Gelligaer (; ) is a

community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...

in the County Borough of Caerphilly,

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, in the

Rhymney River The Rhymney River () is a river in the Rhymney Valley, South Wales, flowing through Cardiff into the Severn Estuary. The river formed the boundary between the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire until in 1887, the parishes ea ...

valley. As well as the village of Gelligaer, the community also includes the small towns of Hengoed and

Ystrad Mynach Ystrad Mynach is a town in the Rhymney Valley in the Caerphilly County Borough, within the ancient county of Glamorgan, Wales, and is north of the town of Caerphilly. The urban area had a population of 19,204 in 2011. Before the Industrial Revo ...

. The population of the community at the 2011 census was 18,408.

History

Gelligaer is known for its stone

Roman fort ''Castra'' () is a Latin term used during the Roman Republic and Roman Empire for a military 'camp', and ''castrum'' () for a 'fort'. Either could refer to a building or plot of land, used as a fortified military base.. Included is a discuss ...

, part of a network within Roman Wales, believed to have been built between 103 and 111 A.D. and excavated in the early 20th century. The

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

of St. Catwg (

Cadoc Saint Cadoc or Cadog (; also Modern Welsh: Catawg or Catwg; born or before) was a 5th–6th-century Abbot of Llancarfan, near Cowbridge in Glamorgan, Wales, a monastery famous from the era of the Celtic church as a centre of learning, wher ...

) is ancient but heavily restored (with adult

baptismal font A baptismal font is an Church architecture, ecclesiastical architectural element, which serves as a receptacle for baptismal water used for baptism, as a part of Christian initiation for both rites of Infant baptism, infant and Believer's bapti ...

) in the

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the ...

. There is also an ancient

standing stone A menhir (; from Brittonic languages: ''maen'' or ''men'', "stone" and ''hir'' or ''hîr'', "long"), standing stone, orthostat, or lith is a large upright rock (geology), stone, emplaced in the ground by humans, typically dating from the Eur ...

north of the village.

Governance

There are two tiers of local government covering Gelligaer, at

and county borough level: Gelligaer Community Council and

Caerphilly County Borough Council Caerphilly County Borough Council () is the governing body for Caerphilly County Borough, one of the principal areas of Wales. The last full council elections took place 5 May 2022. Political control The first election to the new council was h ...

. The community council is based at an office on Llwyn Onn in the Penpedairheol area of the community. Caerphilly County Borough Council also has its main offices in the community of Gelligaer, being at Penallta House in the Tredomen area of Ystrad Mynach. Gelligaer was an

ancient parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

in the county of

Glamorgan Glamorgan (), or sometimes Glamorganshire ( or ), was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It is located in the South Wales, south of Wales. Originally an ea ...

. It was included in the

Merthyr Tydfil Merthyr Tydfil () is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydfil, daughter of K ...

Poor Law Union A poor law union was a geographical territory, and early local government unit, in Great Britain and Ireland. Poor law unions existed in England and Wales from 1834 to 1930 for the administration of poor relief. Prior to the Poor Law Amendment ...

from 1836. When elected parish and district councils were established under the

Local Government Act 1894 The Local Government Act 1894 ( 56 & 57 Vict. c. 73) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales outside the County of London. The act followed the reforms carried out at county leve ...

, Gelligaer was given a parish council and included in the Gelligaer and Rugos (or Rhigos)

Rural District A rural district was a type of local government area – now superseded – established at the end of the 19th century in England, Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. I ...

, which covered the parts of the Merthyr Tydfil Poor Law Union within Glamorgan that did not have urban authorities. The rural district was disbanded in 1908, with the parish of Gelligaer being made an urban district on 11 September 1908. It was created specifically as a result of the rapid population growth in the locality as a result of the expansion of the coal mining industry. Gelligaer Urban District Council comprised 21 councillors including a chairman and the first elections were held on 30 September 1908. Following the initial election a third of the council stood down annually. The council, like other urban districts, was responsible for sanitation, sewerage, housing, streets, cemeteries, libraries, parks, and the licensing of public entertainments. The council was administered by a number of committees and by officers including a Clerk and Medical Officer of Health. The council established its offices on Park Road, opposite Hengoed railway station. Gelligaer Urban District was abolished in 1974. The

Bedlinog Bedlinog is a village and community located in the Taff Bargoed valley, in the south of Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales. It is north of Pontypridd, north west of Caerphilly and south east of Merthyr Tydfil. Until 1974 it was part of G ...

ward became a community in

, whilst the rest of the former urban district became a community called Gelligaer within Rhymney Valley District in the new county of

Mid Glamorgan Mid Glamorgan () is a preserved county of Wales. From 1974 until 1996 it was also an administrative county with a county council. Mid Glamorgan was formed in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. It consisted of part of the former adminis ...

. The community was divided in 1985, when separate communities were created for

Bargoed Bargoed () is a town and community (Wales), community in the Rhymney Valley, Wales, one of the South Wales Valleys. It lies on the Rhymney River in the county borough of Caerphilly (county borough), Caerphilly. It straddles the Historic counties o ...

and

Darran Valley Darran Valley () is a community (Wales), community in the Caerphilly (county borough), County Borough of Caerphilly, Wales. The Darran Valley consists of the valley of the Bargod Rhymni and contains the villages of Deri, Caerphilly, Deri, Pentwyn ...

, the

Pontlottyn Pontlottyn () is a village located in the county borough of Caerphilly, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales. It is sited just to the south of Rhymney, and to the west of the Rhymney River. History Pontlottyn, initially p ...

area was transferred to the

Rhymney Rhymney (; ) is a town and a community (Wales), community in the county borough of Caerphilly (county borough), Caerphilly, South Wales. It is within the Historic counties of Wales, historic boundaries of Monmouthshire (historic), Monmouthshir ...

community, and

(which had previously straddled the Gelligaer and

Caerphilly Caerphilly (, ; , ) is a town and community (Wales), community in Wales. It is situated at the southern end of the Rhymney Valley and separated from the Cardiff suburbs of Lisvane and Rhiwbina by Caerphilly Mountain. It is north of Cardiff an ...

communities) was united within Gelligaer. Further local government reorganisation in 1996 saw the abolition of Mid Glamorgan County Council, and Rhymney Valley merged with neighbouring Islwyn borough to become the Caerphilly County Borough.

References

External links

Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia entry Gelligaer Roman fort at walespast.comwww.geograph.co.uk : photos of Gelligaer and surrounding areaMuseums Wales website on Gelligaer Roman fortGelligaer Roman Fort on the Roman Britain websiteEarly Gelligaer Roman Fort on the Roman Britain websiteGelligaer Roman Fort Baths on the Roman Britain website

{{authority control Towns in Caerphilly County Borough Roman legionary fortresses in Wales Politics of Glamorgan Communities in Caerphilly County Borough

History

Governance

See also

References

External links