Beaufort, Ebbw Vale
Encyclopedia
Beaufort is a village located in the historic county of Brecknockshire
and the preserved county
of Gwent
. It currently lies on the northern edge of the county borough
of Blaenau Gwent
in Wales
.
The settlement arose on the boundary of two parishes, Llangattock
in Brecknockshire and Aberystruth
in Monmouthshire on the 1779 establishment of the Beaufort Iron Works by Edward and Jonathan Kendall (Cendl) after whom the new settlement was first named.
. The border between Beaufort and Ebbw Vale itself is generally considered to be the Ebbw River
which passes close to St David's Church (Church in Wales
).
The western end of Beaufort is known as 'The Rassau'. 'Carmeltown', presumably so-called because of the presence of Carmel Chapel, lies between the Rassau and the rest of Beaufort. Confusingly, the 'rest of Beaufort' (i.e. geographically the eastern part of Beaufort) is frequently simply referred to as 'Beaufort' or 'Beaufort Hill'.
The eastern end of Beaufort is more densely populated than Carmeltown or the Rassau and borders on Brynmawr
. Beaufort was administratively part of Brecknockshire
, but was transferred to the administrative county of Monmouthshire
as part of the urban district
of Ebbw Vale in 1878. Subsequent local government changes incorporated it into the Blaenau Gwent district of Gwent
in 1974 and the unitary authority of Blaenau Gwent in 1996.
Beaufort and parts of nearby Badminton and parts of Rassau are classed as the most affluent areas in the Blaenau Gwent area.
Up until 1958 the village was served by Beaufort railway station, a station on the LNWR
railway line from Abergavenny - Merthyr
.
and English-language chapels. Elements of a Welsh service continued (e.g. in Carmel Chapel) until the 1970s. Amongst its Nonconformist chapels, the Welsh Independent Congregational Chapel 'Carmel' was pre-eminent, rising to national fame under the leadership of Thomas Rees
DD (author of History of Protestant Nonconformity in Wales, whose second edition was printed in 1883). According to the 2001 census, 440 residents, or 11.7% of the village's population aged 3 and over can now speak Welsh. This gives Beaufort the highest percentage of Welsh Speakers in Blaenau Gwent.
incorporating 22 hectares of grassland, mires and reservoirs which was officially opened in 2007. Opening of Parc Nant y Waun Home to a many wildlife species, it includes a Picnic area, Outdoor Classroom and an Angling Club.
.
They have performed in many prestigious venues all around the world, and are one of the most famous choirs in Wales
.
The Beaufort Male Choir, one of the oldest in Wales , was founded at the end of the eighteenth century. Today’s choir was reformed after the Second World War in 1947 and this year we are celebrating sixty years of successful music making.
Though times and circumstances have changed, we, like our predecessors still aspire to the highest ideals of male voice singing. However, whereas they placed great emphasis on competition in Eisteddfodau with significant success, we for the past forty years have concentrated exclusively on concert work This allows us greater musical freedom and affords us the opportunity of performing in the principal concert halls through the UK and Europe .
One of the most noticeable changes in perspective has occurred in recent years with the introduction of an international dimension. For in those years the choir has undertaken tours to Germany
, Malta
, France
, Holland and the Republic of Ireland . In addition, the choir has played host to choirs from Germany , Holland , the USA and Japan
.
Among the highlights in recent years was the accolade of singing before heads of state at Kensington Palace
and also before His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales. Annual Concert 2009 with RHYDIAN. Also concerts at La Maison Blance in Oxford and St Mary's Chapel in Westminster
.
Under the musical direction of Craig James and Accompanist Margaret Davies, the choir has a much varied repertoire ranging from Welsh and English Hymns, spirituals and modern ballads as well as the more traditional male voice works. 2011 Annual concert features Hayley Westenra
.
The ground, just south of Beaufort Hill, once occupied by the iron works has long been cleared and covered with houses.
Brecknockshire
Brecknockshire , also known as the County of Brecknock, Breconshire, or the County of Brecon is one of thirteen historic counties of Wales, and a former administrative county.-Geography:...
and the preserved county
Preserved counties of Wales
The preserved counties of Wales are the current areas used in Wales for the ceremonial purposes of Lieutenancy and Shrievalty. They are based on the counties created by the Local Government Act 1972 and used for local government and other purposes between 1974 and 1996.-Usage:The Local Government ...
of Gwent
Gwent (county)
Gwent is a preserved county and a former local government county in south-east Wales. It was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, and was named after the ancient Kingdom of Gwent....
