Sitting proudly on it’s foundations, on a plateau high above the river Neath, sit’s St. Mary’s Church, or as it was originally called Y Capel Bach.
The history of Y Capel Bach (The Small Chapel) is both long and complex, therefore I have portrayed it below as a Timeline in the hope that this will give a better understanding of the time frame and the main events of the chapels history.
Before we delve into the history of the Chapel of Ease I think a few paragraphs to explain the religious practices of the day may be beneficial.
In order to understand it’s history and links to St John the Baptist church in Glyncorrwg I have included a few lines to explain how Y Capel Bach came under the control of St. John the Baptist church in the Parish of Glyncorrwg, and how it was administered according to the laws that governed religion during this period.
It is worth noting that the Parish church of St John the Baptist is of very ancient origin, with records of it’s existence going back to the 14th century, and Roger Lee Brown in his book Through Cloud and Sunshine espouses the theory that it goes back even further, as far back as the Age of the Saints in the 5th and 6th century.
For more info on St. John the Baptist church in Glyncorrwg click here
Y Capel Bach as it was originally known, is an Episcopal, Anglican, Chapel of Ease situated in Blaengwrach, which was, at that time, in the parish of Glyncorrwg. Episcopal means it was governed by a Bishop and in this case it came under the Diocese of the Bishop of Llandaff. In religious faith terms it is under the denomination of the Anglican (Church of England). The term Chapel of Ease means that it was situated in close proximity to it’s congregation as the mother church lay some distance away in Glyncorrwg.
With regard to why it was eventually called St Mary’s there are no records of dedication for the Chapel, and therefore no authority for the name. The name can first be seen on the six inch Ordnance Map of 1901. In Philips book page 128 it is assumed that the name matches the name of the medieval Glyncorrwg church of St. John the Baptist, the mother church to Y Capel Bach (St Mary’s Church).
There is an interesting note however in the Jubilee Celebration pamphlet of Rev J. Ll, Thomas vicar of Aberpergwm in which he states the following: Turning to Blaengwrach chapel-of-ease, in the parish of Glyncorrwg which he had served for many years, he stated that the chapel was interesting as having been dedicated by Bishop Morgan, the translator of the Bible into Welsh, during the short time he was Bishop of Llandaff.
As Y Capel Bach lay in the ancient parish of Glyncorrwg the vicar of St John the Baptists church was responsible for overseeing the spiritual needs of the hamlet at Y Capel Bach under the law called the Act of Uniformity. To do this the vicar would sometimes employ a Curate to carry out services for him. A Curate was someone employed on a small stipend to assist the Vicar of a Parish.
Act of Uniformity:
In order to forfill the statue law of 1559 called the Act Of Uniformity which required every person of the parish to worship in their local church on a Sunday or to pay a penalty of 12 pence for every offence, which was then given to the poor fund of the parish. Further anti-puritan legislation in 1593 was to repeat these requirements, which meant a person could only worship , be baptised , married or buried in their local parish church, or as we will see, in the approved Chapelry, as explained below.
Glyncorrwg in the 17th century was in the Neath hundred and along with Blaengwrach was part of the old manor of Afon Wallia.
Tithe system: The main income of the clergy was derived from the Tithe system. This meant that a tenth of the income from your lands was used for the benefit of the local church. Tithe is tenth in Hebrew. In Leviticus 27:30 it says, “A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord: it is holy to the Lord.”
After the reformation the Patrons or Impropriators of Glyncorrwg were also the lay rectors of the parish This meant they were entitled to the tithes and spiritual profits of the parish, they could also nominate the perpetual curate. In turn they were responsible for paying the curates and were responsible for the upkeep of the church. They also had the right to chief seat of the church.
This money was collected from the landowners and distributed to the clergy, the clergy in turn would pay for their curates a stipend of this money. The curates of the time where not paid very much and many lived in poverty, especially in the mountainous parishes such as Glyncorrwg / Blaengwrach, where the weren’t many parishioners living in these areas to supplement their income.
