The Medieval Village of Merthyr Dyfan

It would probably come as a surprise to many to discover that cramped in amongst the modern houses of the Merthyr Dyfan Estate is to be found the medieval church of St Dyfan and St Teilo. St Dyfan's Church dates back to the early thirteenth century, and is the last surviving remnant of the medieval village of Merthyr Dyfan.

The village of Merthyr Dyfan began its existence as a small nucleated settlement which is thought to have derived from the nearby manor of Cadoxton, which was in turn derived from the higher lordship of Dinas Powys. The earliest written reference made towards Merthyr Dyfan dates to the middle of the thirteenth century when it was included in the Norwich Taxation of 1254 and was valued at £3.  Merthyr Dyfan is also mentioned in the 1291-2 Taxatio as Ecclesia de Martheldenan and was valued at £2. 13 s. 4d. It is likely however that Merthyr Dyfan was established as a settlement prior to its inclusion within the above taxations.

It is possible that Merthyr Dyfan was not a sub-enfeoffed manor (the residence of a knightly lord held under feudal tenure) like Cadoxton, but was perhaps instead run by a steward or bailiff as a demesne (farm) for the de Sumeri family of Dinas Powys, as there is no documentary evidence relating to any resident lord residing at Merthyr Dyfan.

(Church of St Dyfan and St Teilo Merthyr Dyfan)

There have been numerous archaeological investigations within the Merthyr Dyfan area over the years as and when the opportunity has arisen. Through these excavations, archaeologists have been able to record the remains, and partial remains of fourteen buildings. Eight of these buildings were examined by the now defunct Barry Archaeological Group between 1968-77, and were later re-examined, along with a further six buildings by the Glamorgan Gwent Archaeological Trust in 1982 in advance of a housing development.

The majority of the remains appear to represent dwellings with no less than eleven of the excavated buildings serving this purpose. Also represented were other buildings commonly found in nucleated medieval settlements such as a barn, bake house, forge and corn-drying kiln. Much of the archaeology of Merthyr Dyfan had been badly damaged over time. Enough however survived to enable archaeologists to gain some idea of the dynamic that once existed within this medieval village and to allow some room for interpretation. 

We are also fortunate to be able to draw upon a finds assemblage consisting of 16 silver medieval coins, one silver post-medieval coin, and a medieval seal matrix found by local metal detector enthusiasts during the development of White Farm which were responsibly reported to the government under the Portable Antiquities Scheme. These finds help to provide a valuable source of supplementary evidence.

(late nineteenth century photograph showing the rural character of Merthyr Dyfan before its development)

Two of the best - preserved buildings are located to the west of St Dyfan and St Teilos Church.  The first, which is presumed to be a dwelling, is located adjacent to a hollow way, and is represented by both a house platform and surviving masonry. This dwelling, which measured 9.10 m by 7.60 m, was a substantial structure and was one of the larger buildings examined. Evidence of a doorway with associated porch was noted on the northern side of the building as well as signs that the internal walls were plastered. In addition, Pennant sandstone roof-slabs and green-glazed ridge-tiles were found within the building as well as numerous sherds of pottery. These pottery sherds were used to date this building to the late thirteenth or the early fourteenth century. 

At this point in history very few domestic buildings within Glamorgan would have sported roof slabs as they seem to have been restricted to those with means. Most dwellings at this point in time would have exhibited thatched roofs; certainly no evidence of roof tiles was found in any of the other buildings examined at Merthyr Dyfan. Wall plaster was also a feature of higher living. It is likely that this building was the home of someone of importance within the village. It would seem however, that this dwelling was abandoned around the mid fourteenth century.

(This green glazed roof-tile, which was found within the demolition layer of the manor house at Cosmeston, is similar to the roof-tiles excavated at Merthyr Dyfan)

Another substantial structure was examined near to the west of the previous building. This structure measured 12.20 m by 7.60 m and was constructed with dry stone walls. This structure was only partially examined, but the excavations showed that it likely also contained a plastered internal wall. Pottery dating to the thirteenth and the fourteenth centuries was also found. Given the building's size and that it was plastered internally, it is possible that someone of importance and status within the village of Merthyr Dyfan lived here. 

Located near to both buildings by the Cold Brook stream are the remains of a corn drying kiln.  Agriculture was integral to medieval village life, and a good harvest could make the difference between life and death. During the latter part of the thirteenth century the climate began to deteriorate. The wetter weather necessitated the construction of such structures, hence kilns of this type would have existed in every village throughout medieval Glamorgan. 

(This image taken from the fourteenth century Luttrell Psalter depicts agricultural workers with sickles engaged in harvesting)

The remaining archaeology is located towards the south-east of the church. Much of these remains have been covered or destroyed by modern housing. The remains of two medieval buildings were examined near Collard Crescent but, due to the fact that there was so little available to examine and that the buildings exhibited a confusing sequence of features, the conclusions that could be drawn from them were limited.

Four buildings which were examined near Marloes Close suffered from similar conditions, namely the fact that only a tiny portion of their structure was available for examination. All of these buildings however were thought to have been dwellings-perhaps the ubiquitous cot variety that was so common during this period.

Another, more complete medieval dwelling was excavated near the Ffynnon John Lewis well. This building, like most of the other structures, had been robbed of its stone over time. Internally the building was divided into two parts. One room exhibited a clay floor and a stone lined hearth (fireplace). The other room likewise contained a clay floor but also a slab lined drain which led outside through a doorway located within its west wall. The slab lined drain is suggestive of co-habitation with animals. 

