Glamorgan Contents Nearby Places

Gelligaer

"A village on the east border of the county 14 miles north of Cardiff overlooking the Rhymney valley. It was once a Roman military station, and considerable remains of the fortifications have recently been unearthed. In the neighbourhood are the populous colliery villages of Brithdir, Bargoed, Hengoed, and Pontlottyn. It forms part of the hundred of Caerphilly."
[Glamorganshire, 1911]

Bibliography Cemeteries Census Church History Church Records Description and Travel Genealogy History

Land and Property Maps Politics and Government Population Public Records Schools

Bibliography

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

References to Gelligaer in the British Library

Cemeteries

• Parish Church of St. Cattwg

Census

• 1841 - (included in with Merthyr Tydfil)
• 1851 - HO107/2457

Church History

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

Church Records

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

• Gelligaer Ecclesiastical Parish records    " ........... including registers of baptisms,1813-1933; marriages, 1754-1929; burials, 1866-1922; indexes to marriage and burials registers; terriers, 1699-1866; records relating to glebe, 1808-1935; churchwardens accounts, 1816-1915; Brithdir chapelwardens account, 1853-1868; records of St. Margaret's church, 1907-1932; church restoration records, 1926-1932; civil parish and miscellaneous records, 1887-1920; extracts from missing parish registers: burials, 1708-1793; baptisms, 1759-1800"

Modern Parishes & Chapels of Ease :-

• Gelligaer St. Anne
• St. Gwladys, Bargoed
• St. Cadoc, Bedlinog
• St. David, Brithdir
• St. Aidan, Bute Town
• St. Peter, Deri
• St. Mary and St. Andrew, Fochriw
• St. Margaret, Gilfach
• St. Michael, New Tredegar
• St. Tyfaelog, Pontlottyn - Parish formed in 1870 from Gelligaer
• St. Cynon, Treharris - Chapel of ease to Llanfabon, joined Treharris, St. Matthias in 1951
• St. Matthias, Treharris - Parish formed in 1900 from Merthyr Tydfil and Gelligaer
• Holy Trinity, Ystrad Mynach

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

• Gelligaer, St. Cattwg - Christenings (BT's), 1813-1870
• Gelligaer, Craig y Bargoed Independent - Christenings, 1829-1837
• Gelligaer, Craig y Bargoed Non Conformist - Christenings, 1832-1838

Description and Travel

Places, villages, farms etc within Gelligaer  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 Gareth Hicks)

• Brithdir (75A); Ysgwyddgwyn (75B); Garth-Gynyd (75C); Cefn (75D); Hengord (75E);
  Bargoed (village); Bedlinog (village); Bedlinog Colliery; Blaen-carno; Blaenllwynau; Blaen Rhymney; Brithdir; Bute Town; Capel Grolad..?(remains); Carn Bugail; Cascade Ho.; Cefn Gelligaer; Cem.; Cefn-bach; Cefn-llwynau; Cefn y Brithdir; Clawdddrawscae; Coed Deri Newydd; Colliery(7); Coly Row; Cwm Bargoed; Cwmfelin; Cwm-llywdrew Fm.; Darran Colliery; Darran & Deri Sta.; Deri (village); Ffochriw (village); Fforest Gwladys; Gelliaur-gwellt-uchaf; Gelligaer (village); Gelligaer Common; Gilfach (village); Gilfach-maen-uchaf; Golf Course; GWR Dowlais & Llancaiach; GWR Rhymney Valley; Great Western Railway; Groes-faen-isaf; Hen-dai; Hengoed; Heol Adam; Heol-ddu-uchaf; Hospl.; Iron Works; Llancaiach; Llan-uchaf; Maen T..?; Maerdy; Mynydd Ffochriw; Nant Caiach; Pant-y-waun(2); Penalltau; Pen-heol-Adam; Pen March; Pen-pedair-heol; Pen-twyn; Pen-y-bank; Pen-y-garreg; Pit; Pits (near Cwm Bargoed Sta.); Pontlottyn (village); Pont Newydd; Pont Seison; Quarry(2); Reservoir(4); Rhaslas Pond; Rhos-yr-yrfa; Rhymney Bridge Sta.; Rhymney Reservoir; Roman Road; School; Sebastopol; Tir-Phil (village); Tir-y-felin; Tophill; Traed -y-Milwyr; Trelewis (village); Tunnel (near Cwm Bargoed Sta.); Twyn-giden; Twyn-y-Fid-ffawydd; Twyn-y-waun; Tyla-du Plantation; Tyla-glas; Waun Rydd; Y Darren, Ystrad Mynach.

