Rhymney
Encyclopedia
Rhymney is a town and a community
located in the county borough of Caerphilly
in south-east Wales
, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire
. Along with the villages of Pontlottyn
, Fochriw
, Abertysswg
, Deri
and New Tredegar
, Rhymney is designated as the 'Upper Rhymney Valley' by the local Unitary Authority
, Caerphilly County Borough Council
. As a community, Rhymney includes the town of Rhymney, Pontlottyn, Abertysswg, Butetown and Twyncarno. Rhymney is known to many outside of Wales as a result of the song "The Bells of Rhymney
", a musical adaptation of a poem by Idris Davies
.
in 1801, with the Rhymney Iron Company later being founded from a merger between the Bute and Union Ironworks in 1837. The ironworks used local coking coal
, iron ore and limestone
. From the mid-19th century, steam coal pits were sunk to the south of the town. The ironworks closed in 1891 and by the early 20th century the town's collieries employed nearly the entire local population.
The history of Rhymney is described in Rhymney Memories, a book by Dr Thomas Jones. Jones was born in the town and his daughter, the Labour Party
politician Eirene White
, was later granted the title Baroness White of Rhymney.
, Pontlottyn
and New Tredegar
. There is also a Welsh language primary school in Rhymney.
In 1999 Ystrad Mynach College
launched its sister campus in Rhymney to serve the top end of the Rhymney Valley under the name The College Rhymney. The College Rhymey has undergone rapid growth since its opening with over 700 students enrolled on various courses in the academic year 2007-2008.
Rhymney railway station
is on the Rhymney Line
.
The celebrated Welsh poet, Idris Davies
(1905–1953), was born in Rhymney. After leaving school at the age of 14 he worked as a miner
in the nearby Abertysswg
and Rhymney Mardy Pits. After participating in the failed General Strike of 1926, Davies moved to London where he worked as a teacher at various schools. Four volumes of his poetry were published during his lifetime: Gwalia Deserta (1938), The Angry Summer: A Poem of 1926 (1943), Tonypandy and other poems (1945), and Selected Poems (1953). He returned to Rhymney in 1947 and died of cancer on 6 April 1953.
The professor, civil servant, administrator, and author, Dr Thomas Jones CH (1870–1955), was also born in Rhymney. After leaving school at 14 he became a clerk at the Rhymney Iron and Steel Works. He was admitted to the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth in 1890 and later migrated to Glasgow University in 1890. Between 1904 to 1905 he lectured in Ireland
and upon returning to Wales in 1910 became Secretary of the Welsh National Campaign against Tuberculosis. He was appointed Secretary of the National Health Insurance Commission (Wales) in 1912 and transferred to London in 1916 as Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet, eventually becoming Deputy Secretary. He suffered a serious fall indoors at his home in Kent
in June 1955 and died in a private nursing home on October 15, 1955.
The town is also home to the Rhymney Silurian Male Choir, which was formed in 1951 to renew the tradition of male voice singing in Rhymney. During its history, the choir has won four National Eisteddfod titles and raised money for a number of charities. Other notable people born in Rhymney include the Major League Baseball
trainer
, John D. Reese, and Wales international rugby union Wing Tom James
.
The most prolific writer about the history of Rhymney and its surrounding villages is local historian Marion Evans who has produced five volumes of her series A Portrait of Rhymney with cameos of Pontlottyn, Tafarnaubach, Princetown, Abertysswg and Fochriw. Evans has also written The History of Andrew Buchan's Rhymney Brewery. Further booklets and articles have included The Story of our Village, Rhymney, A Portrait of the Bent Iron, Gelligaer Common, Clay Pipes, and A Portrait of Idris Davies
One of the largest employers in Rhymney is Williams Medical Supplies Ltd
.
Pete Seeger
's song "The Bells of Rhymney". The lyrics to the song are drawn from a poem by Idris Davies who was born in Rhymney in 1905. The poem was first published in Davies' 1938 anthology Gwalia Deserta. The poem was inspired by the failure of the 1926 General Strike
and by the Marine Colliery disaster of 1 March 1927. In addition to Rhymney, the poem also refers to the bells of Merthyr
, Rhondda
, Blaina
, Caerphilly
, Neath
, Brecon
, Swansea
, Newport
, Cardiff
and the Wye Valley
.
The song has been covered
by a number of acts over the years, including Judy Collins
, Cher
, The Alarm
, The Ian Campbell Folk Group
, John Denver
, Robyn Hitchcock
, Oysterband
and Ralph McTell
. Arguably the most widely known rendition of the song, however, was that recorded by the American band The Byrds
for their 1965 album Mr. Tambourine Man
.
