Miskin () is a village approximately south of
Llantrisant in the
county borough of
Rhondda Cynon Taf
Rhondda Cynon Taf (; RCT; also spelt as Rhondda Cynon Taff) is a Principal areas of Wales, county borough in the South East Wales, south-east of Wales. It consists of five valleys: the Rhondda Fawr, Rhondda Fach, Cynon, Taff () and Ely valleys, ...
, Wales.
The origin of the village was a small
hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
known as New Mill, which grew up around New Mill farm. Miskin is part of the
Pontyclun
Pontyclun (or Pont-y-clun) is a town and Community (Wales), community located in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales.
Pontyclun translates from the Welsh language as 'bridge verthe Afon Clun, River Clun', the Clun being a tributa ...
electoral ward
A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected t ...
.
History
The 1841 census records the settlement (originally a small hamlet by the name of New Inn) as having a population of 31.
The opening of the Bute and Mwyndy
iron ore
Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the f ...
mines in nearby
Talbot Green, in 1852 and 1853 respectively, had a huge impact on the small hamlet of New Mill. The
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 1861 shows that New Mill had become a village, its population now 83 people in 17 households, and of these residents 17 were iron ore miners.
By the early 1870s New Mill had become the village of Miskin, with the village centre being based around the inn, which is now The Miskin Arms
pub.
The name change from New Mill to Miskin was brought about by Judge Gwilym Williams, and was taken from the medieval commote of
Miskin
Miskin () is a village approximately south of Llantrisant in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales.
The origin of the village was a small hamlet (place), hamlet known as New Mill, which grew up around New Mill farm. Miskin is part of ...
.
Williams, a staunch Welsh patriot, lived at
Miskin Manor (built 1864), a Victorian L-plan mansion in a neo-Tudor style.
By the 1870s several ironstone mines are evident to the north of the village, and the village's population continued to grow, as skilled miners rather than heavy labourers were needed to extract the ore. The 1871 census records the village's population as 144, with more than half of the miners being immigrants from the depressed copper mining county of
Cornwall
Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...
.
Religion
A church has stood on the site of the current St David's church since 1878.
[History of St David's Miskin from Parish of Llantrisant website](_blank)
/ref> Originally of corrugated iron
Corrugated galvanised iron (CGI) or steel, colloquially corrugated iron (near universal), wriggly tin (taken from UK military slang), pailing (in Caribbean English), corrugated sheet metal (in North America), zinc (in Cyprus and Nigeria) or ...
construction, it was replaced by the current stone church in 1906–07. The land on which the church was built was owned by the Williams family.
Funds for the building of the church were raised by public donations and events, notably the Grand Fete at Miskin Manor which raised over £1,000, with the majority of the funds coming from Emma Eleanor Williams, Gwilym Williams' widow. The church was licensed on 23 December 1907 and consecrated
Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...
by Right Rev Timothy Rees, Bishop of Llandaff, on Sunday 23 April 1933.Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
church, All Hallows, on the outskirts of the village.
Miskin Mill
The Miskin Mill site has been the location of a water-driven corn mill
A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that has been separat ...
for most of the last 400 years. Since 1929 it has been used by the Scouting
Scouting or the Scout Movement is a youth social movement, movement which became popularly established in the first decade of the twentieth century. It follows the Scout method of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activi ...
movement for camping and training.[https://www.miskinmillscoutvillage.org.uk/]
Transport
The nearest railway station is at Pontyclun
Pontyclun (or Pont-y-clun) is a town and Community (Wales), community located in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales.
Pontyclun translates from the Welsh language as 'bridge verthe Afon Clun, River Clun', the Clun being a tributa ...
.
References
External links
*
www.geograph.co.uk: photos of Miskin and surrounding area
{{authority control
Villages in Rhondda Cynon Taf