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- source: Family History Library Catalog
- the text in this section is based on an article in Wikipedia
Gelli gaer is a town and community (or civil parish) in the County Borough of Caerphilly, Wales, in the Rhymney River valley. The community also includes the villages of Cefn Hengoed and Hengoed (article in Wikipedia) to the south. The population of the town in the 2011 UK census was 18,408.
Gelli Gaer was an urban district from 1908 until 1974.
A Vision of Britain through Time provides the following description of Gelli gaer from John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales of 1870-72:
- "GELLIGAER, a village, a parish, and a [registration] sub-district, in Merthyr-Tydvil [registration] district, Glamorgan. The village stands on an eminence, on the E border of the county, between the rivers Rumney and Clydach, 2 miles NW of Hengoed [railway] station, and 14 N by W of Cardiff; and has a post office under Newport, Monmouth. A Roman camp was here, and gave occasion for the suffix "gaer;" and a Roman road went hence, and has left some traces. Several monumental stones also are in the neighbourhood. The parish includes the hamlets of Hengoed, Cefn, Garthgynyd, Ysgwyddgwyn, and Brithdir. Acres: 16, 573. Real property: £54,267; of which £26,144 are in mines, £8,844 in iron-works, and £400 in railways. Population in 1851: 3,807; in 1861: 5,778. Houses: 1,037. The increase of population occurred chiefly in Brithdir and Ysgwyddgwyn hamlets, and arose from the opening of new collieries. Several old houses are in the parish; and one of these, now a farm-house, near Llancaiach, is said to have given a night's lodging to Charles II. A battle was fought here between the Welsh and the Normans in 1094. The living is a rectory, with Brithdir and St. Tyfaelog chapelries, in the diocese of Llandaff. Value: £567. Patron: the Marquis of Bute. The parish church, dedicated to St. Cadocus, stands on high ground; has a white tower; and is visible at a great distance, over hill and vale. A new church, dedicated to St. Tyfaelog, was built in 1864, at a cost of £2,252; is in the early English style; and contains 349 sittings. The church of Brithdir was built in 1715."
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.)
- Where to find local archives in the Caerphilly area
Maps
The first three maps are provided by A Vision of Britain through Time
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These maps were found on Wikimedia Commons
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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
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