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Guide to the Curriculum Cymreig --> Local History

Contents- Local history curriculum guide

Please note that Wales on the Web also has a curriculum guide to historical periods in Wales

Local History

This is a guide to the many websites that contain information relating to local history in Wales. Below is a listing of the more general history resources:

CAYW's guide - general history and historical periods in Wales
Gathering the Jewels
National Museums and Galleries of Wales and their Wales Past resource.
Cadw
Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historic Monuments in Wales
Digital Mirror at the National Library of Wales
Worldwidewales
Archives Network Wales
Castles of Wales

Isle of Anglesey

The History of Anglesey is a short historical overview and contains a history of certain places, such as the bridges over the Menai Strait and Penmynydd.

Amlwch, on the north of the island, is well known for copper mining at Parys Mountain. The Copper Kingdom website covers the history of the copper industry in the area, as well as Amlwch's harbour development and ship building. The website also has information and photographs of vessels associated with Amlwch, and details of the Parys Mountain heritage trail. Parys Mountain Undergroung group website also features a comprehensive history of Parys Copper Mines, as does Amlwch data, a searchable database of historical information on Amlwch.

Other resources of interest on Anglesey include:

Aberffraw
Rhosneigr
The Wreck of the Royal Charter in 1859.
Ein Bro has a history of Pentraeth, Llanddona, Porthaethwy, Llanedwen, Llandegfan and Llangoed

Gwynedd

Slateside is the resource for the North Wales Slate Industry and communities dependent on it. Other resources relating to the Slate industry in Gwynedd include:

Llanystumwy is the birthplace of David Lloyd George and the location for the Lloyd George Museum The National Library of Wales' online exhibition on Lloyd George is a biography to one of the great statesmen of the twentieth century as is the one created by Education on the internet

Other places of interest in Gwynedd include:

Ein Bro is a project commissioned by Conwy, Gwynedd and Ynys Mon educational authorities, and is an historical resource aimed and produced by schools. Ein Bro contains a history of the following villages.

Conwy

Llandudno is a Victorian seaside town on the north Wales coast. Llandudno Museum website has a virtual tour of the museum which provides a flavour of the Museum's content and layout, and a detailed database to all its collections. It is possible to search the database by location (where the exhibit originates), person (to whom the object relates to) or full name of the exhibit itself. Llandudno's history goes back well beyong the Victorian- Great Orme Mines is a popular tourist attraction in Llandudno and dates to the prehistoric age. The Great Orme Exploration Society was founded in 1985 with the aim of 'to study, investigate, and promote the history of 'Llandudno's Mountain', with a particular emphasis on the old mine workings'.

JAMES was established in 1999 to promote the educational potential of the museums and collections in Conwy, Denbighshire and Flintshire and to develop educational support and resource materials for all types of educational groups from primary schools through to adult education. Other Museums within Conwy include the Sir Henry Jones Museum in Llangernyw. Born the son of a cobbler in Llangernyw, Sir Henry Jones became the Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Glasgow. The museum is located in his childhood home which has been re-created as it would have been during the second half of the 19th century, and includes his father's workshop.

Most important of all is Ty Mawr Wybrnant near Betws-y-Coed. It was the birthplace of Bishop William Morgan, who first translated the bible into Welsh. The building has been restored to its likely 16th century appearance and includes a collection of Welsh Bibles.

Flintshire

Flint throught the Ages is a history of the borough from the early settlers and the Celts to the industrial revolution and beyond. An essay accompanies each significant historical era documenting its effect on the historical landscape of Flint.

Online history of other Flintshire towns are contained within the following resources:

JAMES also has information and teaching material relating to museums and history of Flintshire. Listed are

Buckley Library, Gallery and Heritage Centre
Greenfield Valley Heritage Park
Mold Library Museum and Gallery and its two rooms dedicated to Daniel Owen.

Denbighshire

Llangollen is the home of the International Musical Eisteddfod, and also has a rich history. The Llangollen website is provided by the Llangollen Tourism Association mainly for visitors to the town, but the website also has a a detailed and informative history section covering Arthurian and Victorian history, and has a virtual tour of Llangollen.

