GENUKI Home Page Llangiwg Llangiwg Contents Contents

Kelly's Directory, South Wales, 1910

This is an extract by Gareth Hicks from the CD of the same title with the kind permission of Archive CD Books

The data  relates to the villages of Lower Brynamman, Cwmgors, Gwauncaegurwen, and Rhydyfro and  Llanguicke parish in general with the exception of Pontardawe and Ystalyfera which have their own sections on the CD.

See also the links below for similar extracts for adjoining districts;

Llanguicke

...........is 10 3/4 miles from Swansea, is a very extensive and populous parish, including the hamlets of Cwmgorse, Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen, Lower Brynamman, Rhydyfro, and Ynysmudw, also the populous villages of Ystalyfera and Pontardawe, of which the last two mentioned will be found under separate headings. The parish is on the Western side of the Swansea valley on the road from Swansea to Brecon, and extends to the boundary of the county of Glamorgan where it adjoins Breconshire and Carmarthenshire; the distance from Swansea to the nearest part of the parish is 8 miles, but to the extreme limit 13 miles; it is in the Western division of the county of Glamorgan, Pontardawe petty sessional division and union, Neath county court district, rural deanery of East Gower, archdeaconry of Carmarthen and diocese of St David's; the Swansea Canal runs through some parts of the parish.

The church of St Cuik, or Guick, standing on the top of a hill, is an ancient building of stone in the Norman style, consisting of nave, south porch and an embattled western tower with pinnacles, containing 2 bells; in 1812 it was new-roofed, and several alterations made; there are 300 sittings. A Welsh service is held on Sundays in the afternoon. The register dates from the year 1740. The living is a vicarage, net yearly value £321 with glebe (£14), in the gift of the Bishop of St David's, and held since 1892 by the Rev James Griffiths BD of St David's College, Lampeter, prebendary of St David's, and JP Cardiganshire. The vicarage house, at Pontardawe, built in 1870, commands extensive views up and down the valley and of the hills opposite.

There is a Congregational chapel at Gwrhyd, erected in 1856, seating 256 persons; one at Rhiwfawr, erected in 1891, with 200 sittings, and one at Ynysmudwy, rebuilt in 1904, seating 800 persons, and a Swedenborgian chapel at Ynysmudw.  

The Duke of Beaufort is lord of the manor. Fleming R D A Gouch esq of Yniscedwyn House, Herbert Lloyd esq of Killybebill, Henry Nathaniel Miers esq of Clydach, Mrs Jones of The Garth, and Howell Jeffries esq, are the principal landowners.

The soil is sand; subsoil, sandstone; chiefly pasture land. The area is 12,432 acres of land and 121 of water; rateable value £42,912; the population of the ecclesiastical parish in 1901 was 8,657; the population in 1891 was 9,707, and in 1901, 12,376, including 6 officials and 30 inmates in Pontardawe workhouse.

Post & MO Office, Ynysmudw (letters should have Glamorgan added). --- David Jones, sub-postmaster. Letters arrive at 7 am and 12 noon; dispatched at 11.40 am and 7.35 pm; open 8.30 to 10 sundays for sale of stamps and registration; letters delivered over counter. Pontardawe is the nearest telegraph office, 2 miles distant

Lower Brynamman

..is a hamlet 6 miles north from Pontardawe, and adjoins Brynamman. Here are Baptist and Congregational chapels.

Post & MO Office. --- Mrs Margaret Price, sub-postmistress. Letters through Upper Brynamman, Carmarthenshire arrive at 9.30 am and 1 ? pm; dispatched at 5.40 pm week days & 3.55 pm on sundays; no delivery on sundays. Upper Brynamman is the nearest telegraph office, 1 mile distant.

County Police, Alfred Stonehouse, constable.

Cwmgorse

...is a hamlet 3 1/2 miles north from Pontardawe. There is a Calvinistic Methodist chapel and a Zion Baptist chapel, erected in 1894.

Post & MO Office --- Thomas Howells, sub-postmaster. Letters through Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen, Glamorgan, arrive 8.30 am; dispatched 5 pm week days only. Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen is the nearest telegraph office, 3 miles distant [?? more like 3/4 mile in reality]

Wall Letter Box, Cwmgorse Valley, cleared at 9.25am week days only.

County Police, John Shellum, sergeant, & 2 constables.

Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen

..is a hamlet , 4 miles north from Pontardawe. here is a Carmel Congregational chapel, founded in 1762, which has 850 sittings, and the Hermon Congregational chapel erected in 1909, which has 400 sittings, and a Calvinistic Methodist chapel, erected 1907, which has over 800 sittings.

Post, M O T & Telephonic Express Delivery Office (letters should have Glamorgan added). --- Jenkin Mark, sub-postmaster. Letters arrive at 7.30 am & 12.30 pm; dispatched at 10.30 am & 5.35 pm.

Wall Letter Boxes --- Collieries, cleared at 4.45pm week days only; & Waunleyshion, cleared at 4 pm.

Public Elementary School, erected in 1867, & enlarged in 1894, for 297 boys & girls & 197 infants ; average attendance, 300 boys & girls & 191 infants; John Hugh, master; Miss Lydia Owen, infants' mistress

Rhydyfro

...is a hamlet 1 mile north from Pontardawe, and has a Congregational chapel, first erected in 1844, seating 550 persons; a new chapel was erected in 1905, at a cost of £1,100.

Post Office --- David Phillips, sub-postmaster. Letters arrive via Pontardawe, Glamorganshire, at 8 am ; dispatched at 10.40 am & 6.5 pm; no delivery on sunday. Nearest money order & telegraph office, Ponardawe.

Public Elementary School, erected 1876, for 150 children ; average attendance, 140; Alfred William Owen, master.

Places of Worship, with times of services

Baptist

Calvinistic Methodist

Congregational

Llanguicke

(Marked thus * receive their letters through Pontardawe, Glam)

(Marked thus + receive their letters through Ystalyfera, Glam)

Private Residents

Commercial

Cwmgorse

(Names marked thus * receive their letters through Pontardawe, Glam)

Commercial

Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen

Commercial

Lower Brynamman

Commercial

Rhydyfro

Commercial

[Last Updated : 26 Sept 2002 - Gareth Hicks]

InfoFind help, report problems, and contribute information.

Copyright © GENUKI and Contributors 1996 to date
GENUKI is a registered trade mark of the charitable trust GENUKI

Valid HTML 4.01 Transitional