Queen Anne’s Bounty: Before the Restoration the clergy had to pay what was called “First Fruits and Tenths” to the Pope. The First Fruits was the first years income of a new cleric to a benefice, and the Tenth was a tenth of his income for subsequent years. After the Reformation in1660, King Henry VIII diverted these monies away from the Pope into his control. He subsequently set up the Queen Annes Bounty system, whereby this money was given to the clergy whose income from their living was less then £80 a year. It was not given directly to the incuments but was used to purchase land (worth about £200) and the income from this land was used to augment their income.
There are two thoughts put forward by D.Rhys Philips in his book on the History of the Vale of Neath on why Y Capel Bach was built at Blaengwrach, even though Aberpergwm church was only a 15 minute walk from Clun Y Bont.
The first is that the chapel was built to stop Methodist preachers preaching at the isolated farmhouses of the area, which was though to be happening at the time.
The second opinion was though to be the most likely reason for the Chapel of Ease being built in Blaengwrach according to D. Rhys Philips. (see Philips, page 124)
D. Rhys Philips believes it was built by George Williams in Blaengwrach, as St. John the Baptist church in the Parish of Glyncorrwg was too difficult a journey to get to, and as previously mentioned, the Act of Uniformity stated you had to attend religious services in your own Parish.
ED Note: If I may, I would like to add my thoughts to this issue, I also believe the the difficulty in travelling to Glyncorrwg was the most likely reason for the Chapel of ease being built in Blaengwrach. But, I do wonder if there may have been a bit of sibling rivalry involved. After all George’s younger brother William Williams of Aberpergwm House had built the church at Aberpergym circa 40 years earlier, and I could imagine that his older brother would feel a little bit jealous of his younger brother and would want to build his own Church as well. I think he saw the opportunity of using the distances needed to travel to Glyncorrwg as an excuse to build his own Church. But these are my own thoughts and I have no way of verifying them.
If the date is specific to Glyncorrwg I have coloured it Blue:
It must be assumed that between 1559 and circa 1600, when Y Capel Bach was built, that the people of Blaengwrach would have had to travel to St John the Baptist church in Glyncorrwg every Sunday to worship as laid out by the 1559 “Act of Uniformity”, or to pay the quite considerable fine of 12 pence.
At this time Blaengwrach lay within the parish of Glyncorrwg which lies in the Afan valley. For those that know the area will know that this is a journey of about 6 miles through peat bogs and over the nearly 2000 foot summit of Graig y Llyn, the highest point in Glamorgan. Difficult to travel over even in the summer months, but even more difficult in the winter months.
At this time there were only a handful of farms in the Blaengwrach area which lies between the Gwrach and Gwerlych streams, and the journey to Glyncorrwg would probably have taken place by horseback or on foot, and it would have taken a few hours to travel there, attend the service at St. John the Baptist church, and then travel back to Blaengwarch.
The history of St. Mary’s Church in Blaengwrach really starts at the door of one George Williams of Blaen Baglan.
George Williams was the eldest son of William ap Jenkins and received the family home of Blaen Baglan from his father when his father remarried in 1543. The second son William Williams was left the lease of Aberpergwm House and became the founder of the Aberpergwm branch of the Williams family. (Philips p. )
George bought much land in the Glyncorrwg parish and around Blaengwrach, including Clun y Bont, and moved there around 1595.
He realised than in order to forfill the statue law of 1595 called the Act Of Uniformity he would have to travel to Glyncorrwg to worship at St John the Baptists church, as this was the nearest church in the Glyncorrwg parish.
To avoid this difficult journey, he petitioned the Bishop of Llandaff William Morgan (1595 – 1601), (who translated the Bible into Welsh), by way of a Welsh poem in the form of a Cywydd. The Cywydd was said to have been written by the famous Welsh poet Sion Mowddwy and the poem offered considerable praise to the Bishop, before moving on to ask for permission from the Bishop to build a Chapel of Ease at Blaengwrach. This Cywydd is the only known example of a “begging poem” pleading for a church to be built.
The poems were quite well known and extracts from it were published in Ap Iolo’s Glynn Nedd pp 52-4, and the whole poem was also printed in Hen Gwndidau pp 184-6 in 1910. (Philips p. 123) The poem in Welsh and English can also be found in Through Cloud and Sunshine pp 112-4 by Roger lee Brown in 1982.