Denbigh and Ruthin are the other two major towns in Denbighshire. Ruthin is a small market town that lies in the Vale of Clwyd. The website has a brief history, and an online tour to Ruthin. The section on Ruthin Gaol, which opened as a tourist attraction in 2002, has a brief history, and a interactive tour to the tourist attraction. The official Ruthin Goal is also a comprehensive resource on the building. Denbighweb has a brief history to the town of Denbigh, its churches and some of its buildings, and a short biography of Sir Richard Clough, and Dr Evan Pierce. Thomas Edwards (Twm o'r Nant) (1739-1810) of Llanefydd, Denbighshire, writer of many interludes, is also associated with the town- information on Twm o'r Nant is available from the Gathering the Jewels website.

Wrexham

Wrexham County Borough Council's website gives a glimpse of some of Wrexham's famous people. The site contains pictures and a short biography. They include A.H Dodd, A.N Palmer, C.H Dodd, Elihu Yale, John Wilkinson, Judge Johnny Basham, Robert Waithman, the Yorke Family and the Williams Wynn family. Wrexham museum also has an introduction to the town and area's past including an account of Brymbo Man who lived near Wrexham during the Early Bronze Age, more than 3,500 years ago and found local builders in 1958.

An educational resource that focuses on early industrial life in the borough is the Isaac Wilkinson in Wales webpages. John Wilkinson and his Family were ironmasters during the beginning of the industrial revolution. The website is a number of historical essays, and the section on Wales concentrates on Isaac Wilkinson's period at Bersham furnace near Wrexham. .

Other websites with historical information include:

Powys

The Powys: A Day in the Life project explores life in Powys in 1891 and compares this with life in the year 2002. The project looks at several aspects of life inlcuding: Culture and Entertainment, Home Life, Education and Work. The site also includes timelines for 1891 and 2002 outlying events of Welsh, British and International significance in those years. The Judge's Lodging Museum is in Presteigne, Powys. The museum provides the visitor with an opportunity to view life as it was during the Victorian Age in this particular Shire Hall. The website is an introduction to the museum, and provides an interactive tour to the building. It also contains a history to Judge's Lodging, educational opportunities at the museum and a short description to Presteigne.

The Machynlleth history section has details of people associated with the town, tourist information, a number of useful links and a map. The Dyfi Valley section provides clickable maps providing historical information on many of the area's town and villages and historical sites. It also has a section on Dyfi's Inns and Chapels. history section covering all periods, and an online heritage trail and map.

Other resources relating to local history in Powys include:

Robert Owen was born in Newtown and is known as the 'Father of Co-operation' and of British socialism' and contributed towards limiting child labour in factories and establishing co-operative communities in the UK and America. Robert Owen Museum is located in Newtown. Spartacus Schoolnet provides a biography of Robert Owen. Newtown also has a textile museum and its website looks at the history of town.

Ceredigion

Much of Ceredigion's history is covered by the many community website that have appeared in recent years. Websites with historical information include:

Lampeter's official website history looks at the towns history from the Romans to the present day and includes a section on the Rebecca Riots in the town. Aberystwyth and District Archaeological Society website has a number of well researched articles on Archaeological sites in the Aberystwyth and Ceredigion area.

South of the county is Newcastle Emlyn. Hanes Emlyn provides a history to the castle, workhouse, the grammar school, and the chapels of Newcastle Emlyn. Nearby in Llandysul is the recently refurbished National Woollen Museum, re-opened in 2004.

Pembrokeshire

Castell Henllys, is a reconstructed Iron Age hill fort in Pembrokeshire. It attempts to recreate the ways in which the original Celtic inhabitants lived and worked. The website presents information on its archaeology, educational facilities, and lists the finds from the earlier years of excavation at Castell Henllys.

Another historic landmark in Pembrokeshire but from a different era, is St David's Cathedral. The cathedral's history, interior, musical life, daily worship, and details of the cathedral festival are all covered in detail. The cathedral is associated with St David, the patron saint of Wales.

Another famous inhabitant of Pembrokeshire is Jemima Nicholas. An animated story about the French invasion of Fishguard in 1797 is written by Gill Clarke. The webpages provide a brief and humourous account of the failed invasion.

Many of Pembrokeshire Towns have a very interesting history. Haverfordwest Town Museum seeks to give a flavour of the town's history from Norman times to today. The museum features rooms based on different aspects of the town's history : civic, institution, people, religion, trade and industry, and has among its holdings the oldest letter box in Wales.

Pembroke is a town associated with Henry VII, as he was born in the town. He also landed in Pembrokeshire on his way to the Battle of Bosworth in 1485.

