Glyncoch is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

to the north of

Pontypridd () ( colloquially: Ponty) is a town and a community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Geography comprises the electoral wards of , Hawthorn, Pontypridd Town, 'Rhondda', Rhydyfelin Central/Ilan ( Rhydfelen), Trallwng ( Trallwn) and Treforest (). ...

Rhondda Cynon Taf Rhondda Cynon Taf (; RCT; also spelt as Rhondda Cynon Taff) is a county borough in the south-east of Wales. It consists of five valleys: the Rhondda Fawr, Rhondda Fach, Cynon, Taff (Welsh: ''Taf'') and Ely valleys, plus a number of towns and vill ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

. It is also the name of an electoral ward.

History

The name Glyncoch is

Welsh language Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic language of the Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales, by some in England, and in Y Wladfa (the Welsh colony in Chubut Province, Argentina). Historically, it has ...

for 'Red glen' (''glyn'' "glen, small valley" + ''coch'' "red"). How the name originated is unknown, but in 1900 a local journalist wrote a creative Victorian-era history of the location, suggesting that it was the site of a battle between the native

Celts The Celts (, see pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples () are. "CELTS location: Greater Europe time period: Second millennium B.C.E. to present ancestry: Celtic a collection of Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancien ...

and the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

. More likely is that it was named after an aspect of local nature, either a local outcrop of red

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...

or a large crop of berry-bearing gorse bushes. The earliest noted settlement dates to Roman coins found in the area in the 1990s, when five coins ranging from the reigns of Empress Trajan through to Emperor Hadrian were discovered. Glyncoch lies halfway between known Roman forts built at Pen-y-coedcae and above

Llanwynno Llanwonno ( cy, Llanwynno) is a hamlet high up in the hills between the historic mining valleys of the Rhondda and the Cynon in Rhondda Cynon Taf, deep in the heart of the South Wales Valleys. Llanwonno consists of St Gwynno's Church and an inn ...

, and so could have been located on a pathway between the two. The area is mentioned in text related to Celtic priest Gwynno, who traversed the whole area and the founder of Glamorgan, and died in AD570. The area is also mentioned in the church book ''Liber Landavensis'' (Circa AD1750), now held at

Llandaff Cathedral Llandaff Cathedral ( cy, Eglwys Gadeiriol Llandaf) is an Anglican cathedral and parish church in Llandaff, Cardiff, Wales. It is the seat of the Bishop of Llandaff, head of the Church in Wales Diocese of Llandaff. It is dedicated to Saint Pet ...

, which diarises the churches management of its lands and associated income, with fine fields and a brewery located between here an
Daerwynno
During the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, pilgrims travelled up the valley to the shrine of the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

Penrhys Penrhys is a village in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, situated on a hillside overlooking both valleys of Rhondda Fawr and Rhondda Fach. It is situated around 1,100 ft above sea level and is a district of Tylorstown. Until th ...

, with many taking refreshment or staying at an inn, believed by historians to be located close to the current Berwerdy Cottages. By the 19th century, during the industrial development of the South Wales valleys, the land was owned by the Griffiths family. Instead of selling their land, they leased it and the mineral rights, and resultantly became very wealthy. On the death of their son, the Cardiff-based doctor Richard Griffiths, he was carried in procession from Pontypridd, through Glyncoch and

Ynysybwl Ynysybwl ( cy, Ynys-y-bŵl ) is a village in Cwm Clydach in Wales. It is situated in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, roughly north-north-west of Cardiff, north of Pontypridd and south of Merthyr Tydfil, and forms part of the communit ...

, to the church at Llanwynno where he is buried.

Present

Glyncoch is a mainly social housing community between

and

lying on the mountain opposite Coed-y-Cwm Within the community there are three grocery shops, Post Office, Pharmacy, Chinese Takeaway, Community Centre and two schools. Bus services to and from the community are frequent with services to

and Aberdare. Bus routes are operated by

New Adventure Travel Adventure Travel (stylised as Adventuretravel; formerly NAT Group and New Adventure Travel) is a bus and coach company in South Wales. It is a subsidiary of ComfortDelGro. History Established in 2008 with four buses, Adventure Travel has now g ...

. Glyncoch also forms an electoral ward, sending a county councillor to sit on Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council. It is also a ward for

Pontypridd Town Council () (Colloquialism, colloquially: Ponty) is a town and a Community (Wales), community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Geography comprises the electoral wards of , Hawthorn, Glamorgan, Hawthorn, Pontypridd Town, 'Rhondda', Rhydyfelin Central/Ilan ...

, electing two town councillors.Glyncoch Ward
Pontypridd Town Council website. Retrieved 1 April 2018.

Notable people from Glyncoch

James Allen - Valley Cougars Rugby League star centre. Won 3 caps for Wales Dragonhearts

References

{{authority control Pontypridd Villages in Rhondda Cynon Taf Wards of Rhondda Cynon Taf