Description of parish

• A Topographical Dictionary of Wales (1833) by Samuel Lewis.
• A Topographical Dictionary of The Dominion of Wales by Nicholas Carlisle, London, 1811.

Gelligaer - on BBC Wales

Panoramic view from Gelligaer Common

Aerial photograph of Gelligaer Roman Fort - on Gathering the Jewels

Genealogy

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

• Lewis family of Trelewis, Gelligaer, records  1601-1928    "On the 1841 tithe map and apportionment for Gelligaer, Bontnewydd is recorded as a 60 acre farm in the possession of Daniel Lewis. During the nineteenth century, this area became known as Trelewis, a small mining community which depended for employment on the neighbouring Deep Navigation Colliery..............."

History

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

• T. V. Davies Research Papers   "Research papers of Professor T. V. Davies, [c.1981]-1991, into the farms and farmers of Senghenydd Supra in the parishes of Gelligaer and Merthyr Tydfil....................... draft chapters; papers relating to the Llantrisant and District Local History Society, 1981-1990; .................and typescripts of his lectures to history societies, 1988-1989"

Land and Property

Jones, Judith. Gelligaer and Merthyr Common: A South Wales landscape Past and Present. 2003.
"Gelligaer and Merthyr Common occupies nearly 8,000 acres of upland in north-east Glamorgan between the Rhymney and Taff valleys. Man has used this land more or less continuously since prehistoric times and has left his mark in many ways. It has been used for agriculture, encroached upon for housing and industry, and until modern times was administered through manorial courts by a succession of great landowners who held the lordship of Glamorgan.This new book, whose author is herself a commoner, summarises the history and archaeology of the common, it discusses how both the landscape of the common and the local farming community, who depend on the traditional common rights for their livelihood, can survive pressure from adjoining urban areas and from abuse of the land such as the dumping of rubbish and cars. It also discusses current changes in attitudes to commons.The book will be of interest not only to local historians and residents of the district but to anyone concerned with the future of the upland landscapes of Wales."

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

• Gelligaer, Gelliargwellt deeds    "Deeds relating to Gelliargwellt, Gelligaer, 1700-1823; deeds and miscellaneous documents relating to Tylaglas, in Gelligaer, and Mynyddislwyn (Monmouthshire), 1733-1900."  
• Perrott and Richards families, of Gelligaer and Bedwas, deeds and papers          "Deeds and papers relating to Hengoed Hall and other property in Gelligaer, 1744-1798; deeds relating to Smith's forge and other property in Gelligaer, 1793-1800; deeds, legal and probate papers relating to the Perrott family, 1834-1947; record of births and deaths of the Jones family of Gelligaer, 1829-1855; and papers of Richards family of Gwernau Ganol and Gwernau Fawr, Bedwas (Monmouthshire), 1853-1955."

Maps

Politics and Government

• Gelligaer Local Labour Party
  1940-49: minutes
  [University of Swansea Library - Reference: SWCC]

Population

Public Records

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

• Gelligaer and Rhigos Rural District Council records  1898-1908  
• Gelligaer Civil Parish records  1750-1925     " .......... including perambulation, 1750; receipt for tax collected, 1799; order to petty constable, 1821; highway surveyors' papers, 1821-1822; list of ratepayers, 1828; agreement to lease charity lands, 1840; overseers' appointment, 1844; vestry minutes book, 1865-1925; overseers' rate books, 1856-1894; valuation lists, 1868-1885; sanitary rates, 1877-1879; survey of sanitary conditions, c1860; highway rates, 1859-1879; tithe plan and apportionment, 1842"
• Gelligaer Urban District Council records  1910-1974

Schools

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

• Gelligaer School Board records   " .......... comprising minute books, 1890-1903; ledgers, 1898-1903; minutes of managers of Pontlottyn Schools, 1871-1885"

Hamlets, Towns and Villages

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