Community (Wales)
A community is a division of land in Wales that forms the lowest-tier of local government in Wales. Welsh communities are analogous to civil parishes in England....
located in the county borough of Caerphilly
Caerphilly (county borough)
Caerphilly is a county borough in southern Wales, straddling the ancient county boundary between Glamorgan and Monmouthshire.Its main town is Caerphilly, and also the largest...
in south-east Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire (historic)
Monmouthshire , also known as the County of Monmouth , is one of thirteen ancient counties of Wales and a former administrative county....
. Along with the villages of Pontlottyn
Pontlottyn
Pontlottyn |Caerphilly]], within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales, United Kingdom. It is sited just to the south of Rhymney, and to the west of the Rhymney River.-History:...
, Fochriw
Fochriw
Fochriw is a village located in Caerphilly County Borough, Wales. It was well known for its neighbouring collieries, which employed nearly the entire local population in the early 20th century. It lies within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan...
, Abertysswg
Abertysswg
Abertysswg is a village in the county borough of Caerphilly, Wales.-Location:Situated in the South Wales Valleys, Abertysswg is a small village located to the east of Pontlottyn and south-east of Rhymney. The nearest major town is Merthyr Tydfil. The Rhymney River lies just west of the village...
, Deri
Deri, Caerphilly
Deri is a village in Caerphilly County Borough, Wales. Deri along with Pentwyn and Fochriw make up the community of Darran Valley. The village grew around the Industrial Age to serve the collieries of Fochriw, Pencarreg and Groesfaen.-Sport:...
and New Tredegar
New Tredegar
New Tredegar is a former coal mining community in the Rhymney Valley, Caerphilly county borough, Wales , within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire....
, Rhymney is designated as the 'Upper Rhymney Valley' by the local Unitary Authority
Unitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
, Caerphilly County Borough Council
Caerphilly County Borough Council
Caerphilly County Borough Council is the governing body for Caerphilly , one of the Principal Areas of Wales.- Current composition :- Historic results :-Electoral divisions:...
. As a community, Rhymney includes the town of Rhymney, Pontlottyn, Abertysswg, Butetown and Twyncarno. Rhymney is known to many outside of Wales as a result of the song "The Bells of Rhymney
The Bells of Rhymney
"The Bells of Rhymney" is a song first recorded by folk singer Pete Seeger, using words written by Welsh poet Idris Davies. The lyrics to the song were drawn from part of Davies' poetic work Gwalia Deserta, which was first published in 1938...
", a musical adaptation of a poem by Idris Davies
Idris Davies
Idris Davies was a Welsh poet. He was born in Rhymney, near Caerphilly in South Wales, the Welsh-speaking son of colliery chief winderman Evan Davies and his wife Elizabeth Ann. Davies became a poet, originally writing in Welsh, but later writing exclusively in English...
.
History
The town was founded with the establishment of the Union ironworksIronworks
An ironworks or iron works is a building or site where iron is smelted and where heavy iron and/or steel products are made. The term is both singular and plural, i.e...
in 1801, with the Rhymney Iron Company later being founded from a merger between the Bute and Union Ironworks in 1837. The ironworks used local coking coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
, iron ore and limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
. From the mid-19th century, steam coal pits were sunk to the south of the town. The ironworks closed in 1891 and by the early 20th century the town's collieries employed nearly the entire local population.
The history of Rhymney is described in Rhymney Memories, a book by Dr Thomas Jones. Jones was born in the town and his daughter, the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
politician Eirene White
Eirene White
Eirene Lloyd White, Baroness White, née Jones was a British Labour politician and journalist....
, was later granted the title Baroness White of Rhymney.
Education and transport
The town's secondary school, Rhymney Comprehensive, serves a catchment area that includes FochriwFochriw
Fochriw is a village located in Caerphilly County Borough, Wales. It was well known for its neighbouring collieries, which employed nearly the entire local population in the early 20th century. It lies within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan...
, Pontlottyn
Pontlottyn
Pontlottyn |Caerphilly]], within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales, United Kingdom. It is sited just to the south of Rhymney, and to the west of the Rhymney River.-History:...
and New Tredegar
New Tredegar
New Tredegar is a former coal mining community in the Rhymney Valley, Caerphilly county borough, Wales , within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire....
. There is also a Welsh language primary school in Rhymney.
In 1999 Ystrad Mynach College
Ystrad Mynach College
Ystrad Mynach College is a college of further education based in Ystrad Mynach in Caerphilly county borough, Wales. It has over 13,000 students ranging from school leavers to adult mature students...
launched its sister campus in Rhymney to serve the top end of the Rhymney Valley under the name The College Rhymney. The College Rhymey has undergone rapid growth since its opening with over 700 students enrolled on various courses in the academic year 2007-2008.