To view Cywydd in Welsh and English click on the flags below:
Th actual date of completion of the Chapel is not known, but it is assumed it was completed before 1600, as in 1600 George Williams died and was apparently one of the first “sons of the valley” to be buried there. (Philips p124)
We also know from a newspaper article of 1879, the actual size of the original Y Capel Bach, the newspaper article states “the building was a low thatched edifice about seven feet to the outside eaves and six feet to the inside cross beam“.
There is no recorded documentation of the life of the Chapel between these dates. Did the chapel get used after the death of George Williams and the sale of Clun Y Bont, or did it slowly fall into disrepair? We will probably never know.
There is mention in The History of the Vale of Neath on page 125, that Ap Iolo, based on an old manuscript, thought that the Nonconformists took over the Chapel circa 1689 to 1700-4, but when this became know to the Parish authorities of Glyncorrwg they took steps to have them removed.
It is thought they repaired and rebuilt the chapel during this time, but when they were removed the Parish authorities refused to reimburse them for the money they spent on the upkeep of the Chapel.
There is some doubt about the dates and it could have been a bit earlier these events took place. When the Nonconformiists left Y Capel Bach they then went on to build Hen Y Cwrdd which was situated above the village in a concealed position.
The first entry in the parish register for Glyncorrwg is for the burial of a Jenkin David on the 24th May 1702.
David Jones was the Perpetual Curate of Glyncorrwg between these dates, with assistant curate being in 1729, Thomas Morgan (or maybe Morrice) and in 1733 W. Thomas.
Much has been written about Thomas Davies, he was known as Ffeiriad Coch (The Red Priest) probably because of his hair colouring. He had a reputation for heavy drinking, card playing and failing at his duties as a priest by failing to read the litany, (a prayer that is called by the priest and responded to by the congregation) caschtise the children, and failed to hold services on Holy days.
He was the viacar of St John the Baptists church in Glyncorrwg and therefore was responsible for Capel Bach as well. He would have travelled by horse along the track from Glyncorrwg to Blaengwrach called Ffordd Y Ffeiriad (The Way or Route of the Priest) to carry out services in Blaengwrach in the afternoon or evening after holding a morning service in Glyncorrwg.
For more information of Ffordd y Ffeiriad click here.
He was to meet an untimely death in 1753 whilst travelling from Ystraddyfodwg (Rhondda valley) back to Glyncorrwg after holding a service there. He drove his horse the wrong way on a foggy day over a cliff, now called Craig y Ffeirad, above Tydraw, Blaencwm in the Rhondda valley and both man and horse perished. It was said at the time “he had drunk well, but not wisely”.
If you would like to read more of the exploits of Y Ffeiriad Coch click here.
Leysen Morgan was serving as a clerk at Glyncorrwg when on 28th January 1755 he was licensed to serve as a curate of Glyncorrwg and Blaengwrach. Four years earlier he had been accused by a Jenkin Stephen of Cadoxton of adulatary, saying in Welsh, “ddin omi phriodwys Dafydd Walkins, hywnt” meaning he and his wife were never married unless David Watkins married them.
It appears he lived in the Vale of Glamorgan until 1759 as the Bishops transcripts for Glyncorrwg were signed by various curates, John Jones in 1754, Morgan Jones from 1755 – 57 and William Davies in 1758.He also had various other livings such as Penlline, Aberpergym and Crynant, and probably used curates to serve these livings.
By 1763 he was living in the next parish a quarter of a mile from Blaengwrach chapel. He made the excuse to the Bishop that there was no convenient place to live within the Glyncorrwg parish as the parsonage was leased out to someone else by the proprietor. This meant that the lay proprietor was using the parsonage for profits which was against canon law.
It seemed ill health meant that he had to have assistance to serve this curacy, and in 1774 he went on to explain to the Bishop that he was not serving as a licensed curate due to ill health, but as an assistant to his son. He carried in in this capacity until his death in 1781.
Whilst serving at Glyncoorwg he received twelve and a hlaf pounds from the impropriator Mr Vernon, and for pounds for serving at Blaengwrach. On top of this he received from the Queen Anne’s Bounty an additional twenty five ponds per annum.
