NOTICES

1. Our January 2026 Lecture

2. Membership If you wish to become a member of the Cynon Valley History Society you can download an application form using this link on our website:
https://www.cvhs.org.uk/membership.htm

3. In Memoriam

During the past two months we have lost three Society members, Celia Thomas, née Thomas, Jean John, née Buxton and Brian Messer.

Celia Thomas was born in 1930. She was schooled in Aberdare and in her School Certificate results gained a rarely seen pass in Greek. She then proceeded to Barry Training College and later became a primary schoolteacher. In 1953 she married Noël Thomas in Essex who at the time was teaching in Dagenham. Noël was appointed in 1977 to be headmaster of the Boys’ Grammar School, and in 1978 of the Comprehensive School. In retirement Celia took up writing poetry and prose works, some of which have been published. She was also a past Chair of the Society. She lived for many years in Plasdraw Road.

Jean John was born in 1931 and lived in Llwydcoed until 1953 when with her husband Russell she moved to Bristol. She is known to many Llwydcoed residents as the author of the autobiographical account of her early life in the village set out in the book ‘Grey Trees’ published in 1996. Then with her husband a second book entitled ‘Llwydcoed in Old Photographs,’ appeared in 1997. The latter has 220 photos with highly informative captions to each one. Jean, as Jean Buxton, attended the Girls’ Grammar School in Plasdraw until 1949 when she left for St Mary’s College, Cheltenham, to train as a teacher. Jean had been a member of the CVHS for many years.

Jean’s funeral service will take place at St James Church, Llwydcoed, Aberdare, CF44 0UW, at 11.15am on 15th December, and then at Llwydcoed Crematorium, at 12 midday.

Both women were of a vanishing generation who were able to recall vividly life in the town of Aberdare during the austere 1930s and during WWII. We extend our condolences to the family and friends of both women.

Brian Messer

At the age of 85, the death occurred on 21st October 2025 of Brian Messer, who was a member of the Society for many years. Brian was a graduate of UCW Aberystwyth where he also trained as a teacher. He commenced his teaching career in the City of Bath, moving successively to Rhydywaun Secondary, Mardy House Secondary and finally to St John Baptist CiW High School in Cwmdare. He was an inspirational teacher of history and geography, and his pupils held him in high regard. He was a Rotarian, and for twenty years functioned as the secretary of the Aberdare club. Brian had been in a care home at Ysguborwen House in Aberdare where he died. His funeral took place on 17th November 2025, at St Margaret’s Church, Aberaman followed by Committal at Llwydcoed Crematorium. Brian was married to Pam, the couple raising two children, a boy and a girl, both now living abroad. We extend our sincere condolences to Brian’s family and friends.

Dec 2nd, 2025.

---

4. Book Launch

They Buried Them At Home
The Story of the World War I
Cynon Valley Commonwealth Graves.
By Robert E. Jones and Pat Rees.

A new CVHS publication formed the basis of our lecture meeting on October 16th 2025. Rob Jones talked about the Commonwealth Graves to be found in the Cynon Valley.

The book discuses the Commonwealth War Graves in the cemeteries of the Cynon Valley from Penderyn to Abercynon. The lives of the 80 service men buried here have been researched. The research has used soldiers’ war records, regimental histories, census returns and newspaper reports to produce a pen picture of the individuals.

Rob Jones is a retired teacher and Speaker Secretary of the Cynon Valley History Society. Pat Rees is the secretary of the Aberdare branch of Glamorgan Family History Society and member of CVHS.

The book was launched at the Lecture Meeting on Thursday 16th October. It is priced at £15, and is on sale from Haydn Williams of the CVHS, with postage and packing extra,
1st class: £5.49; 2nd class: £4.40.
You can contact Haydn by phone on 01685 879793, or email at

 

5. New Book—The National Eisteddfodau of Rhondda Cynon Taf—by Steven Graham

The Cynon Valley History Society published a new book in September 2025. It was called The National Eisteddfodau of Rhondda Cynon Taf by Steven Graham.

Steven gave a talk at the book launch, which focused mainly on the Aberdare eisteddfod of 1861. Copies of the book were also offered for sale. He has been researching the Eisteddfodau of RCT for many years, resulting in the publication of this fine book.

Steven was born in Glasgow, though his family later moved to Co. Durham. He qualified in librarianship at Newcastle Polytechnic in 1976. His first post was at Gateshead Library, and in 1977 he came to Wales. He worked for the Cynon Valley Borough Council at Mountain Ash Library and thereafter for RCTCBC at Aberdare Library’s Reference Department. He retired in 2014 but continues his interest in the history of this area as an active member of the Cynon Valley History Society and author.

The book is priced at £15 plus postage and packing, 1st class: £4.10; 2nd class: £3.20, and is available from Haydn Williams of the CVHS.

 

6. A Recent Publication of Interest

Rev. J. Eric Jones has recently published a booklet entitled Keepers of the Faith. It sets out to describe the members and other people associated with the author’s three Unitarian churches: Highland Place and Hen Dŷ Cwrdd, both in Aberdare, and West Grove in Cardiff. The period covered is from the time when Eric Jones was inducted as minister in September 1962 up to the present day.