. It currently lies on the northern edge of the county borough
County borough
County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control. They were abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 in England and Wales, but continue in use for lieutenancy and shrievalty in...
of Blaenau Gwent
Blaenau Gwent
Blaenau Gwent is a county borough in South Wales, sharing its name with a parliamentary constituency. It borders the unitary authority areas of Monmouthshire and Torfaen to the east, Caerphilly to the west and Powys to the north. Its main towns are Abertillery, Brynmawr, Ebbw Vale and...
in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
The settlement arose on the boundary of two parishes, Llangattock
Llangattock (Crickhowell)
Llangattock is a village in the Brecon Beacons National Park in the south of Powys in south Wales. It lies in the Usk Valley just across the river from the town of Crickhowell...
in Brecknockshire and Aberystruth
Aberystruth
Aberystruth was an ancient ecclesiastical parish beside the north-west corner of the county of Monmouthshire against the border with Breconshire and between the parishes of Bedwellty and Trevethin...
in Monmouthshire on the 1779 establishment of the Beaufort Iron Works by Edward and Jonathan Kendall (Cendl) after whom the new settlement was first named.
Location
The town's name derives from the fact that much of the local land was originally owned by the Duke of BeaufortDuke of Beaufort
Duke of Beaufort is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created by Charles II in 1682 for Henry Somerset, 3rd Marquess of Worcester, a descendant of Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester, illegitimate son of Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset, a Lancastrian leader in the Wars of the...
. The border between Beaufort and Ebbw Vale itself is generally considered to be the Ebbw River
Ebbw River
The Ebbw River is a river in South Wales.The main Ebbw River is formed by the confluence of the two minor Ebbw rivers, Ebbw Fach, and Ebbw Fawr ....
which passes close to St David's Church (Church in Wales
Church in Wales
The Church in Wales is the Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses.As with the primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, the Archbishop of Wales serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishops. The current archbishop is Barry Morgan, the Bishop of Llandaff.In contrast to the...
).
The western end of Beaufort is known as 'The Rassau'. 'Carmeltown', presumably so-called because of the presence of Carmel Chapel, lies between the Rassau and the rest of Beaufort. Confusingly, the 'rest of Beaufort' (i.e. geographically the eastern part of Beaufort) is frequently simply referred to as 'Beaufort' or 'Beaufort Hill'.
The eastern end of Beaufort is more densely populated than Carmeltown or the Rassau and borders on Brynmawr
Brynmawr
Brynmawr is a market town in Blaenau Gwent, south Wales. The town, sometimes cited as the highest town in Wales, is situated at 1,250 to 1,500 feet above sea level and nestled at the head of the South Wales Valleys...
. Beaufort was administratively part of Brecknockshire
Brecknockshire
Brecknockshire , also known as the County of Brecknock, Breconshire, or the County of Brecon is one of thirteen historic counties of Wales, and a former administrative county.-Geography:...
, but was transferred to the administrative county of Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire (historic)
Monmouthshire , also known as the County of Monmouth , is one of thirteen ancient counties of Wales and a former administrative county....
as part of the urban district
Urban district
In the England, Wales and Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....
of Ebbw Vale in 1878. Subsequent local government changes incorporated it into the Blaenau Gwent district of Gwent
Gwent (county)
Gwent is a preserved county and a former local government county in south-east Wales. It was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, and was named after the ancient Kingdom of Gwent....
in 1974 and the unitary authority of Blaenau Gwent in 1996.
Beaufort and parts of nearby Badminton and parts of Rassau are classed as the most affluent areas in the Blaenau Gwent area.
Up until 1958 the village was served by Beaufort railway station, a station on the LNWR
London and North Western Railway
The London and North Western Railway was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three companies – the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway...
railway line from Abergavenny - Merthyr
Merthyr, Tredegar and Abergavenny Railway
The Merthyr, Tredegar and Abergavenny Railway was a railway company operating between 1860 and 1958 between the towns of Merthyr Tydfil, Tredegar and Abergavenny through the counties of Glamorganshire, Brecknockshire and Monmouthshire in south east Wales....
.