Virtual Tenby documents the history of the town from the arrival of the Normans in the late 11th century and the colonization of the town, through to Tenby's establishment as a tourist haven in the Victorian period.

Carmarthenshire

The Carmarthenshire Museum Service website gives details of the county's museums and heritage centres:

Carmarthenshire County Museum
Carmarthen Heritage Centre
Kidwelly Industrial Museum
Parc Howard Museum
Museum of Speed, Pendine

Llanelli- Birth of the town deals with LlanelLI's history from ancient times to modern day. It includes wide range of issues regarding Llanelli's past from churches, transport and historic buildings to information on Llanelli's pubs and inns.

Ammanford and its surrounding history also has an interesting history. The Ammanford website contains a number of articles on many aspects of the towns history including mining, education, Griffith Jones and the circulating schools, and the origins of the town's name. It also has sections on the chapels and churches in Ammanford, sporting heroes and occasions and places to visit (including Carreg Cennen and Dinefwr castle). The people of Ammanford section has short biographies on a number of well known people associated with the town.

Other websites include:

Llanegwad and its woollen mill
Pembrey
Carmarthen Bay also has its fair share of Shipwrecks

Bridgend and Ogmore

Kenfig - The Complete History Online is an online resource for learning about local history in and around the Kenfig Borough. It is an on-going resource aimed at encouraging the younger generations to learn about local history that forms a part of the National Curriculum. Interactive sections will be included as well as coverage of local community events. The website provides historical information relating to World War II, local folklore and crime and punishment. Kenfig Society also provides a history of the town. Although most of the medieval borough of Kenfig is now lost under the sand this website details the ongoing archaeological dig on the dunes at Kenfig.

Merthyr Tydfil

2004 is the 200th Anniversary of the Penydarren Locomotive. Richard Trevithick, a steam engineer from Cornwall, was responsible for the very first journey by a steam locomotive hauling a load on rails. The event took place in Merthyr Tydfil on the 21st February 1804. Trevithick 2004 is a 'public/private/voluntary sector partnership created to celebrate the 200th Anniversary historic first journey was between Penydarren, Merthyr Tydful to Abercynon.

Old Merthyr Tydfil is a collection of postcards and photos of former industrial town. Access to the photographs are available through the interactive map. The website also contains photographs and maps of Merthyr's railways, buses, tramcars and the ironworks.

Caerphilly

Time Tracks website is a historical resource to Caerphilly County Borough. The website has details on the museums and historic buildings including

Caerphilly Castle
Llancaiach Fawr
Gelligroes Mill
Drenewydd Museum
Senghennydd Community Centre
Gelligaer common
Van mansion

Senghennydd is the location for the worst pit-disaster of the 20th century. It occurred on 13th of October, 1913 and 439 men and boys were killed. The National Library of Wales has a series of postcards depicting the aftermath of the Senghennydd pit disaster.

Sirhowy Valley provides a brief history to the former industrial valley and its towns, biographies of famous people, and myths, legends and folklore associated with the valley. Towns include:

Tredegar
Bedwellty
Markham
Oakdale
Blackwood
Pontllanfraith

Cross Keys is a former industrial village located at the confluence of the Ebbw and Sirhowy Rivers in the former county of Gwent. The local history section concentrates on Cross Keys (including the Parishes of Risca , Mynyddislwn, Machen and the lower Ebbw and Sirhowy valleys) industrial past and Islwyn (The Rev. William Thomas), poet and preacher, born at Ynysddu.

Rhondda Cynon Taff

The coal industry had a major effect on life in the borough. Much of this is reflected in Rhondda Cynon Taff Photographic Library as it provides 10,000 images illustratating all aspects of life in the Cynon and Rhondda Valley from 1880 to the present day. The service has been created by Rhondda Cynon Taff library service.

Rhondda Heritage Park is based at the former Lewis Merthyr Colliery, Trehafod, and is owned and funded by Rhondda Cynon Taff County Borough Council. The website lists available facilities at the park including the 'shift in time' guided tour, black gold multi media exhibition, artefacts museum, energy zone adventure playground and an art gallery. The park also provide learning experiences for educational groups of all ages, and shows how life was in the South Wales Valleys when the coal industry was dominant.

Tribute to the Rhondda Valleys is a socio-economic history of the Rhondda Valleys during the period 1800 to 1950. The coal mining industry and the way of life within these communities is covered in depth. It is a comprehensive history of the Rhondda and the author's much researched work focuses on living conditions, miners' diseases, transport, pit ponies, working conditions, and the Tonypandy riots.

