

• Margam (62) ; Blaen-cyneinon, Blaen Maelwg, Boduoc Stone, Bryn, Bryndu, Brynwygnas, Caegarw, Caerhendy, Caermynydd, Cefn Cetor, Cefn Crugwyllt, Cil-y-gofid, Craig Fawr, Craig Cwm Maelwg, Crugwyllt, Cwm Maelwg, Cwm Farteg, Cwrt-y-defaid, Dan y graig, Eglwys-Nunydd, Gallt-y-cwm, Geution las, Goytre, Groeswen, Hafod, Hafod heulog, Kenfig House, Llanmihangel, Llan-ton-y-groes, Margam, Margam Abbey, Margam Burrows, Margam Moors, Margam Park, Moel y Fen, Moel galt-y-cwm, Moel Tonmawr, Morfa Mawr, Mount Pleasant, Mynydd bychan, Mynydd y Castell, Mynydd Emroch, Mynydd Margam, Nant-y-glo, Newland, Oldpark, Parc-y-Bryn, Penhydd-fach, Pentre, Pen-y-bryn, Pumpeius Sone(Inscribed), Pwll-y-gwlaw, Penhydd waelod, Pont-y-moch, Rhiw Tor, Taibach, Tonmawr, Troed-y-rhiw, Twyn-y-hydd, Twyn Pen-y-castell, Ty-drawm, Tyler'r gigfran, Ty'n-y-cellar, Water Street (Roman road), Wern

Descriptions of the parish from  
A Topographical Dictionary of Wales (1833) by Samuel Lewis.
A Topographical Dictionary of The Dominion of Wales by Nicholas Carlisle, London, 1811.

The Margam Castle Daguerreotype The earliest Welsh photograph taken by the Reverend Calvert Richard Jones (1802-1877) from Swansea, one of the pioneers of the photographic art.

Margam Country Park

Margam Abbey on the Castle Wales site

Margam - on Wikipedia

Directories

Transcript of complete name listing for Port Talbot and neighbourhood, from Slaters Directory for 1858-1859.

Transcript of name listing for Margam with Taibach, from Post Office Directory for 1871

Genealogy

A List of Householders in the Hamlet of Margam in 1756             Contributed by Bryan Richards

History

Land and Property

Details of extant records on Archives Network Wales for the following;

• Penrice and Margam Estate Records     1147 - C19th     "The ancestors of the Mansel family originated in Normandy and appear to have arrived in Britain with William the Conqueror. The Gower branch of the family lived in comparative obscurity during the Middle Ages, but through judicious marriages with local families they acquired the manors of Penrice, Oxwich and Port Eynon in 1410, which formed the basis of the family's Gower estates. Later purchases included the manors of Landimore (including Rhossili), Weobley and Reynoldston, and later still, portions of the Popkins and Lucas estates in Gower. During the 15th and 16th centuries the Mansels lived mostly at Oxwich Castle, but at the Dissolution of the Monasteries Sir Rice Mansel first leased and later bought the lands and buildings of the Abbey of Margam ........................... According to the 1873 return of owners of land, Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot, of Margam owned an estimated 34,033 acres in Wales (all in Glamorgan), with an estimated rental of £44,175."
• Margam Estate Collection      1682-1942
• Penrice estate papers               " ................ rentals, 1751-1757, including Margam estate, abd 1825-1913............................"

Maps

Occupations

Morfa Colliery (near Taibach) on the Welsh Coal Mines site

Public Records

Details of extant records on Archives Network Wales for the following;

• Margam Parish Records          " ......... including accounts, 1799-1867; rate books, 1887-1891"  
• Margam Urban District Council Records        1879-1945

Religion and Religious Life

• Margam Abbey
  
  • c1150-16th cent: deeds, charter rolls, leases, papal bulls, episcopal licences, visitation articles, legal papers, extracts from court rolls, surveys (16th cent)
    [National Library of Wales, Department of Manuscripts and Records - Reference: Margam Abbey]
  • 12th-16th cent: charters (c170)
    [British Library, Manuscript Collections, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG - Reference: Harleian Charters 75 A-D]
  • 1253-56: sentence of abbot of Buildwas in suit between Margam and Caerleon Abbeys
    [British Library, Manuscript Collections, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG - Reference: Harley MS 75]

Schools

Details of extant records on Archives Network Wales for the following;

• Margam Tin Works School Log Book         1874-1889
• Port Talbot Eastern School records          "Port Talbot Eastern School was opened as Margam Copper Works School in the 19th century. It was renamed in 1902. ...................."
  "................including log books, 1868-1974; admission registers, 1904-1961; weekly summary attendance registers, 1947-1950; returns to Board of Education, 1918-1958; HMI reports, 1923-1957; departmental reports, 1919-1952; staff salary records, 1917-1959; financial records, 1957-1959; records relating to school events, 1965-1973"

Social Life and Customs

• Margam Cricket Club
  c1920-1939: records
  [West Glamorgan Archive Service, Swansea - Reference: D/D Z 24]

Hamlets, Towns and Villages

Margam

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