Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen
Encyclopedia
Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen is a village in Neath Port Talbot
, south
Wales
. Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen is also a parish
made up of the electoral wards of Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen
and Lower Brynamman
.
. Nearby villages include Cwmgors, Brynamman, Tairgwaith, Glanaman and Garnant.
, ceger being a dialect form of cegid). In local usage, the name is often shortened to "Y Waun" or simply "GCG".
Secondary-age children in the area have the choice of going to Ysgol Gyfun Ystalyfera in Ystalyfera
(for full Welsh-medium education),, Ysgol Dyffryn Aman (for Welsh- and English-medium education), or Cwmtawe Community School (for English-medium education).
is very strong in Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen, with the highest proportion of Welsh-speakers being among the young. The Welsh Language Board
reported in 2009 that:
MP and in the National Assembly for Wales
by Gwenda Thomas
AM, who lives in the village; they both represent the Neath constituency. Its South Wales West regional assembly members are, from the Welsh Conservatives, Suzy Davies AM and Henry Byron Davies AM, from Plaid Cymru
, Bethan Jenkins
AM, and from the Welsh Liberal Democrats
, Peter Black
AM.
play their home games at Parc-y-werin, Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen. Their clubhouse is also situated at New Road, Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen.
It is no longer a farming estate but remains to own much of the land in the village. The name means the Witch's Pool in English, because of an old Welsh
myth that the witches lived in it because of the greeny-bluey colour and would sometimes come out to haunt the locals.
Neath Port Talbot
Neath Port Talbot is a county borough and one of the unitary authority areas of Wales. Neath Port Talbot is the 8th most populous county in Wales and the third most populous county borough....
, south
South West Wales
South West Wales is a region of Wales. A definition consisting of the unitary authorities of Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire is used by a number of government agencies and private organisations including:*BBC...
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...
. Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen is also a parish
Community (Wales)
A community is a division of land in Wales that forms the lowest-tier of local government in Wales. Welsh communities are analogous to civil parishes in England....
made up of the electoral wards of Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen
Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen (electoral ward)
Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen is an electoral ward of Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales. The ward of Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen along with the Lower Brynamman electoral ward makes up the parish of Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen....
and Lower Brynamman
Lower Brynamman
Lower Brynamman is village and an electoral ward of Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales.The electoral ward of Lower Brynamman forms part of the parish of Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen. The ward consists of some or all of the settlements of Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen, Lower Brynamman and Tairgwaith in the...
.
Location
Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen is located five mile east of the nearest town of Ammanford and nearly twenty miles north of SwanseaSwansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
. Nearby villages include Cwmgors, Brynamman, Tairgwaith, Glanaman and Garnant.
Etymology
The name Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen is believed to be an alteration of what was originally gwaun cegerwen (i.e. "white hemlock heath" in 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...
, ceger being a dialect form of cegid). In local usage, the name is often shortened to "Y Waun" or simply "GCG".
Schools
Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Gwauncaegurwen (Gwaun-cae-Gurwen Welsh Primary School) used to be on Heol y Dŵr (Water Street) which is where the Pwll y Wrach estate is based. It has since been moved to Heol Newydd (New Road), overlooking the village, and the former school transformed into a wood workshop.Secondary-age children in the area have the choice of going to Ysgol Gyfun Ystalyfera in Ystalyfera
Ystalyfera
Ystalyfera is a former industrial village in the upper Swansea Valley, on the River Tawe, about north-east of Swansea. It is an electoral ward and a community in the unitary authority of Neath Port Talbot, Wales, comprising a resident population of just over 3,000 people, approximately 60% of whom...
(for full Welsh-medium education),, Ysgol Dyffryn Aman (for Welsh- and English-medium education), or Cwmtawe Community School (for English-medium education).
Welsh language
The Welsh languageWelsh 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...
is very strong in Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen, with the highest proportion of Welsh-speakers being among the young. The Welsh Language Board
Welsh Language Board
The Welsh Language Board is a statutory body set up by the UK Government as part of the Welsh Language Act 1993. It is now an Assembly Sponsored Public Body...
reported in 2009 that:
- In areas such as Gwaun Cae Gurwen (67.9%) and Brynaman Isaf (68%) [...] Welsh is a natural community language spoken in the street, in cafés and amongst third sector organisations. Perhaps the most notable fact is that the highest percentage of Welsh speakers is amongst 10–19 year olds.