Rhymney railway station
Rhymney railway station
Rhymney railway station serves the town of Rhymney in Wales. Situated on the Valley Lines network north of Cardiff Central, it is the terminus of the Rhymney Line....
is on the Rhymney Line
Rhymney Line
The Rhymney Line is a commuter rail line running from Central Cardiff through the Rhymney valley via Heath and Llanishen in the north of the city, to Caerphilly, Bargoed and Rhymney.-History:...
.
Notable people and organisations
- See also :Category:People from Rhymney
The celebrated Welsh poet, Idris Davies
Idris Davies
Idris Davies was a Welsh poet. He was born in Rhymney, near Caerphilly in South Wales, the Welsh-speaking son of colliery chief winderman Evan Davies and his wife Elizabeth Ann. Davies became a poet, originally writing in Welsh, but later writing exclusively in English...
(1905–1953), was born in Rhymney. After leaving school at the age of 14 he worked as a miner
Miner
A miner is a person whose work or business is to extract ore or minerals from the earth. Mining is one of the most dangerous trades in the world. In some countries miners lack social guarantees and in case of injury may be left to cope without assistance....
in the nearby Abertysswg
Abertysswg
Abertysswg is a village in the county borough of Caerphilly, Wales.-Location:Situated in the South Wales Valleys, Abertysswg is a small village located to the east of Pontlottyn and south-east of Rhymney. The nearest major town is Merthyr Tydfil. The Rhymney River lies just west of the village...
and Rhymney Mardy Pits. After participating in the failed General Strike of 1926, Davies moved to London where he worked as a teacher at various schools. Four volumes of his poetry were published during his lifetime: Gwalia Deserta (1938), The Angry Summer: A Poem of 1926 (1943), Tonypandy and other poems (1945), and Selected Poems (1953). He returned to Rhymney in 1947 and died of cancer on 6 April 1953.
The professor, civil servant, administrator, and author, Dr Thomas Jones CH (1870–1955), was also born in Rhymney. After leaving school at 14 he became a clerk at the Rhymney Iron and Steel Works. He was admitted to the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth in 1890 and later migrated to Glasgow University in 1890. Between 1904 to 1905 he lectured in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and upon returning to Wales in 1910 became Secretary of the Welsh National Campaign against Tuberculosis. He was appointed Secretary of the National Health Insurance Commission (Wales) in 1912 and transferred to London in 1916 as Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet, eventually becoming Deputy Secretary. He suffered a serious fall indoors at his home in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
in June 1955 and died in a private nursing home on October 15, 1955.
The town is also home to the Rhymney Silurian Male Choir, which was formed in 1951 to renew the tradition of male voice singing in Rhymney. During its history, the choir has won four National Eisteddfod titles and raised money for a number of charities. Other notable people born in Rhymney include the Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
trainer
Athletic trainer
An athletic trainer is a certified, health care professional who practices in the field of sports medicine. Athletic training has been recognized by the American Medical Association as an allied health care profession since 1990....
, John D. Reese, and Wales international rugby union Wing Tom James
Tom James (rugby player)
Tom James is a Welsh rugby union footballer.He was a former Welsh athlete before turning to rugby. His older brother, Robbie, is a professional welterweight boxer and former Welsh ABA Champion....
.
The most prolific writer about the history of Rhymney and its surrounding villages is local historian Marion Evans who has produced five volumes of her series A Portrait of Rhymney with cameos of Pontlottyn, Tafarnaubach, Princetown, Abertysswg and Fochriw. Evans has also written The History of Andrew Buchan's Rhymney Brewery. Further booklets and articles have included The Story of our Village, Rhymney, A Portrait of the Bent Iron, Gelligaer Common, Clay Pipes, and A Portrait of Idris Davies
One of the largest employers in Rhymney is Williams Medical Supplies Ltd
Williams Medical Supplies Ltd
Williams Medical Supplies Ltd is a Wales-based manufacturer and retailer of medical products to the primary care and secondary care markets. It is the largest supplier to general practice in the United Kingdom with a portfolio of products ranging from surgical instruments to pharmaceuticals...
.
The Bells of Rhymney
Rhymney is known to many outside of Wales due to folk singerFolk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
Pete Seeger
Pete Seeger
Peter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and was an iconic figure in the mid-twentieth century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead...
's song "The Bells of Rhymney". The lyrics to the song are drawn from a poem by Idris Davies who was born in Rhymney in 1905. The poem was first published in Davies' 1938 anthology Gwalia Deserta. The poem was inspired by the failure of the 1926 General Strike
1926 United Kingdom general strike
The 1926 general strike in the United Kingdom was a general strike that lasted nine days, from 4 May 1926 to 13 May 1926. It was called by the general council of the Trades Union Congress in an unsuccessful attempt to force the British government to act to prevent wage reduction and worsening...
and by the Marine Colliery disaster of 1 March 1927. In addition to Rhymney, the poem also refers to the bells of Merthyr
Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil is a town in Wales, with a population of about 30,000. Although once the largest town in Wales, it is now ranked as the 15th largest urban area in Wales. It also gives its name to a county borough, which has a population of around 55,000. It is located in the historic county of...
