Eglwysilan is an ecclesiastical parish and hamlet in Wales, within the community of Aber Valley in the unitary authority of Caerphilly County Borough.
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Eglwysilan is an ecclesiastical parish and hamlet in Wales, within the community of Aber Valley in the unitary authority of Caerphilly County Borough.
During the 12th-century Norman invasion of Wales, the formal parish was defined – an area of more than 30,000 acres (47 sq mi; 120 km2), including Caerphilly. [1]
The parish church of Saint Ilan was built on the ridge between the Taff Valley and Aber Valley, on what was thought to have been the site of an earlier chapel or monastic cell. The parish website speculates that it may originally have been the home of a 6th-century monk. [1] The site lies on the ancient pilgrimage route from Llantarnam to Penrhys. [2]
Originally Roman Catholic, the church became Anglican following the Reformation led by Henry VIII. In due course, eleven Anglican parishes were founded from it, causing a reduction in the territory remaining with the mother church. [3]
In 1801, the parish had dependent chapels at Llanfabon and St Martin. The resident population was reckoned to number 1885 people, 'residing in the hamlets of Eglwys Ilan, Ener Glynn, Glynn Tâff, Hendredenny, Parc, Rhyd y Byddin, and The Town of Caerphilly'. [3] In 2012, the parish website stated the parish contained 8,000 people 'serving all of the Aber Valley and including the villages of Abertridwr and Senghenydd together with the hamlets of Eglwysilan and Groeswen'. [1] Today, the hamlets of Pen-y-Groes, Eglwysilan and Groeswen are affluent commuter villages house prices significantly above the local average; the communities are inhabited by professionals with a high level of bilingualism.[ citation needed ]
The churchyard contains the grade II* listed tomb of the bridge builder William Edwards [4] and many of the victims of the Senghenydd Colliery Disaster of 1913. Evan James, who wrote the lyrics of the Welsh national anthem, was baptised at the church. [5]
The dedication of the church is ambiguous. Its own website currently states it to be the church of 'Saint Ilan' (Ilan). Rice Rees offers the opinion that Ilan may have been an early Celtic saint of whom no other trace survives. [6] The Cistercian Way website offers an unsourced tradition that Ilan may have been a pre-Norman bishop of Llandaf, and says that the 12th-century Book of Llandaf denotes the church at Eglwysilan as the resting place of the relics of Ilan. [7]
Rees is sceptical of an 18th-century reference in Ecton's Thesaurus, [8] which suggests that 'Ilan' is a corrupt form of Helen, mother of Constantine I; [6] nevertheless, the post-reformation Roman Catholic parish erected to cover the same territory in the 20th century took the name of 'Saint Helen'. [9] Although Rees acknowledges that the 4th-century noblewoman Elen Luyddog may have become confused with the Empress Helena in historical records, he does not explicitly suggest Elen as a candidate for the patronage of Eglwysilan.
In a text from 1801, [3] the parish was said to be dedicated to 'Saint Elian'. There existed a 5th-century saint, Elian, active in north Wales and in Cornwall; Rees [6] acknowledges his presence in north Wales under the name Elian Geimiad, but again, does not propose this saint as a patron of Eglwysilan.
Caerphilly is a town and community in Wales. It is situated at the southern end of the Rhymney Valley.
Rhydyfelin is a large village and part of the community of Pontypridd Town, about two miles to its south east of Pontypridd, in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf. It is on the eastern bank of the River Taff close to the A470, and historically was in the parish of Eglwysilan.
Abertridwr is a village in Caerphilly County Borough, Wales, situated about 3 miles (4.8 km) north-west of Caerphilly town. The "three waters" or "three streams" are Nant Cwm-parc, Nant Cwmceffyl and Nant Ilan, which join to form Nant yr Aber.
St Illtyd is a hamlet near Aberbeeg, in southeast Wales, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire. It is situated on the mountain road between Pontypool and Abertillery in Blaenau Gwent. It rests at about 1200 feet above sea level. The Royal Mail postcode is NP13 2AY.
William Edwards was a Welsh Methodist minister who also practised as a stonemason, architect and bridge engineer.
The Diocese of Llandaff is an Anglican diocese that traces its roots to pre-Reformation times as heir of a Catholic bishopric. It is headed by the Bishop of Llandaff, whose seat is located at the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in Llandaff, a suburb of Cardiff. It currently covers most of the former Welsh county of Glamorgan, but once stretched from the River Towy to the middle of the Wye Valley.
Dyfodwg, or Tyfodwg, was a 6th-century Welsh saint. He is one of the three saints from whom the ancient parish of Llantrisant takes its name, and possibly the patron of the parish church of Llandyfodwg in Glynogwr, between Blackmill and Gilfach Goch in Bridgend, and gave his name to the ancient parish of Ystradyfodwg.
Llantarnam Abbey is a Grade II*-listed abbey of the Sisters of St Joseph of Annecy and a former Cistercian monastery located in Llantarnam, Cwmbran in the county borough of Torfaen in southeast Wales.
Twmbarlwm, also known as Twm Barlwm, Twyn Barlwm or locally known as "the Twmp", the Nipple or the Pimple because of the mound that lies at its summit, is a hill situated 2 km (1.2 mi) to the northeast of Risca in South Wales. It is often mistakenly referred to as a mountain but is actually a hill due to being under 600 m (2,000 ft). It is 419 m (1,375 ft) high and is a well-known landmark throughout the region. It commands extensive views across what is now the M4 corridor, over Newport and Cwmbran - with part of it coming into Cwmbran - and out over the Bristol Channel.
St Hilary is a village in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. It is located just south of the A48, about a mile southeast of the market town of Cowbridge. The village has a population of about 260, in approximately 80 houses. Notable landmarks in the vicinity include The Bush Inn, the Church of St Hilary, the Old Beaupre Castle, New Beaupre, Coed Hills and St. Hilary mast.