The distance between the Glynncorrwg church and Blaengwrach chapel was always a board of contention, the services would take place at this time at 11:00 in the morning at Glyncorrwg and 3pm in the afternoon at Blaengwrach once a fortnight. This pattern continued like this well into the 19 century. It seems likely that on the off week the people of Blaengwrach would worship at Aberpergwm even though the churches were in different parishes.
Leyson explained to the Bishop that the distance between Glyncorrwg and Blaengwrach was too great and the road condition too bad, especially in winter. He said “it generally takes him two hours to travel between the church and the chapel”. Although he failed to mention this was on foot and it was quicker by horse.
A local newspaper report of 1879 stated that 96 years ago, “the condition of the chapel was in a bad state of repair, the building was a low thatched edifice about seven feet to the outside eaves and six feet to the inside cross beams, the walls were bulging out and the wood was rotten and that the roof leaked. Soon after this date, this building was replaced by a plain oblong building which was though good enough for those times”.
The earliest record in the Parish register for a burial is for William son of David Rees on the 20th November 1781 by J. H. Morgan. (Philips p. 128)
J.H. Morgan, no information available other than he was the first signature in the parish register.
Grants received from Queen Anne Bounty for the sum of £800.
W. Williams assistant curate signs the register.
E.Maddocks assistant curate, no information available.
The story of Leyshon Jones is both sad and complex, and to gather a deeper understanding of the man than I can explain here, I would suggest you read the fantastic book Through Cloud and Sunshine by Roger Lee Brown who has devoted a whole chaper (Chapter V) to the story. Below I have laid out some of the main points of his time leading up to his appointment as Vicar of Glyncorrwg and Blaengwrach chapel and his story whilst in this position.
Leyson Jones was the son of Morgan and Margaret Jones who lived at Abergwrelych farm in Pontwalby, and was baptised at Blaengwrach chapel on the 12th August 1781. He attended Jesus College, Oxford in 1804, but found the expense of gaining an education in Oxford outweighed his fathers pockets. He did not obtain his degree as he did not serve enough terms at the college. Instead in 1805 he was “plucked” ordained to become a priest, whilst at the same time the Curacy of Glyyncorrwg was vacant.
Leyshon Jones (The Absentee Vicar) was vicar of Glyncorrwg for 41 years which made him responsible for Blaengwrach church as well. The income from Glyncorrwg parish was £61 per annum and he found the position of the two churches too remote and difficult to get to to carry out services at both location on a Sunday, that it did not allow him the time to look for another local curacy to increase his low income.
For a number of years he employed a Curate to run Glyncorrwg Parish on a stipend of £40 per annum. He also had a second incumbency at Tretower in Breckonshire which had a similar income, and he also employed a Curate there to look after the Parish. Once free of his commitments to both parishes and with a little money left over for himself he undertook a number of Curacies in England. He became Curate in Somerset, Lincoln, Buckinghamshire and back to Somerset.
In 1825 a new Bishop of Llandaff forced him to return to Glyncorrwg along with his family, by decling to renew his licence for non-residency. As there was no vicarage in Glyncorrwg he rented a house in Rhigos. Nevertheless he continued to increase his debts by not paying his curates until he was sequestrated, which meant his living was placed in the hands of trustees, his principle creditor being his brother William.
His life now took a downward spiral until in 1840 he became mentally unstable and was not able to perform his duties to the Parish. His brother took him into his own home and became an administrator for him and his debts. The Parish was put into the hands of inexperienced Curates, which allowed part of the income to become a pension for the vicar.
Leyshon Jones died on January 19th 1850 and was buried in Blaengwrach Chapel on Tuesday the 22nd of January 1850. So bringing to an end this sad story.
The earliest existing record for a baptism in the parish register for Blaengwrach is for David son of Rosser and Margaret Lewis performed by L. Jones on the 11th April 1813. (Philips P.128)
John Williams signs as Curate
The first marriage in the parish register is for Thomas Watkins and Mary Morgan on the 25th April 1834 by John Williams curate. (Philips p. 128)
Richard Tendril Llewellyn who was a curate of Glyncorrwg was ordained as a priest on the 6th October 1837 by the Bishop of Llandaff.