Further down the valley is Pontypridd. 'Victorian Pontypridd' contains extract from the published book by Don King. Throughout Queen Victoria's long reign (1837-1901), Pontypridd was one of the fastest growing towns in Wales, and had established itself as a important market town. It is 'a portrait of the town and its people, evoking character and atmosphere.' Pontypridd at War also contains excerpts from a book. Even though Pontypridd didn't suffer from the intensity of air attacks like other towns or cities, it was very much part of the war effort. The website looks at the evacuees' story and has a synopsis of chapters from the book that is an account of life in the town and neighbouring villages during the Second World War, and the years immediately before and after.

There is still much interest and enthusiasm with Gilbern Cars Ltd, a Welsh car company founded by a local butcher from Church Village and a German engineer. The cars were made in a factory at Llantwit Fardre from 1959 until its closure in 1974.

Swansea

A comprehensive resource on the history of the city is Swansea Heritage Net. a partnership between the City and County of Swansea, New Opportunities Fund, and the Royal Institution of South Wales. It is a 'digitising project designed to aid access to the material evidence held in trust by Swansea Museum Service'. The project use a series of themes including the sea and Swansea's maritime history, industry, World War two, people, archaeology, art and culture. Swansea Heritage Net enables many aspects of the museum collections to be viewable to the wider world through the internet.

Swansea Local History (Millennium Time Capsule) contains a local history of the following towns:

Swansea History Web also contains local history, social history and community history of Swansea and its surrounding area. The site contains articles, features, digitised images and educational resources on numerous historical topics. Please note that many of the links are password protected and you will need to subscribe to their email newsletter to get a user name and password.

Mumbles Book focuses on the area's local history. The website contains historical information on a number of topics including transport, industrial heritage, landmarks, and the war effort in Mumbles. The Swansea- Mumbles Railway was first opened in 1807 and is regarded as being the first passenger railway in the world.

Gower was first place in the UK to be designated as 'An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty' (AONB). For a history of the area it is worth visiting Swansea-Gower.co.uk. The website has information on a number of historic sites (including caves, churches, standing stones, and castles), and a full listing of bays in the area. The villages section contains information and pictures of Penclawdd, Rhossili and Parkmill. Gwerin y Gwyr is the Swansea branch of Regia Anglorum: a Dark Ages reanactment and living history society. The society takes part in displays both local and national, help out at a local historical monument and can give talks and demonstrations of a variety of authentic crafts and combat techniques.

The City of Swansea is also associated with Dylan Thomas.

Neath Port Talbot

South West Wales Industrial Archaeology Society contains online access to articles on industrial archaeology and transport of the area.It is a group of people interested in the 'history and remains of industry and transport, especially in the area around Swansea, but also including Llanelli, Neath, Port Talbot and their respective valleys and west Wales.

Other resources relating to the area include:

History of Neath

Also, the borough is the birthplace of two of the worlds most famous actors. The Official Richard Burton site is a definitive biography to the world renowned actor Richard Burton (1925-1984) from Pontrhydyfen. The site chronologs his life from his early days in south Wales to his death in Switzerland in 1984. Sir Anthony Hopkins was born in Margam, Port Talbot in 1937. Planet Hopkins contains a biography, filmography and online access to many of his interviews and transcripts.

Cardiff

The City of Cardiff grew from a relatively small town to its establishment as the largest coal exporting port in the world by the end of the 19th century. Cardiff- A Building of a Capital, a heritage lottery funded project managed by the Glamorgan Record Office, documents this growth. Over 40,000 Cardiff building regulation plans were catalogued and made available on the internet. The project offers online access to a large number of plans including cinemas, dog tracks, hotels, schools, offices, churches, mosques, synagogues, factories, houses, shops, coffee bars, air raid shelters and much more.

Cardiff is still witness to change- especially in the docks area of the city which is now better known as Cardiff Bay. Butetown History and Arts Centre collects, preserves and presents the lived history of old Cardiff Bay. The exhibits, books and other materials that is produced is drawn on the photographs, documents and memories of local people.' Their website also has an education section. Butetown History and Art Centre are also involved with CASBAH- Caribbean Studies Black and Asian Studies

Real Cardiff is an offbeat guide, history and literary ramble of Europe's newest capital. The author, Peter Finch, views the important developments going on in Cardiff. The website has a description and history to many of Cardiff's well known roads and streets, poems about many of the city's landmarks, a Cardiff poets map, and a listing of novels, short fiction, and autobiographies that have some creative connection with Cardiff. The City Road website is a result of a project run by HyperAction with Albany Primary School in the City Road area of Cardiff in early 2000. The site includes details of the project along with poems, history and information about this corner in the eastern part of Cardiff.

