Place:Blaen Gwrach, Glamorgan, Wales

source: Family History Library Catalog

the text in this section is based on an article in Wikipedia

Blaen Gwrach (or Blaengwrach in Wikipedia) is a village near Glynneath and Resolven in the county borough (or principal area) of Neath Port Talbot, Wales. It is also the name of a community (or civil parish) of Neath Port Talbot county borough. Before 1974 it was in the "historic" county of Glamorgan. The population of Blaengwrach at the 2011 UK census was 1,989.

The village of Blaen Gwrach is often confused with the settlement of Cwmgwrach. Traditionally, the two are settlements separated by a stream or brook running through the middle of them. However, the sign welcoming you to Cwmgwrach is actually in Blaen Gwrach, and in similar fashion, Blaen Gwrach school is actually in Cwmgwrach, although this could be explained by its being named after the wider ward. In reality the residents call the entire village Cwmgwrach, with Blaen Gwrach being best used as the name for the wider area in which the village is situated (in other words, the community or civil parish). A history of the village (Cwmgwrach: Valley of the Witch) was written by Ian Currie. (Wikipedia did not provide any further reference.)

A Vision of Britain through Time provides the following description of Blaen Gwrach from John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales of 1870-72:

"BLAENGWRACH, a chapelry in Glyncorrwg parish, Glamorgan; in the Vale of Neath, on the Vale of Neath railway, at Glyn-Neath station, 9 miles NE of Neath Post Town, Glyn-Neath, under Neath. Acres: 3,031. Real property: £826. Population: 280. Houses: 58. The scenery is fine. Ynislaes is a chief residence. Many of the inhabitants are employed in copper and iron mines. The living is a [perpetual] curacy, annexed to the [perpetual] curacy of Glyncorrwg, in the diocese of Llandaff. There is an Independent chapel. Dr. A. Rees, the author of the "Cyclopedia," was a native."

As stated by Wilson in his Gazetteer, Blaen Gwrach was originally a chapel in the ancient parish of Glyncorrwg. A Vision of Britain through Time also states that Blaengwrach contained the chapelry of Capel Bach which may be the same place as Cwmgwrach.

Research Tips

• GENUKI on Glamorgan Lots of leads to other sources and descriptions of former parishes.
• The FamilySearch Wiki on Glamorgan has recently been updated (early 2016) and looks remarkably like Wikipedia. Their map "Glamorgan Parish Map.jpg" enlarges to show all the original parishes. The sub-section "Parishes of Historic Glamorgan" lists all the parishes of Glamorgan and the newer preserved counties and principal areas in both English and Welsh. (Currently this website is still under construction.)

Maps

The first three maps are provided by A Vision of Britain through Time

• A map of 1832 showing larger towns and some villages (not as good as the England county maps in this series).
• Ordnance Survey map of Glamorgan illustrating the parishes, rural districts, urban districts and boroughs as revised to 1899.
• A 1930s Ordnance Survey map of Glamorgan illustrating the parishes, rural districts, urban districts and boroughs as revised to 1944.

These maps were found on Wikimedia Commons

• Glamorgan Administrative Map 1947 separating the various types of administrations with colour coding. These division were most likely in place until 1974.
• A map of Wales outlining the prinicipal areas of Mid Glamorgan and South Glamorgan
• A map of Wales outlining the prinicipal areas of West Glamorgan
• A map of the Vale of Glamorgan principal area with the western part of Cardiff included

These maps of Glamorgan post-1974 were found on another site and are very useful for sorting out the up-to-date geography of the area

• A map of West Glamorgan showing the two principal areas and the towns located in them.
• A map of South Glamorgan showing the two principal areas and the towns located in them.
• A map of Bridgend, Merthyr and Rhondda showing the three principal areas and the towns located in them. The description states that this is "formerly part of Mid Glamorgan".
• A map of Caerphilly, Blaenau and Torfean showing the three principal areas and the towns located in them.