Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 2.djvu/107

Rh GLAMORGAN. 99 GLAMORGAN. to some extent. A lead mine was formerly worked, but is now abandoned. GLAMORGAN, a maritime co. of South Wales, lying between N. lat. 51 23' and 51 48', and W. long. 3 3' and 4 18'. It is bounded on the N. by the cos. of Brecknock and Caermarthen, E. by Monmouth and the river Severn, S. and 8.W. by the Bristol Channel. Its greatest length from E. to W. is about 52 miles, and its greatest breadth 27 miles, with an area of 547,494 acres, being the third county in Wales for superficial extent, but the first in population. In 1861 the number of inha- bitants was 317,752, against 231,849 in 1851, and 70,879 in 1801, having nearly quadrupled in the half century. In ancient times it formed part of the territory of the Silures, and was included in the Roman province of Bri- tannia Secunda. The Roman road Via Julia traversed the county from E. to W., and led to several camps or stations, as, BoviiiM or Botnium, mentioned by Antoninus, which has boon identified with Boverton, a village a few miles S. of Cowbridge ; Nidum, situated on the river Nidus, also spoken of by Antoninus, and identified with Neath, on the river Nedd or Neath ; Leucantm, identified with Loughor ; and the camp at Caeran, a few miles W. of Cardiff. Two cross roads branched off from the Via Julia, one near Cardiff, the other at Neath, both leading to Caer Barma, now Barmium, near Brecon. After the departure of the Romans the county was governed by a chieftain named Morgan, a descendant of Caradoc-ap- Bran, the Caractacus of the Roman historians, from whom it took the designation of Morganwg or Giclad Morgan, " the country of Morgan," hence its modern name Glamorgan. At this time its boundaries were much more extensive than at present, including the greater part of Monmouthshire and the territories lying between the Usk and the Neath, or perhaps the Tame ; but as the Anglo-Saxons and Anglo-Normans continu- ally pressed upon the original inhabitants, the Welsh frontiers were gradually curtailed, and Glamorganshire assumed its present form when the boundaries of the Welsh counties were fixed by Henry VIII. The N. and N.E. parts of the county are extremely mountainous, though none of the summits reach a great elevation, the loftiest, Llangeinor, being 1,859 feet high; the others average from 500 to 1,000 feet one, Margam Down, attaining an elevation of 1 ,099 feet, situated near the E. side of Swansea Bay. The declivities of these hills are in general barren or covered with wood, although here and there there are verdant spots. depastured by flocks of sheep, and in the narrow valleys or deep glens which divide these ranges of hills, the land is extremely fertile, presenting the most charming and picturesque mountain scenery, with mountain streams, cascades, and thriving hamlets. The S. part of the county is generally level and very fertile, particularly the Vale of Glamorgan, which has a stiff, clayey soil, and produces fine crops of wheat and grain. This valley is in many parts from 10 to 18 miles in breadth, and has a climate so equable that myrtles, arbutus, and othei '.ender shrubs, flourish in the open air, the snow generally melting as it falls. Glamor- ganshire belongs wholly, to the basin of the Severn, and all its streams flow in a S. direction, the larger having tln/ir sources in the high hands of Caermarthenshire and knockshire. The Taff or Taf, which is the largest river in tho county, having a course of 40 miles, rises 1 " tween the mountains Capollante and the Vau or Bre- iiire Beacon, and flowing S.S.E., passes Merthyr- Tyiivil, Llandaff, and Cardiff, receiving the tributary htrrums of the Tafe-Fechan or Little Taff, the Cynon, and tho Rontha Vawr or Great Rontha. The Ely or Elwy iiny also bo considered a tributary of the Taff, since they form tho common estuary of Pennarth Har- bour. The Neath or Nedd rises in Brecknockshire, and flows S. and S.W. through the Vale of Neath into Swan- s' t Bay, having an entire course of 23 miles. It is navi- gable for vessels of 200 tons up to Neath bridge, about 2 I, but its mouth is impeded by a bar and several rocks. The T:iv also rises in Brecknockshire, and falls into Htt'uii-i :i |',;iy, having a course of 26 miles, and forming fit its