Welsh
Historically, the language of Beaufort was Welsh. Until the early 1900s, Beaufort was bilingual with both WelshWelsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
and English-language chapels. Elements of a Welsh service continued (e.g. in Carmel Chapel) until the 1970s. Amongst its Nonconformist chapels, the Welsh Independent Congregational Chapel 'Carmel' was pre-eminent, rising to national fame under the leadership of Thomas Rees
Thomas Rees (Congregational minister)
Thomas Rees was a native of Pci Pontbren, Carmarthenshire who held pastorates at Aberdare , Llanelli , Cendl , Mon. and Swansea and became chairman of the Congregational Union of England and Wales, but died just before his term of office was to begin. He published the History of Protestant...
DD (author of History of Protestant Nonconformity in Wales, whose second edition was printed in 1883). According to the 2001 census, 440 residents, or 11.7% of the village's population aged 3 and over can now speak Welsh. This gives Beaufort the highest percentage of Welsh Speakers in Blaenau Gwent.
Places of Interest in Beaufort
Parc Nant y Waun is a Nature reserveNature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
incorporating 22 hectares of grassland, mires and reservoirs which was officially opened in 2007. Opening of Parc Nant y Waun Home to a many wildlife species, it includes a Picnic area, Outdoor Classroom and an Angling Club.
Culture
The Beaufort Male Choir originally formed in 1897, are still going strong today with over sixty singers from all over GwentGwent
-Places:*Kingdom of Gwent, a post-Roman Welsh kingdom or principality which existed in various forms between about the 5th and 11th centuries, although the name continued in use later....
.
They have performed in many prestigious venues all around the world, and are one of the most famous choirs in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
The Beaufort Male Choir, one of the oldest in Wales , was founded at the end of the eighteenth century. Today’s choir was reformed after the Second World War in 1947 and this year we are celebrating sixty years of successful music making.
Though times and circumstances have changed, we, like our predecessors still aspire to the highest ideals of male voice singing. However, whereas they placed great emphasis on competition in Eisteddfodau with significant success, we for the past forty years have concentrated exclusively on concert work This allows us greater musical freedom and affords us the opportunity of performing in the principal concert halls through the UK and Europe .
One of the most noticeable changes in perspective has occurred in recent years with the introduction of an international dimension. For in those years the choir has undertaken tours to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Holland and the Republic of Ireland . In addition, the choir has played host to choirs from Germany , Holland , the USA and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Among the highlights in recent years was the accolade of singing before heads of state at Kensington Palace
Kensington Palace
Kensington Palace is a royal residence set in Kensington Gardens in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. It has been a residence of the British Royal Family since the 17th century and is the official London residence of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Duke and...
and also before His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales. Annual Concert 2009 with RHYDIAN. Also concerts at La Maison Blance in Oxford and St Mary's Chapel in Westminster
Westminster
Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...
.
Under the musical direction of Craig James and Accompanist Margaret Davies, the choir has a much varied repertoire ranging from Welsh and English Hymns, spirituals and modern ballads as well as the more traditional male voice works. 2011 Annual concert features Hayley Westenra
Hayley Westenra
Hayley Dee Westenra is a New Zealand soprano, classical crossover artist, songwriter and UNICEF Ambassador. Her first internationally released album, Pure, reached No. 1 on the UK classical charts in 2003 and has sold more than two million copies worldwide...
.
Beaufort Iron Works
Edward (1750-1807) and Jonathan Kendall or Cendl of Dan-y-Parc Crickhowell established these works in 1779 on a 99 year lease. In 1833, by which time there were four furnaces, the works were taken over as an extension of their Nantyglo operations by the Bailey brothers, Joseph and Crawshay who put their sister’s son, William Partridge (1800-1862), in charge. Unmarried Agents (senior managers) of the local iron works companies lodged at the Rhyd-y-Blew, a drover’s inn, properly the hunting lodge of the Duke of Beaufort who carried out an annual rough-shoot of the area. The inn was at the end of the toll road from Merthyr Tydfil and for the rest of the year provided the drovers’ animals very good pasture and water in the Ebbw river. Suffolk-born Partridge married Charlotte Bevan, daughter of the Rhyd-y-Blew’s innkeeper, and remained in charge of the Beaufort iron works until his early death in 1862. The works soon closed. In conjunction with the then well-known Needham family of Beaufort mining engineers Partridge sons became involved in local collieries and established the substantial business later known as Partridge & Jones. The Beaufort works house eventually became a fever hospital in 1902 and has since been demolished.The ground, just south of Beaufort Hill, once occupied by the iron works has long been cleared and covered with houses.
External links
- History of Beaufort from The History of Brecknockshire by Theophilus Jones.
- www,geograph.co.uk : photos of Beaufort and surrounding area
- ttp://www.beaufortmalechoir.com