Vale of Glamorgan

Barry, in the Vale of Glamorgan, has also witnessed major change in recent years. Axis Historical Society was established with the aim of preserving history of Barry by way of photographs, documents and artefacts. The society also run a number of local history exhibitions in the town. The website provides a newsletter with various articles and has a timeline providing a brief history of Barry. In stark contrast to the town of Barry is the village of St Brides-super-Ely DDIM YN GWEITHIO. The website contains the village's history and current condition, along with some excellent links for further research. The website includes the history of the various churches in the village, and a number of historical and genealogy resources on the small village in the Vale of Glamorgan.

Newport

One of the most historical locations in the borough is the Roman fort at Caerleon, established in A.D 75 and defended the region for over 200 years. At the Roman Legionary Museum you can find out how the Romans lived, slept and ate; how they marched and prepared for battle; which gods they worshiped, and which jewels they wore and valued. You can also visit the nearby Roman Amphitheatre. It is also possible to read the history of Caerleon from pre-Roman times to the present day.

Much attention has been focused on the discovery of a medieval ship on the banks of the River Usk in central Newport. Newport Ship is believed to have been built circa 1465. The Friend of Newport Ship website explores its possible history, documents the local campaign fought in order to save the ship, and has comprehensive list of published news items recording the event and campaign. Future plans for the ship is also covered and online access is available to the conservation and management plan and many academic reports on the subject and era. . Newport Borough Council DDIM YN GWEITHIO website also details of the successful campaign that saved the excavations, plans and artists impressions of the ship and a slide show.

John Frost Square is in the centre of Newport. It is named after John Frost (1784-1877), leader of the Chartist rebellion in Newport in 1839. On the outskirts of the city is Tredegar House, a 17th century mansion. For over 500 years it was the home of the Morgans - later Lords Tredegar. The house was bought by Newport Borough Council and is open to the public. The website posts a history of the house and its famous inhabitants.

Blaenau Gwent

The industrial era dominated the economic and social life of Blaenau Gwent. Blaenau Gwent Heritage contains information on local history and sites of historic and archaeological interest in the Blaenau Gwent area. It has details and maps to a number of heritage trails, listing of scheduled ancient monuments and historic sites and a section on medieval and folklore Blaenau Gwent. The webpages also has a section on Blaenau Gwent chartists and contains a number of articles on the local history of the area.

Blaenau Gwent Heritage also has a history of Tredegar as published in 1868. Abertillery.netfocuses on the town's boom years during the coal industry. Collieries of the Sirhowy Valley is a short history and also contains a number of photographs relating to the coal industry in the valley (click on members articles to access the webpage).

Aneurin Bevan became the Member of Parliament for Ebbw Vale in 1929. He was responsible for the National Health Service.

Torfaen

Blaenavon is in Torfaen and is an official world heritage site. Blaenafon.info is an historical account of the town and its associated industrial heritage, and contains information on tourism, mining, archaeology, Monmouthshire and Brecon canal, railways, and recreation facilities.

Blaenavon is also associated with Alexander Cordell (1914 - 1997), author of many books covering life in South Wales especially that of the industrial revolution to the turmoil of the early 20th Century. Although Cordell wasn't born in Wales, he lived for many years in the south Wales valleys. The landscapes and people of South Wales inspired much of his work. . Cordell's Country is a biography of Cordell, and mentions the Welsh connections to many of his books, especially that of Blaenavon in 'Rape of the Fair Country'. The website also provides information to 'The Blaenafon Heritage and Cordell Museum'.

Two other towns within the borough include:

Monmouthshire

Hale Monmouthshire pages has a history of Monmouthshire, bibliography and a brief biography to a number of famous people associated with the old county of Gwent including Geoffrey of Monmouth and Henry V. It also has information on Monmouthshire place names.

Abergavenny has a long history that goes back to at least the Roman fort of Gobannium. Caerwent is another town in Monmouthshire with a history stretching back to the Romans. Caerwent community website also provides digitised items from the Caerwent Historic Trust library and the stories behind the names on the Caerwent War Memorial.

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