Post by loderingo on Apr 25, 2020 23:53:31 GMT
I have in my possession a copy of the "History of Aberystruth" by Edmund Jones 1779
Aberystruth parish covers what is now the eastern part of Blaenau Gwent including Abertillery, Blaina and most of Brynmawr.
Jones describes where the name Blaenau Gwent came from:
"Before the division of the country into counties and parishes, this which is now a part of the County of Monmouth was called Blaene Gwent i.e. the fore end of Gwent-land, the name by which all that is now called Monmouth-shire and part also of Glamorgan-shire was called in ancient times. But why this part of the County was called the fore end of Gwent-land rather than any of the other north parts of the country, can be understood no otherwise, but that a party of the ancient Britons and first inhabitants first entered here from the North now called Brecon-shire. And if so, it is something to the honour of Aberystruth parish that it was the first possession of the ancient inhabitants of Gwent-land while the rest of the country was a dreary useless wilderness. When the country came to be divided into parishes, this part of it changed its name and came to be called Plwyf-Blaene-Gwent i.e. the fore end parish of Gwent-land and Plwyf y Blaene, the fore end parish, by those who lived nearer to it. But in all writings and sometimes in common speech, it is called Aberystruth parish."
He also notes the number of inhabitants
"As to the inhabitants in later times and in the present time, altho' there are in the parish about 150 houses in all; but as several of them are at present without inhabitants, in others only one woman, in others two persons, and others but three or four, tho' there are some large families, yet I cannot think that all the inhabitants together do exceeds 500 in number"
Jones further describes the parishioners:
"As to the disposition of the people in general. They are friendly, affable, merciful and far from cruelty, but merry and too loquacious when many of them meet together; as wanting natural gravity and sedateness. Cheerful in a poor condition. Their wit and mental capacity is rather effeminate and contracted than masculine and extensive, tender and affectionate rather than firm and constant. Not very difficult to be persuaded to well doing by fair means yet too easily persuaded on the other hand to do amiss. They seem as Welshmen in general to have a kind of an innate virtue, which upon close, wise and kind dealing soon appears; which yet again too soon yields to the prevailing corruption of nature. The number of very profane persons among those present are not many through the prevailing influence of the gospel"
Make of that what you will!
Without the industrial revolution it is likely that Blaenau Gwent would look a lot like modern day Breconshire. Even in Jones time, things were starting to change with the opening of the Ebbw Vale ironworks in 1778, followed by coal mines from the late 1700s onwards.
The industrial revolution led to a huge growth in population with workers first coming from other parts of Wales and then from England.
Like many of the other Welsh valleys seats this area has seen a lot of struggle since the closure of the mines and the steelworks and it has a high level of unemployment and those on benefits. Also like other valleys seats this seat has a long tradition of voting Labour. The predecessor seat of Ebbw Vale was the seat of Michael Foot.
Unlike some of the other seats this area has been more willing to move away from Labour. In 2005, there was a small political earthquake as Labour lost this seat to independent Peter Law on a 49% swing after a row over National Labour imposing an all women shortlist to replace the retiring MP. Law died the following year but Blaenau Gwent People's voice won the by-election before Labour retook the seat in 2010. Blaenau Gwent PV also held the assembly seat from 2006-2011. In the 2016 Assembly election Labour only held on by 650 votes ahead of Plaid.
At 62%, this seat had one of the highest Brexit votes in Wales. In 2019, the Brexit party were optimistic of winning this seat but in the end the final result was Lab 49%, Brexit 21%, Con 19%, Plaid 6%
It certainly feels like there is a growing minority in this seat who are desperate for change and will consider almost any other party to get it.
Again this seat is undersized and will no longer be able to remain coterminous with the borough. The most likely solution is expanding south into Neil Kinnock's old Islwyn seat, which itself is no longer as safe as it used to be.
Aberystruth parish covers what is now the eastern part of Blaenau Gwent including Abertillery, Blaina and most of Brynmawr.
Jones describes where the name Blaenau Gwent came from:
"Before the division of the country into counties and parishes, this which is now a part of the County of Monmouth was called Blaene Gwent i.e. the fore end of Gwent-land, the name by which all that is now called Monmouth-shire and part also of Glamorgan-shire was called in ancient times. But why this part of the County was called the fore end of Gwent-land rather than any of the other north parts of the country, can be understood no otherwise, but that a party of the ancient Britons and first inhabitants first entered here from the North now called Brecon-shire. And if so, it is something to the honour of Aberystruth parish that it was the first possession of the ancient inhabitants of Gwent-land while the rest of the country was a dreary useless wilderness. When the country came to be divided into parishes, this part of it changed its name and came to be called Plwyf-Blaene-Gwent i.e. the fore end parish of Gwent-land and Plwyf y Blaene, the fore end parish, by those who lived nearer to it. But in all writings and sometimes in common speech, it is called Aberystruth parish."
He also notes the number of inhabitants
"As to the inhabitants in later times and in the present time, altho' there are in the parish about 150 houses in all; but as several of them are at present without inhabitants, in others only one woman, in others two persons, and others but three or four, tho' there are some large families, yet I cannot think that all the inhabitants together do exceeds 500 in number"
Jones further describes the parishioners:
"As to the disposition of the people in general. They are friendly, affable, merciful and far from cruelty, but merry and too loquacious when many of them meet together; as wanting natural gravity and sedateness. Cheerful in a poor condition. Their wit and mental capacity is rather effeminate and contracted than masculine and extensive, tender and affectionate rather than firm and constant. Not very difficult to be persuaded to well doing by fair means yet too easily persuaded on the other hand to do amiss. They seem as Welshmen in general to have a kind of an innate virtue, which upon close, wise and kind dealing soon appears; which yet again too soon yields to the prevailing corruption of nature. The number of very profane persons among those present are not many through the prevailing influence of the gospel"
Make of that what you will!
Without the industrial revolution it is likely that Blaenau Gwent would look a lot like modern day Breconshire. Even in Jones time, things were starting to change with the opening of the Ebbw Vale ironworks in 1778, followed by coal mines from the late 1700s onwards.
The industrial revolution led to a huge growth in population with workers first coming from other parts of Wales and then from England.
Like many of the other Welsh valleys seats this area has seen a lot of struggle since the closure of the mines and the steelworks and it has a high level of unemployment and those on benefits. Also like other valleys seats this seat has a long tradition of voting Labour. The predecessor seat of Ebbw Vale was the seat of Michael Foot.
Unlike some of the other seats this area has been more willing to move away from Labour. In 2005, there was a small political earthquake as Labour lost this seat to independent Peter Law on a 49% swing after a row over National Labour imposing an all women shortlist to replace the retiring MP. Law died the following year but Blaenau Gwent People's voice won the by-election before Labour retook the seat in 2010. Blaenau Gwent PV also held the assembly seat from 2006-2011. In the 2016 Assembly election Labour only held on by 650 votes ahead of Plaid.
At 62%, this seat had one of the highest Brexit votes in Wales. In 2019, the Brexit party were optimistic of winning this seat but in the end the final result was Lab 49%, Brexit 21%, Con 19%, Plaid 6%
It certainly feels like there is a growing minority in this seat who are desperate for change and will consider almost any other party to get it.
Again this seat is undersized and will no longer be able to remain coterminous with the borough. The most likely solution is expanding south into Neil Kinnock's old Islwyn seat, which itself is no longer as safe as it used to be.
