Ysgwyddgwyn Hamlet
Ysgwyddgwyn Hamlet extends from the eastern bank of the upper Bargoed-Rhymney or Darren Valley. The main communities in this hamlet today are Fochriw and Deri (the part on the western bank). In the tithe schedule of 1841, 1666 acres were described as agricultural, the rest being common land. This was divided into 16 farms of between 27 and 219 acres.
Its boundaries in 1750 were given as “it begins where nant goch goes to Bargod by Pont Cradock then along nant goch upwards to the stone standing on the common opposite Mardy Bach House then from that stone directly westward along the old ditch to the high way that leadeth from Pen yr Hewl Ddu tp Pen y Brin Ore then along the way to Fose Tor Kenla then to Three great stones standing in the heath below Twyn y wayn between Merthyr and Gellygare then directly eastward to Bargod River little below the way that leadeth from Kevan y Brithdire to Twyn y wayn then along Bargod River to pont Cradock aforesaid”
In 1801 its population was the smallest of any of the Hamlets of Gelligaer. The population remained static through 1851. The growth of Fochriw and Deri then led to a ten fold increase over the next 20 years. Note that these villages began to grow before Bargoed or Ystrad Mynach. The population in each sucessive census is shown in the table. By 1881 population was no longer recorded by hamlet as their function had all but disappeared.
Census | Population | Houses |
1801 | 95 | |
1811 | 88 | 16 |
1821 | 105 | 18 |
1831 | 105 | 20 |
1841 | 123 | 20 |
1851 | 112 | 17 |
1861 | 537 | 98 |
1871 | 1619 |
The farms, as recorded in the 1841 tithe schedule, are shown below. The more commonly accepted spellings today would be Fochriw, Ffynnon-duon, Pen-y-banc, Cwmllwydrew, Cilhaul, Ysgwyddgwyn-uchaf, Glyn-y-march, Ffos-yr-hebog, Bryn-rhe, Gwern-llwynau, Ysgwyddgwyn-isaf, Pen-y-garreg, Bryncoch and Maerdy. If you are interested in the histories of these farms up the 1841 please see our Publications page.
The tithe value has been converted to modern pounds/pence; it gives an indication of the relative values of the farms in 1841.
Farm name | Acres | Tithe value | Owner | Tenant |
Fochrhew | 108 | £4.80 | Lewis Morgan | John Phillips |
Ffynnone Duon | 85 | £3.85 | David Jenkins | Edmund Williams |
Pen y Bank | 89 | £5.95 | Lewis Evans | Thomas Davis |
Cwm Llydraw | 117 | £4.65 | Thomas Thomas | David Evans |
Cylhaul | 82 | £3.90 | Bailey Crayshaw esq. | Thomas Llewelyn |
Ysgwyddgwyn Ucha | 219 | £9.50 | Bailey Crayshaw esq. | Phillip Phillips |
Glyn y march | 27 | £1.85 | Anne Williams | William Lewis |
Ffos'r Hebog | 27 | £1.90 | Evan James | William Jones |
Bryn Rea | 186 | £9.75 | Edward Probyn esq. | Llewellyn Llewellyn |
Mill & land | 39 | £1.90 | William James | David Watson |
Tarren Ysgwyddgwyn | 38 | £1.40 | Marquess of Bute & William Meyrick | Morgan Thomas, Richard Thomas, Francis Morgan |
Gwern Llwyne | 109 | £5.00 | Marquess of Bute | Thomas Morgan & Thomas Richards |
Ysgwyddgwyn Isha | 142 | £9.50 | William Meyricke esq. | Francis Morgan |
Pen y Carreg | 186 | £9.75 | Llancaiach Estate | David Evans |
Bryn Coch | 120 | £5.30 | William Meyricke esq. | David Evans |
Mardy | 95 | £6.50 | Edmund Williams | John Jenkins |