John Davies assistant curate at Glyncorrwg was ordained as a priest on the 17th June 1838.
The plain building that replaced the original Y Capel Bach in 1777, was partialy restored and a porch was added. It is also reported that the square pews were left untouched. (see Philips p 128)
A meeting of the incumbent vicar and the Church wardens and the parisheners proposed to restore the church as it had become very dilapatated. As the hamlet of Blaengwrach was very small at the time, it was difficult for the ratepayers to raise the required amount of money for the renovation.
A number of wealthy landowners stepped in and subscribed to the cost of the renovation, namely, the Countess Dowager of Dunraven, Misses Williams of Ynslas, The following gentlemen should also be noted for their assistance, N.V Vaughan, Esq. of Rheloa, Wm. Williams, Esq. of Aberpergwm, J. Dillwyn Llewelyn, Esq. of Penllergare, H.J. Grant, Esq. of the Gnoll and G. Penrose, Esq. of Clynybont. Misses Williams of Ynyslas along with a subscription also donated a beautiful alter cloth, communion linen, cushings for the pulpit and a reading desk.
The restoration was also aided by the Lord Bishop of Llandaff and the venerable Archdeacon.
The church was closed for three months and was finally opened on the Thursday, the 13th instant. (month not known). “The day was fine and three services were held during the day. Unfortunately Misses Williams was indisposed and could not attend, nevertheless along with Mrs Penrose and others of the neighbourhood refreshment were abundantly provided throughout the day for the three services”. (see here for transcribed story from Brown page )
In the September of 1844 John Jones was ordained to the curacy.
With the villages of Resolven, Glyncorrwg and Blaengwrach increasing their population due to the expansion of mining in the area, and the coming of the railway, events of 1850 saw the start of the breakup of the relationship between Glyncorrwg and Blaengwrach. This would ultimately lead, 90 years later in 1940, to Blaengwrach ending it’s long association with St. John the Baptist church in Glyncorrwg, and therefore bringing it under the control of Aberpergwm Church.
The breakup started In 1850 by way of “an order in council” with Resolven breaking away from the larger Neath with Llantwit parish and led to a new parish of Resolven and Clyne being formed , with Walter Griffiths B.D being appointed as the new Vicar.
Two months previously Walter Griffiths was also appointed vicar of Glyncorrwg with Blaengwrach. As he lived in Resolven he choose to officiate at Resolven and Blaengwrach. But due to it’s isolation and difficulty to travel there, the vicar appointed a curate to look after St. John the Baptist church in Glyncorrwg.
He commented to the bishop: “Between the two (Glyncorrwg and Blaengwrach) is a mountain full of peat bogs which it is almost at times quite impossible for the clergymen to cross so as to do the duty himself at both… Resolven is in the same valley as Blaengwrach so that with perfect convienience he can officiate at Resolven and Blaengwrch. More-over Resolven has a house and the benefice of the two other parishes no house.” (see online St Mary’s history for quote)
He also shared a curate with the parish of Llangynwyd who then cared for the Glyncorrwg parish church. He was allowed dispensation by the ecclesiastical authorities to run both livings together.
The first and last entries in registers by Walter Griffiths are from 27th March 1851 and 20th July 1858.
Walter Griffiths B.D, J.P. resigned his living in 1862 and retired to Dulias Fach in Tonna, his wives family home, and died there circa 1890. He left most of his substantial wealth to his brother and sisters.
In 1850 the curate of Blaengwrach a Rev. W.Davies has been reported as being present at the opening of St.. Davids Church, Resolven. The first vicar of Resolven Church was Walter Griffiths who was also the perpetual curate of Glyncorrwg and Blaengwrach.
The census of 1851stated that there was a population of Blaengwrach of 346 and that the church had seating for 62 people with an average evening attendance of between 10 and 30 people. Glyncorrwg had a population of 93 with with seating for an additional 14 people, only had an attendance between 4 and 6. (Brown p117)
Miss Williams purchases at her own expense Iron Gates and Pillars made by the Coalbrookdale Company for the Chapel of Ease.