Representation
The area is represented in the House of Commons by the Rt. Hon. Peter HainPeter Hain
Peter Gerald Hain is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for the Welsh constituency of Neath since 1991, and has served in the Cabinets of both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, firstly as Leader of the House of Commons under Blair and both Secretary of State for...
MP and in the National Assembly for Wales
National Assembly for Wales
The National Assembly for Wales is a devolved assembly with power to make legislation in Wales. The Assembly comprises 60 members, who are known as Assembly Members, or AMs...
by Gwenda Thomas
Gwenda Thomas
Gwenda Thomas AM is the Labour Assembly Member for Neath. Mrs Thomas was first elected to the National Assembly for Wales in 1999 and re-elected in 2003, having almost doubled her majority. She is a fluent Welsh speaker...
AM, who lives in the village; they both represent the Neath constituency. Its South Wales West regional assembly members are, from the Welsh Conservatives, Suzy Davies AM and Henry Byron Davies AM, from Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru
' is a political party in Wales. It advocates the establishment of an independent Welsh state within the European Union. was formed in 1925 and won its first seat in 1966...
, Bethan Jenkins
Bethan Jenkins
Bethan Jenkins AM , is a Welsh politician, born in Aberdare, Wales, who has represented the South Wales West Region for Plaid Cymru as a Member of the National Assembly for Wales since 2007.-Background:...
AM, and from the Welsh Liberal Democrats
Welsh Liberal Democrats
The Welsh Liberal Democrats are one of the three state parties of the federal Liberal Democrats and operate within Wales, the others being the Scottish Liberal Democrats and the Liberal Democrats in England....
, Peter Black
Peter Black
Peter Black may refer to:*Peter Black *Peter Black...
AM.
Sport
Cwmgors RFCCwmgors RFC
Cwmgors Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club that represents the villages of Cwmgors, Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen and Tairgwaith, West Wales. Cwmgors RFC is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Ospreys.-Curwen Stars:...
play their home games at Parc-y-werin, Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen. Their clubhouse is also situated at New Road, Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen.
Notable natives
- Former Wales and British and Irish LionsBritish and Irish LionsThe British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
player Gareth EdwardsGareth EdwardsGareth Owen Edwards CBE is a former Welsh rugby union footballer who played scrum-half and has been described by the BBC as "arguably the greatest player ever to don a Welsh jersey"....
; a street, Maes Gareth Edwards, is named after him. - Siân PhillipsSiân PhillipsJane Elizabeth Ailwên "Siân" Phillips, CBE, is a Welsh actress.-Early life:Phillips was born in Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen, Neath Port Talbot, Wales, the daughter of Sally , a teacher, and David Phillips, a steelworker-turned-policeman...
, actress - His Grace The Most Rev. Dr. Barry MorganBarry MorganBarry Cennydd Morgan has been the Archbishop of the Church in Wales since 2003.-Early life:Morgan was born in Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen, Neath Port Talbot and studied history at University College, London and theology at Selwyn College, Cambridge...
, Archbishop of WalesArchbishop of WalesThe post of Archbishop of Wales was created in 1920 when the Church in Wales was separated from the Church of England , and disestablished...
and Bishop of Llandaff is originally from the village.
Pwll-y-Wrach
At one time, almost all of the land of The Waun was owned by the Jones Family who also owned the "Pwll-y-Wrach Estate". It was run by the Head and later by their sons (and spouses). They still own parts of the land of the village but most has been sold off. Both farmhouses connected to the Estate are still standing. They are: Pwll-y-Wrach and Glangwrach. Pwll y Wrach is the main house where the head of the family lived.It is no longer a farming estate but remains to own much of the land in the village. The name means the Witch's Pool in English, because of an old Welsh
Welsh mythology
Welsh mythology, the remnants of the mythology of the pre-Christian Britons, has come down to us in much altered form in medieval Welsh manuscripts such as the Red Book of Hergest, the White Book of Rhydderch, the Book of Aneirin and the Book of Taliesin....
myth that the witches lived in it because of the greeny-bluey colour and would sometimes come out to haunt the locals.