It provides an insight into the families, and their foibles, who attended these places of worship, but importantly presents information that the reader is unlikely to find in any other publication. It is generously illustrated with photographs, and has a written style that, like the author’s other recent book, Best Foot Forward – A Journey, (2020), is easy to read, informative and in places humorous.

Copies of the booklet are available for loan from Aberdare Library.

7. A Recent Publication

Related to the second item in these notices is the publication by the Society of James Stewart's book on Edward Evan of Ton Coch Farm, Cefnpennar. The activities of Edward Evan are most important for the very revealing insight they give to many aspects of life in Aberdare. Literary, Political and Social life are all reflected in the life of Edward Evan of Ton Coch.

From the Foreword:
This book, for the first time, brings Edward Evan of Ton Coch fully into view. Poet and minister, farmer, musician, neighbour, husband, father, his long life spanned a period of intellectual and economic change whose impact would come into dizzying effect with the massive industrialisation of the valleys in the following century. James Stewart’s vivid and sympathetic portrayal of Evan and his world offers multiple windows onto the eighteenth century across south Wales.

Mary-Ann Constantine
University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies

The book is available from our publications officer, Haydn Williams, who can be contacted by telephone on 01685 879793.

Alternatively it can be ordered online from
https://last-bard.sumupstore.com

The price is £10.00 plus £3.00 p&p in the UK.
 

**ERRATUM**  page 31: re. Pont-y-tŷ-pridd, read William Edwards, (not Edward Williams).

You can read a little more about Edward Evan here.

8. New Blue Plaque Unveiled, August 2024

On Friday August 9th, members and guests met at Mountain Ash Golf Club to commemorate Edward Evan, (1716–1798). He was a poet, a harpist, a weaver, a farmer, a carpenter and glazier, and – according to Iolo Morganwg – the last of the ‘druidic bards’ of Wales. He was also a dissenting minister at Hen Dŷ Cwrdd in Trecynon from from 1772 to 1796, and was one of those who handed on a radical tradition to the Chartists of the nineteenth century. The CVHS nominated Edward Evan as worthy of a blue plaque, and it was funded by the county council. The Mountain Ash Club kindly agreed to mount the plaque on its building and did so because Edward Evan’s farm is today the location of the golf course, and the site of the farm can still be seen by the fourteenth green. Rev J. Eric Jones performed the unveiling, which was particularly appropriate as both he and Edward Evan had been ministers at Hen Dŷ Cwrdd.

Those present included Lord Aberdare who is President of both the golf club and the CVHS; James Stewart who is the author of a book about Edward Evan; the Mayor, Councillor Dan Owen-Jones; Cllr. Andrew Morgan OBE, Leader of the Council; Cllr. Wendy Treeby; Cllr. Ann Crimmings; Vikki Howells, MS; and officers of the golf club.

CVHS members will see more information about this event, and about James Stewart’s book entitled In Search of the Last Bard, in the summer edition of our newsletter ‘Hanes’.

The Golf Club is to be warmly thanked for making its premises available for the talks which preceded the unveiling, and for providing refreshments.

9. A recent publication

Society member Rob Jones has written our latest local history book entitled The Cwm: A lost Community. This small settlement was located along the banks of the River Dare accessed by continuing along Glan Road beyond Glandare House—now demolished and where St John Baptist School is now located. A few small terraces of houses were to be found there stretching as far as Brunel’s wooden viaduct. There was also a small place of worship for the residents. The book has resulted from several years of research using old newspapers, photographs and interviews with the people, or their relatives, who once lived there.
Rob Jones was assisted by society members Alan Abraham, John Davey and Haydn Williams in the preparation of the book, which first went on sale in mid-April 2024.

10. Geological History A major new article has been added to the Historical Notes section of this website. It reviews 600 million years of geological history of the Cynon Valley. It was written by Dr David E. Roberts of Abergavenny, but who grew up in Blaengwawr, Aberdare. The society much appreciates the work undertaken to compete this substantial review of local geology.

11. Other Publications

(i) The Society has also published Old Aberdare Volume XI. Our 50th anniversary edition.

The topics included:
The Little Theatre: a century of drama.
The Poet Alun Lewis’ background at Cwmaman.
Reuben Silverman, Aberdare Leader Cartoonist.
Dr. Alistair Wilson: The way it used to be in Aberdare.
Aberdare’s Town Plan, 1957–1963.
John Ewington, trade union pioneer and the TVR Dispute.

Volume XI has sold exceptionally well.
It has now sold out, and is therefore no longer available for purchase.

(ii) Another recent Publication was A History of the Aberdare Valley Ironworks by Steven Graham and the late Ken Collins. Further details can be found on our publications page.

12. Cynon Valley Museum
The latest news of the museum can be found on their Facebook page:
https://en-gb.facebook.com/cynonvalleymuseum/