A vestry meeting of 1856 met to determine what the church rate should be in order to cary the restoration of Glyncorrwg church. The Church had fallen into disrepair, with a leaking roof and the chancel being used by the local farmers to store red sheep marking paint. The meeting was quite stormy with not everyone agreeing to pay for the church restoration. But along with voluntary donations which brought in more than the church rate but was still not enough to restore the building fully, the restoration was able to commence.
The church roof was taken down in 1858 to enable re-roofing to commence, but the money run out before completion. It was not until 1863 that the new vicar David Griffiths made some progress with the restoration. He issued a circular reminding the landowners of the parish of their obligation to the church, and listing them by name. The circular also gave an estimate of the cost to refurbish the church which was £800, and listed the population as 606.
Due to the refurbishment on St John the Baptist’s church from 1858 -1864 marriages were no longer able to be performed in the church. This meant that the people of Glyncorrwg having to travel to Blaengwrach to get married. The following story was provided by Heulwen Reese with a further contribution by Ellis Thomas. Heulwen is the Great Grand Daughter of Elizabeth Catherine Peters and William Davies whose marriage certificate is shown below.
“My great grandmother, Elizabeth Catherine Peters rode on horseback over the mountain to get married to my great grandfather William Davies on Dec 3rd 1863 at Blaengwrach Church (St. Mary’s)” . (We have to assume the groom William Davies either went on horseback or walked to Blaengwrach) As you can see from the Marriage Certificate below, provided by Heulwen, both Bride and Groom were 23 years old. William was a Collier as was his father Rees Davies, Heulwen informed me that Elizabeth at the time of her marriage was a Governess at Ynys Corrwg farm which is in Glyncorrwg, her father John Peters was a Chemist working in Neath, a very respectable position in the community. Her husband’s parents originated from Carmarthen and William was the eldest son, born in Llangandeirn in Carmarthenshire. The incumbent (Ed Note: the holder of an office or ecclesiastical benefice) who married them was David Griffiths, and his signature can be seen on the bottom right of the certificate.
They had three children together with Heulwen’s Grandmother Rachel Davies being the first born. Unfortunately the story was not to have a happy ending as William was killed in a colliery accident a few years later. Elizabeth went on to marry again. Ellis Thomas say’s that, “it was in 1867 that she, now a widow, married my great grandfather Charles Thomas, this time at the church in Glyncorrwg”.
By 1864 the restorations had been completed and on Thursday 7th Juy 1864 the church was re-opened by the Archdeacon of Llandaff. In 1905 when they were looking to completely rebuild the church the workmanship of this restoration was highly criticised. The restoration criticism listed the the work that was undertaken, it mentions that a bad modern roof was put on, new windows had been built into the nave walls, a new porch was erected, the tower walls were also roofed over, and that a badly deigned bell cote placed on the apex of the west wall, the west doorway and the doorway to the south side of the chancel were bricked up. The restoration cost £520 and the furnishings given by Mrs Edward Vaughan of Rheola and th chandeliers being donated by the vicar. (Brown P.95)
The church was handed back to the parishioners on the 7th July, with services held throughout the day, and luncheon being provided free of charge. A special train was put on to bring people from Neath, Briton Ferry, Cwmafan, Pontrhydyfen and Maesteg, with the Resolven church choir also providing the entertainment, by chanting the versicles and singing Jacksons’s Te Deum in fine voice.
David Griifiths M.A succeeded his brother Walter Griffith in both parishes. He was born in 1827, his father occupation being named on his baptismal certificate as a farmer living at the Rock and Fountain.
In his petition to the Bishop to hold both the cure at Ystraddyfodwg along with Resolven, he noted that the whereas the income of Resolven had increased, it consisted of small tithe rents which meant that the cost of collecting them outweighed their value. Bishop Ollivant of Llandaff supported his petition and said as follows:
“the reason which makes dispensation especially desirable is that Blaengwrach is served from Glyncorrwg… (between the two is) a mountain full of peat bogs which it is almost and at times impossible for the cleryman to cross so as to do their duty himself at both. H has therefore had a curate…
Resolven is in the same valley as Blaengwrach so that with perfect convenience he can officiate at Resolven and Blaengwrach. Moreover Resolven has a house and the benefice of the two othe parishes no house”. (Brown p. 93)
There is a short rhyme about David Griffiths riding from Resolven vicarage to Blaengwrach on a Sunday morning.