, Rhondda
Rhondda
Rhondda , or the Rhondda Valley , is a former coal mining valley in Wales, formerly a local government district, consisting of 16 communities built around the River Rhondda. The valley is made up of two valleys, the larger Rhondda Fawr valley and the smaller Rhondda Fach valley...
, Blaina
Blaina
Blaina is a small town, situated deep within the South Wales Valleys between Brynmawr and Abertillery in the unitary authority of Blaenau Gwent, ancient parish of Aberystruth, preserved county of Gwent and historic county of Monmouthshire.-Notable people:...
, Caerphilly
Caerphilly
Caerphilly is a town in the county borough of Caerphilly, south Wales, located at the southern end of the Rhymney Valley, with a population of approximately 31,000. It is a commuter town of Cardiff and Newport, which are located some 7.5 miles and 12 miles away, respectively...
, Neath
Neath
Neath is a town and community situated in the principal area of Neath Port Talbot, Wales, UK with a population of approximately 45,898 in 2001...
, Brecon
Brecon
Brecon is a long-established market town and community in southern Powys, Mid Wales, with a population of 7,901. It was the county town of the historic county of Brecknockshire; although its role as such was eclipsed with the formation of Powys, it remains an important local centre...
, Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
, Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
, Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
and the Wye Valley
Wye Valley
The Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an internationally important protected landscape straddling the border between England and Wales. It is one of the most dramatic and scenic landscape areas in southern Britain....
.
The song has been covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
by a number of acts over the years, including Judy Collins
Judy Collins
Judith Marjorie "Judy" Collins is an American singer and songwriter, known for her eclectic tastes in the material she records ; and for her social activism. She is an alumna of the University of Colorado.-Musical career:Collins was born and raised in Seattle, Washington...
, Cher
Cher
Cher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
, The Alarm
The Alarm
The Alarm are an alternative rock band that emerged from North Wales in the late 1970s. They started as a mod band and stayed together for over ten years. As a rock band, they displayed marked influences from Welsh language and culture...
, The Ian Campbell Folk Group
Ian Campbell Folk Group
The Ian Campbell Folk Group were one of the most popular and respected folk groups of the British folk revival of the 1960s. The group made many appearances on radio, television, and at national and international venues and festivals. They performed a mixture of British traditional folk music and...
, John Denver
John Denver
Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr. , known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer/songwriter, activist, and humanitarian. After growing up in numerous locations with his military family, Denver began his music career in folk music groups in the late 1960s. His greatest commercial success...
, Robyn Hitchcock
Robyn Hitchcock
Robyn Rowan Hitchcock is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist. While primarily a vocalist and guitarist, he also plays harmonica, piano and bass guitar....
, Oysterband
Oysterband
Oysterband is a British electric folk or folk rock band formed in Canterbury in or around 1976.-Early history:...
and Ralph McTell
Ralph McTell
Ralph McTell is an English singer-songwriter and acoustic guitar player who has been an influential figure on the UK folk music scene since the 1960s....
. Arguably the most widely known rendition of the song, however, was that recorded by the American band The Byrds
The Byrds
The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973...
for their 1965 album Mr. Tambourine Man
Mr. Tambourine Man (album)
Mr. Tambourine Man is the debut album by the American folk rock band The Byrds and was released in June 1965 on Columbia Records . The album, along with the single of the same name, established the band as an internationally successful rock act and was also influential in originating the musical...
.
See also
- Rhymney ValleyRhymney ValleyThe Rhymney Valley is a valley encompassing the villages of Abertysswg, Fochriw, Pontlottyn, Tirphil, New Tredegar, Aberbargoed, Rhymney, and Ystrad Mynach, and the towns of Bargoed and Caerphilly, in south-east Wales, formerly famous for its coal mining and iron industries.-Geography:Created as a...
- Rhymney RailwayRhymney RailwayThe Rhymney Railway was virtually a single stretch of main line, some fifty miles in length, by which the Rhymney Valley was connected to the docks at Cardiff in the county of Glamorgan, South Wales.-History:...
- Redwood Memorial HospitalRedwood Memorial HospitalRedwood Memorial Hospital is a community hospital in Rhymney which has twenty-one General Practitioner beds, two of which are used to provide a respite service. The hospital also has a Minor Injury Department...
- Tredegar and Rhymney Golf ClubTredegar and Rhymney Golf ClubThe Tredegar and Rhymney Golf Club is a golf club established in 1921 and was opened officially on the 6 June 1925 as a 9 hole golf club is situated between Rhymney and Tredegar in S Wales. The course was officially opened as an 18 hole golf course on the 5 July 2003 after being given help to...