mouth the harbour of Swansea, called by the Welsh, Abertawe. The other rivers are the Rumney, rising in the N.E. part of the county, and separat- ing it from Monmouthshire; tho Ddaw, which rises near Cowbridge, and falls into the sea near Breaksea Point, forming the little harbour of Aberthaw ; the Ogmore, which rises in the hills near the centre of the county, and falls into the sea near Sker Point ; the Avon rises on the N. side of the lofty mountain of Llangeinor, and falls into Swansea Bay, having been augmented by the waters of tho Avon-Fechau or Little Avon, and by those of the Gorrwg. The only other river of any importance is the Loughor, which, rising in Carmar- thenshire, flows for about 13 miles along the border of Glamorganshire, and falling into the sea near the penin- sula of Gower, forms the estuary called the Burry. The county is well supplied with caniils. The Cardiff or Glamorganshire canal traverses the county from S. to N. along the valley of the Taff, commencing near Pen- narth harbour, and crossing the river by an aqueduct near the junction of the Taff and Cynon. It follows tho western bank of the river to tho town of Merthyr- Tydvil, where it ends after an entire length of 25 miles. The Aberdare canal commences near Aberdare, and fol- lows the valley of the Cynon for 6J miles, keeping on the eastern side of that river till it joins the Glamorgan- shire canal near the aqueduct bridge over the Taff. Tho Neath canal has a length of about 14 miles, commencing near Abernant and following the valley of the Neath or Nedd ; it terminates in that river about 2 miles below the town of Neath, throwing off a branch cut, which crosses the river to join the small canal called tho Britten canal ; this last runs nearly parallel to tho coast from the river Neath to the harbour of Swansea. The Swansea canal commences in Swansea harbour, and follows tho valley of the Tawe into Brecknockshire. There is also a short canal of 4 miles commencing at the village of Penclawdd, on the estuary of tho Burry, and traversing a part of tho coal-field of South Wales. Numerous short lines of railway connect these canals with the neighbouring mines, as, the Cardiff and Merthyr-Tydvil, the Duffryn, Llynvi, and Porth Cawl, the Bridgend, the Aberdylais, tho Oystermouth, with others connecting the harbour of Aberavon with tho collieries and iron works in the vicinity. Most of these lines of railway are only for goods' traffic, but some of them are in connection with tho South Wales section of the Groat Western railway, which enters the county near Cardiff, and traverses it for above 40 miles in a westerly direction to Swansea. From the trunk line two important passenger lines, called the Taff Vale and Neath Valley railways, branch off, traversing the rich mineral districts of the interior, and the Llynvi railway, which crosses the South Wales line at Pylc. The principal coach-road enters the county from the E. by Rumney bridge, near Cardiff, and following tho direction of the Via Julia, leads through Cowbridgo, Bridgend, Aberafon, and Neath, to Swansea, where it divides into two branches, one communicating with Loughor and another traversing the peninsula of Gower to Rossily -Bay, where the City of Bristol was wrecked, and Worm's Head. A second line of road runs from Cardiff to Llandaff and Newbridge, where it separates into two branches, one leading to Merthyr-Tydvil and so into Brecknockshire, the other passing through Aberdare and Aborpergwm in the Vale of Neath, to Neath, which is 40 miles distant from Cardiff. The mineral wealth of the county is almost inex- haustible, comprising as it does the most part of the great South Wales coal basin, which is worked mostly by levels, and occurs in beds from 2 to 3 feet thick. Tho anthracite coal occurs chiefly near Uanelly, the blast coal to the E. of tho coal-field, and the black-band ironstone at Cwm Avon and other places. The collieries, which employ about 10,000 hands, are chiefly in the vicinity of Tre- forest, Llanwnno, Kilybebyll, and Swansea; and tho great iron works, which employ half as many moro hands, at Aberavon, Aberdare, Cadoxton, Gelligaer, Llangonvyd, Merthyr-Tydvil, and Newbridge. Copper is also extensively worked at Swansea, Michaolston, Neath, and Taebach ; tin at Abera'von, Cadoxton, Kily-