I annerch ei blwyfolion (roughly translates as) To address his parishioners
Yn syfil i’w ofalon Graciously, to those in his care
Yn fwyn y tynnir Dafi’r Gwas David the servant is gently drawn (horse drawn)
Yn fwyn y tynair Gwas By a grey horse to arrive on time (or punctually)
General meaning :
To graciously address his parishioners, those in his care, David the Servant is gently horse-drawn (by a grey horse) to arrive punctually (or on time).
In 1868 an Act of Parliament raised the parish from a perpetual curacy to a vicarage.
David Griffiths resigned the parish in 1891, and died the following year at his home Dulias Fach, Tonna, which he had inherited from his brother.
Enlargement of chapel Philips p128, new church built 1873 (Brown p. 119)
After the restoration of St. John the Baptist church in Glyncorrwg in 1864, David Griffiths took on the restoration and enlargement of Y Capel Bach. Whilst the work commenced over the course of several months the congregation held their services in the National school rooms in the village. A local newspaper of the day reported that on the 2nd September 1879 the Chapel was handed over to the inhabitants of Blaengwrach.
The completed building takes the form we see today, the old cumbersome square pews were removed and replaced by “open free seats; a new chancel, and vestryroom, all lined with glazed bricks (white and black) have been added to the fabric. The old portion has been re-roofed with Caernarvon slates, underlined with board; new bell turret, of Forest of Dean (stone), with vane and finials. The whole of the inside entirely new, with pulpit, reading desk, and seats of pitch pine, varnished. The monuments on the wall have also been repainted and restored”. (unknown local newspaper)
The newspaper also reported that 96 years ago some old documents stated that the chapel was in a bad state of repair, the building was about seven feet to the outside eaves and six feet to the inside cross beams, the walls were bulging out and the wood was rotten and that the roof leaked. This building was replaced by a plain oblong building which was though good enough for that times.
Mary Jane Williams:
One of the most benevolent and supportive members of the Chapel was Mary Jane Williams, born at Aberpergwm House in 1794. She was a fervent supporter of the Welsh language and compiled and published a collection of Welsh Air’s in 1884, called “The Ancient National Airs of Gwent and Morgannwg”. In later life she resided at Ynyslas and passed away on the 10th November 1873., She was one of the Churchwardens of the Chapel and was a very benevolent lady to the Chapel and the poor of the village, on top of which she ensured that the Burial grounds of the Chapel were well cared for at her own personnel expense.
New Harmonium:
A Harmonium is purchased for the Chapel through charitable donations from the people of the village and other interested / connected parties of the chapel which were coordinated by the Rev. David Griffiths.
A Parsonage was purchased at Glyncorrwg which meant it became the new vicarage for the parish of Glyncorrwg in 1891.
William Morris who was then the curate at Glyncorrwg living at the parsonage from 1889.
In 1891 David Griffiths was succeeded by William Morris, who was the curate of Glyncorrwg, but was made vicar of the whole of the parish, with William Lloyd succeeding him at Resolven. The parsonage at Glyncorrwg then became the new vicarage for the parish of Glyncorrwg.
William Morris appointed Rev. David Arthur Lewis as curate of Blaengwrach from 1892. (Brown p121.)
William Morris resigned in 1897, and thereafter the vicars of Aberpergwm served as curates of Blaengwrach. For this service they received the Blaengwrach tithe rent charge and possibly other payments as well. For many years the curate of Blaengwrach was the famous Aberpergwm vicar Rev. J. Llewellyn Thomas, author, friend of politicians and friend to Kaiser Wilhelm II. See link for booklet produced to celebrate his Golden Jubilee: https://gwrachtimeline.co.uk/the-vicar-of-aberpergwm-golden-jubilee
Below is an example of the tithe rents for Aberpergym, They are taken from the Aberpergym manuscripts 2358 to be found in the National Library of Wales. (Appendix – Brown p. 152)
On the 25th June the 10th lamb or 1/2d (d = penny) for every lamb under 10; The 10th calf on the 20th November or 1/2d for every calf under that number; 1d for every colt, 1/2d for every filly; a young goose for every three or more; 1d for hay on each tenament; 1d for garden; and the 10th part of all corn, wool, and on 5 pairs of cheeses.
