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Mumbles in the Parish of Oystermouth

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"At Mumbles Head is a lighthouse, erected in 1794 and maintained by the Swansea Harbour Trust, and close to the lighthouse is Lloyd's Signal and Telegraph Station. There is also a coast guard station, in charge of a divisional officer and 6 men and a ship's telegraph station. A pier, erected by the Mumbles Railway Co. at a cost of £12000, was opened in 1898. ... Near here is a lifeboat station of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, which is supported by voluntary contributions." [From  Kelly's South Wales Directory 1923  (ArchiveCDBooks)  - transcribed by Gareth Hicks]

"MUMBLES, a village in Oystermouth parish, Glamorgan; on the coast, at the w side of the mouth of Swansea bay, under a high escarpment of mountain-limestone cliffs, and at the terminus of the Swansea and Mumbles railway, 5½ miles S by W of Swansea. It has a  ... a railway station, two good inns, and a coast-guard station; has long been engaged in the fishing trade; is now frequented as a watering-place; ...  It is noted for fine pickled oysters; ...The cliffs adjacent to it run a little eastward to a termination in two rocky islets, called Mumbles Head; and a lighthouse is on the further one of the islets, was erected in 1798, is 143 feet high, and shows a fixed light visible at the distance of 15 miles. Much stone is quarried here, and sent by railway to Swansea. ... A shoal, called the Mixon, is near Mumbles Head." [From John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales 1870-72 on Vision of Britain]

"OYSTERMOUTH, formerly a parish, consisting of the seaside village of Oystermouth (or The Mumbles) together with the hamlets of Norton and Newton, by Local Government Board Provisional Confirmation Order No. 6, dated August 8th, 1918, is now, with Brynau, incorporated in the county borough of Swansea, under the title of Oystermouth and Brynau, " [From  Kelly's South Wales Directory 1923  (ArchiveCDBooks)  - transcribed by Gareth Hicks]

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Bibliography

On-line indexes to these books by Carol Powell have been provided by Diana Davies.

An on-line index to the book The Men of the Mumbles Head - The story of the Mumbles Lifeboat from 1832, written by Carl Smith [1977] has been compiled by Roger McFenton

An on-line index to the book The story of the village of Mumbles written by Gerald Gabb M.A. [1986] has been compiled by Diana Davies

An on-line index to the book Of Swansea West : Mumbles Past and Present by Norman L. Thomas [1978] has been provided by Eluned Lloyd

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Church History

Mumbles Methodist Church

Mumbles, All Saints Church - on the People's Collection Wales site

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Church Records

For full and up-to-date details of their holdings see the sites of Glamorgan Record Office and/or West Glamorgan Archives

Non Conformist Registers Held at the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth
ChapelBaptismsMarriagesBurialsOS Map Ref
Victoria Church, Wesleyan--1898-1923SS 61608811
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Description & Travel

Mumbles Webcam

Mumbles - on Wikipedia

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

  • [Swansea and] Mumbles Railway    1804-1959            "The Swansea and Mumbles railway ran from Swansea to Mumbles. In 1804 the Oystermouth Railway and Tramroad Company was incorporated and work began on building the line. In 1806 goods traffic began to pass over the line in waggons pulled by horses. The main cargo was limestone at this stage. However, as Mumbles began to lose its industrial character and started to develop as a tourist resort, freight lessened and in 1807 the line became unique as providing the first regular rail passenger service in the world..........................."     
You can see pictures of Mumbles in the Parish of Oystermouth which are provided by:

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Directories

Transcript of complete name listing for the Gower parishes, from Slaters Directory for 1880.

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Gazetteers

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

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History

Various items - on the People's Collection Wales site

  •  Mumbles, Oystermouth Castle
  • Mumbles train at Southend
  • Mumbles Train c1918
  • Mumbles Pier
  • A street scene in Mumbles looking down towards The Dunns
  • An early view of the horse-drawn Mumbles Train
  • A view of Langland bay with people on the beach. A few boats are in the sea.
  • Bracelet bay, Mumbles

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

  • War Dept, Mumbles land               "The Duke of Beaufort leased the outer island at Mumbles Head, Glamorgan, to the War Department during the late 19th century. A blockhouse was built near the Mumbles lighthouse in 1860 as a defence against possible invasion from France. Samuel Howlett (1794-1874), military surveyor and inventor produced a report on the defences in 1863."
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Maps

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SS616880 (Lat/Lon: 51.573829, -3.998527), Mumbles in the Parish of Oystermouth which are provided by:

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Merchant Marine

Mumbles Lighthouse on the Trinity House site

Mumbles Lighthouse 2017 - on the People's Collection Wales site

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Social Life & Customs

Various items  - on the People's Collection Wales site

  • Mumbles Albion Football Club, 1887-8 
  • Mumbles Football Team 1907-1908