Senghenydd is a former mining town in the community of Aber Valley in South Wales, approximately four miles northwest of the town of Caerphilly. Historically within the county of Glamorgan, it is now situated in the county borough of Caerphilly. In the United Kingdom Census 2001, the population of the Aber Valley was 6,696.
Llan and its variants are a common element of Celtic placenames in the British Isles and Brittany, especially of Welsh toponymy. In Welsh an name of a local saint or a geomorphological description follows the Llan morpheme to form a single word: for example Llanfair is the parish or settlement around the church of St. Mair. Goidelic toponyms end in -lann.
Penrhys is a village in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, situated on a hillside overlooking both valleys of Rhondda Fawr and Rhondda Fach. It is situated around 1,100 ft above sea level and is a district of Tylorstown. Until the late 16th century, Penrhys was one of the holiest sites for Christian pilgrims in Wales.
Llanvabon is an area and former parish in South Wales. As described in 1849, it comprised two hamlets, in the union of Merthyr Tydfil, hundred of Caerphilly, county of Glamorgan, 9 miles from Merthyr Tydfil; containing 1449 inhabitants. A Topographical Dictionary of Wales (1849) described it as follows:
This parish is bounded on the west by the river Tâf, and on the east by the Romney; and comprises about 5000 acres, of which 1120 are arable, 2230 pasture, 1000 common, 500 woodland consisting chiefly of oak, and the remainder roads and water. The surface is in general mountainous; and the scenery picturesque, especially in the vicinity of the village of Craigyberthlwyd, from which the views are striking and beautiful. The soil comprehends gravel, clay, and peat, and the chief agricultural produce is wheat, barley, and oats, the last of which is grown in a larger quantity than either of the two former. Tiles for building are made, and there are excellent stone-quarries, and coal-mines, but they are not in operation to any great extent, the latter being chiefly on the border, and appropriated to the use of the neighbourhood only.
The greater part of the colliers of Gellygaer, an adjoining parish, live in Llanvabon. The ancient seat of the Lanbradach family is situated here; and besides the village above-named, the parish contains those of Quakers'-Yard and Nelson.
It is intersected by the road from Cardiff to Merthyr, which passes about two miles and a half westward from the church; and by the Glamorganshire canal, on the banks of which, within its limits, is situated the Navigation-House, where this important line of communication is joined by the Aberdare Canal, and where barges are loaded with coal and iron for the port of Cardiff. The TâfVale railway, also, passes by Quakers'-Yard and the Navigation-House, and is joined in this vicinity by the Aberdare railway, for the construction of which an act was obtained in 1846.
The living is consolidated with the vicarage of Eglwysilan: the tithes have been commuted for £270, of which a sum of £200 is payable to the Dean and Chapter of Llandaf, and £70 to the vicar. The church, dedicated to St. Mabon, is an ancient structure, consisting of a nave and chancel, forty-three feet in length and twentyone in breadth, and containing accommodation for about 120 persons. There are two places of worship for Calvinistic Methodists, two for Independents, and one for Baptists; in each of which a Sunday school is also held. James Thomas, in 1730, gave by will a rent-charge of £2 for the benefit of the poor, to be equally divided between those of each hamlet.
Elian was a saint who founded a church in North Wales around the year 450. The parish of Llanelian-yn-Rhos in Conwy County Borough is named after him. The legend of St. Elian says he was related to Isfael and laboured in the missions of Cornwall, England. His feast day is 13 January.
A clas was a native Christian church in early medieval Wales. Unlike later Norman monasteries, which were made up of a main religious building supported by several smaller buildings, such as cloisters and kitchens, a clas was normally a single building. The building was run by a community of clergy and headed by an abod. Clasau were autonomous and were administered locally.
In the United Kingdom, the term listed building refers to a building or other structure officially designated as being of special architectural, historical, or cultural significance; Grade II* structures are those considered to be "particularly important buildings of more than special interest". Listing was begun by a provision in the Town and Country Planning Act 1947. Once listed, strict limitations are imposed on the modifications allowed to a building's structure or fittings. In Wales, the authority for listing under the Planning Act 1990 rests with Cadw.
Mynydd Meio is a 322-metre-high hill in the county borough of Caerphilly in South Wales. Parts of its western slopes fall within Rhondda Cynon Taf county borough. Its eastern slopes drop away to Cwm yr Aber between Caerphilly and Abertridwr and its western slopes to the valley of the Taf. The high point is just over 200 m north of the trig point which sits at 322 metres (1,056 ft) above sea-level.
Cefn Eglwysilan is a hill in South Wales, the twin 382m summits of which lie 2 km east of Pontypridd in Rhondda Cynon Taf county borough. Its eastern side lies within the community of Aber Valley in Caerphilly county borough. Like neighbouring Mynydd Eglwysilan, the hill is named after the hamlet of Eglwysilan, the church here being dedicated to an obscure saint Ilan. A wireless transmission station is sited on the more northerly of the two summits. The southerly one is crowned by a trig point.
Mynydd Eglwysilan is a 355-metre-high hill in the Caerphilly county borough in South Wales 3 km to the south of Nelson and a similar distance southwest of Ystrad Mynach. To its south is Senghenydd at the head of the Aber Valley. Like neighbouring Cefn Eglwysilan, the hill is named after the hamlet of Eglwysilan 4 km to the southwest, the church here being dedicated to an obscure Saint Ilan. Remains of a linear earthwork known as Senghenydd Dyke stretch across the southern side of the hill. It is considered to mark the edge of an extensive 13th-century deer park associated with nearby Caerphilly Castle.
Coordinates: 51°35′34″N3°17′28″W / 51.5928°N 3.2912°W