William Moris died in 1900 at a young age.
Here is a link to the Aberpergym Church Monthly magazine, there are many interesting snippets about Aberpergym and Blaengwrach churches. Did you know for instance that the Archdeacon of Llandaff visited both churches on Wednesday the 22nd March 1899, see cutting from the magazine below.
In the magazine there is also reference to a donation to Blaengwrach Church, by Mrs jones of Ynys Las who donated a flagon to be used during communion. There are the normal Births, Baptism’s, Marriages and Deaths recorded, along with all the other activities that took place during the year.
There was also recorded a bit of a to do about the return of the collection boxes, it seems not everyone had returned theirs, (so if you find a collection box in your house please return it to the church.)
Ed Note: If you give the monthly magazines a read, you may find an old relative or two of yours mentioned there.
Howel Jenkins replaced William Morris on his death in 1900, as Vicar of the parish of Glyncorrwg. He recognised the need for rebuilding St. John the Baptist church as it had fallen into disrepair.
The old building consisted of a nave of 32 ft x 20 ft, a chancel of 20 ft x 16 ft and the base of the tower being 6 1/2 ft x 9 ft. It could accommodate 89 persons, was only heated by a small stove and the roof was unsafe. The floors were rough stone and the walls were plastered, and due to the level of the outside ground being higher than the inside floor, (due to the many burials building up the level of the ground) the floors and walls were constantly wet, making it unfit for the parishioners to worship in.
It was agreed the church had to be rebuilt, but that they would try to save as much of the historic features, such as memorial stones and graves, as possible. It was also planned to use the school room in the village whilst the church was being demolished and rebuilt. So with these agreements in place Howell Jenkins set about raising money to cover the costs. In the October of 1902 a Bazaar and sale of work was held at the church school which proved quite successful.
Tenders for the building of the new church were sent out by E. M. Bruce Vaughan on the 5th July 1905. Matters were so well in hand that the Stone Laying ceremony was able to take place on the 18th August of the same year. The ceremony was well attended with prominent churchmen in attendance along with hundreds of local people. A silver trowel and mallet were presented on the day and a sealed bottle with cutting from the local papers, a threepenny piece and a farthing was sealed under the foundation stone.
The Rev. J.Ll. Thomas was licensed to serve as a curate at Blaengwrach from circa 1906.
It took 2 years to complete the building of the new church with it being consecrated on 12th March 1907 by the Bishop of Llandaff. Th new church could now house 300 worshipers, th nave was now 62 ft x 11ft 3 inches with the north side being 20 ft 6 inches x 11 ft 3 inches, the chancel 32 ft x 20ft 6 inches, and now contained an organ chamber, vestry, clergy vestry and a south porch, the west end has a fine stone bell-cote. In total it cost £3,500 and was built by a Mr. Philip Gayland of Bridgend.
Howell Jenkins passed away on the 13th March 1924 aged 63. (Philips p. 127)
St Mary’s chapel was formally incorporated into the parish of Aberpergwm, bringing to an end the long association with Glyncorrwg and the church of St. John the Baptist. (Brown p 121)
Below is a list of the Vicars of Aberpergym who were also responsible for St. Mary’s church in Blaengwrach.
Vicar Joseph Llewellyn Thomas.
Vicar D. Jones Davies.
Vicar John Jas Evans.
Vicar Ken Chant.
Vicar Peter Cox.
Vicar Robert Gordon.
Photographs:
Resources and References:
The History of the Vale of Neath by D.Rhys Philips (pages123-128)
Through Cloud and Sunshine by Roger Lee Brown (various)
A – Z of Welsh Clerics by Roger L. Brown ( J – Jones & T – Thomas)
Useful Links:
List of Vicars and Curates from St John the Baptists church in Glyncorrwg