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Maerdy in the Parish of Ystradyfodwg

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"Mardy is a township forming part of the Rhondda Urban District, 11 miles north-north-west from Pontypridd and 2 from Ferndale, with a terminal station on the Great Western railway. In 1887, together with Tylorstown and Ferndale, it was formed into an ecclesiastical parish, but in 1900 was separated from Tylorstown, and together with Ferndale was formed into an ecclesiastical parish, under the name of Ferndale. It was itself created an ecclesiastical parish in the year 1921. There are two churches. All Saints' parish church, for English services only, was erected in 1886, at a cost of £1100, and is a building of Welsh stone, ... ,and has 300 sittings. St. Luke's Welsh church accommodates 250 persons. The living is a vicarage, net yearly value £310, and residence, in the gift of the Bishop of Llandaff and the Board of Patronage, ... The Workmen’s Institute, erected in 1905, at a cost of £6000, was destroyed by fire in 1922. Locket’s Merthyr Collieries (1894) Limited are situated here." [Kelly's South Wales Directory 1923 (ArchiveCDBooks) - transcribed by Gareth Hicks]

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Archives & Libraries

Maerdy Library
North Terrace
Maerdy
CF43 4DD

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Cemeteries

From Kelly's South Wales Directory 1923 - (ArchiveCDBooks) transcribed by Gareth Hicks

  • A cemetery of 25 acres, between Trealaw and Porth, was formed in 1879 at a cost of £14,000, for Rhondda, Llanwonno and Llantrisant. A cemetery of 15 acres was formed in 1871 at a cost of £7000, at Treorchy, and was enlarged in 1914 by the addition of 15 acres, for the parish of Rhondda; and there is also a cemetery of 5 acres at Mardy, formed in 1875, at a cost of £3600; each contains two mortuary chapels, and since April 1st, 1896, have been under the control of the Rhondda Urban District Council Burial Committee of 13 members.
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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

The church is dedicated to All Saints, is in the Benefice of Ferndale with Maerdy, and the 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 ST974985.

Anglican Parish Registers
BaptismsMarriagesBurialsBannsBishops Transcripts
No Registers have been deposited yet
Non Conformist Registers Deposited at the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth
ChapelBaptismsMarriagesBurialsOS Map Ref
Bethania, Calvinistic Methodist1902-1911, 1942, 1947-1989--SS 97609805
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Description & Travel

Historic Landscape Characterisation: The Rhondda - on the CADW site.
Fully explore the site - there are separate detailed sections for places in the area

Maerdy - on Wikipedia

Maerdy - on the Rhondda Cynon Taf Libraries Heritage Trail site

Various landscapes - on the People's Collection Wales site

You can see pictures of Maerdy in the Parish of Ystradyfodwg which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

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History

Various items - on the People's Collection Wales site

  • In the picture is one of the first tram cars to visit Maerdy, the first stop in the valley and the terminus for all journeys up the Rhondda Fach Valley
  • Maerdy Hall after being constructed in 1905
  • Demolition of the Maerdy Hall 2008
  • MAERDY COFFEE TAVERN WITH A LIBRARY AND READING ROOM, CERIDWEN STREET, MAERDY
  • Postcard from Maerdy circa 1924 & 1906
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Maps

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SS974984 (Lat/Lon: 51.674967, -3.485197), Maerdy in the Parish of Ystradyfodwg which are provided by:

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Occupations

The People's Collection Wales site has material for this area, use the onsite search box

Maerdy Colliery on the Welsh Coal Mines site

Maerdy Community Study on the South Wales Coalfield Collection site - details of oral interviews

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

  • Maerdy Lodge 1886-1959 "was a branch of the National Union of Mineworkers (South Wales Area). Maerdy Lodge represented the interests of miners working at Mardy Colliery. In 1919, Arthur Lewis Horner was elected checkweigher of the colliery and as such became a member of the Lodge committee. A noted socialist, Horner encouraged the Lodge to support the Communist Party of Great Britain. The Lodge became increasingly political and soon earned the nickname of 'Little Moscow' as a result of its strong relationship with the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) and the Soviet Union. ....................................."
  • Maerdy Workmen's Hall and Institute "Minute books 1918-1939, 1946-1957; financial records 1918-1964; Secretary's correspondence and papers 1923-1957."

Various items - on the People's Collection Wales site

  • This is a photograph of the Maerdy Colliery Strike Committee in the Maerdy Institute in 1983.
  • The march back to work, Maerdy, Rhondda
  • Maerdy Colliery, 1977, empty mine cars waiting at pit top.
  • This is an image of the last tram of coal at the surface at Maerdy Colliery in June 1986
  • General view of Maerdy Colliery, 1975
  • Headframe, Maerdy Colliery, 1975.
  • Maerdy Workingmen's Hall. Sign of the times 2004
  • Multiple photographs of colliery in 1975
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Social Life & Customs

Maerdy R.F.C. (Rhondda) 1933 - 1934. - on the People's Collection Wales site