Of the other buildings examined, there was included the remains of a barn. This structure was located near the four medieval dwellings on Marloes Road and probably served as an outbuilding related to one or more of the nearby dwellings. Once again, thirteenth to fourteenth century pottery was found in the vicinity, as well as a spur rowel.

Near the barn structure was located the remains of a forge. Like many of the other buildings, it had mostly been destroyed. Finally, the remains of a substantial building was uncovered in close proximity to both the barn and forge. This building, measured 12.30 m by 6.00 m, and contained a keyhole shaped oven or kiln, leading archaeologists to conclude that as well as serving as a residence, this building might also have served as a bake-house.  Pottery of thirteenth and fourteenth century date was also found here.

(The reconstructed bake-house from the medieval village of Cosmeston which has been built upon its original foundations. This reconstruction goes a long way to help us visualize how vernacular medieval buildings, very few of which survive, might have looked)

Almost all of the buildings examined at Merthyr Dyfan showed no evidence of being occupied beyond the fourteenth century. This is not surprising, as the catastrophic events of this point in time such as plague, famine and war, hit Wales hard decimating the population. Excavations at the nearby villages of Barry and Cosmeston have confirmed the severity of these events as none of the buildings examined at these nearby locations showed any signs of occupation beyond the fourteenth century.

One building at Merthyr Dyfan however appears to have been occupied continuously up until the eighteenth century. The building, which is located near to the Ffonnon John Lewis well, showed a sequence of three floor levels. The lowest level was composed of clay and is almost certainly medieval in date. The second layer consisted of a cobbled surface set in clay, and the final layer was composed of limestone flags of probable eighteenth century date. The building is shown on an estate map dating to 1783.

(Photograph showing a post medieval cottage, know as 'poacher's cottage', and track way)

The assemblage of metal detected finds is of particular interest. Their distribution appears to have been restricted to a small area located in the field immediately west of the church of St Dyfan and St Teilo. This area was most likely the site of one of the many village fairs that occurred in Merthyr Dyfan throughout the medieval period.

Most of the finds consist of coins and are represented by penny, half-penny and farthing denominations. These coins would have been used for small transactions. The earliest coin in the assemblage is a half -penny coin of king Stephen (1135-54) which was minted around the middle of the twelfth century, nearly a full century before the earliest written reference to Merthyr Dyfan. Coins of the medieval period however tended to be in circulation for a long time. This example is very worn, making it unlikely that it was lost at the time it was minted. The majority of the coins in the assemblage have a date range spanning from the early thirteenth through to the mid fourteenth century. The earliest coins in the assemblage seem to corroborate the architectural and archaeological dates ascribed to the origin of Merthyr Dyfan - that the village was founded sometime during the early thirteenth century.  

The latest medieval coins in the assemblage consist of three pennies of Edward III (1327-77).  After this date there is a gap of nearly two centuries before any more coin finds. A debased silver groat (four pence) of Henry VIII (1509-47) dating to 1544-47 is the latest coin within this assemblage. This dearth of economic activity during the latter part of the medieval period corroborates the archaeological evidence of a mid-fourteenth century decline of Merthyr Dyfan.  

(Some of the silver coins recovered from Merthyr Dyfan)

The seal matrix, which dates to the thirteenth or the fourteenth century, is also of great interest. This item gives us two names associated with Merthyr Dyfan, names that given the scant documentary evidence from the medieval period, would have been otherwise lost to us. The encircling legend reads  S-WILLIEI FIL ROBERTII seal of William son of Robert. This seal was likely the property of someone with a certain amount of standing in the village, perhaps a reeve, as literacy was not common during the thirteenth and the fourteenth centuries. Perhaps William and Robert were the occupiers of the two houses which sported plastered walls and roof tiles.

(Late nineteenth century view of Merthyr Dyfan)

During the post-medieval period Merthyr Dyfan seemingly recovered from the catastrophes of the fourteenth century and was revived in shrunken form. The crenelated tower attached to St Dyfan's Church dates to this period, being constructed sometime during the early sixteenth century. Interestingly, in the year 1553, commissioners of Edward VI visited Merthyr Dyfan and appropriated a number of items of value from the church, including a copper-gilt cross, thought to be worth 20s, and a number of costly ecclesiastical vestments.

The Subsidy Act of 1543, which was enforced throughout the 1540s, gives us an idea of the population levels at Merthyr Dyfan during the early post-medieval period. This survey tells us that there were approximately 23 people eligible to pay tax in 1543. In subsequent years we see that number diminish slightly, however there were almost certainly more people residing in Merthyr Dyfan who were too poor to pay this tax and were thus absent from the lay subsidy returns.

(View of Methyr Dyfan circa 1900)

Much of the land surrounding Merthyr Dyfan was during the sixteenth century in the possession of the moiety of Dinas Powys. Like many other villages during the post medieval period, Merthyr Dyfan was gradually enclosed and leased to a succession of farmer tenants.  Merthyr Dyfan thus fell into a sleepy post medieval existence, an existence which remained unchanged for centuries as successive generations lived out their lives within the parish fields and farmsteads they called home, were baptized, married and finally buried in the church of St Dyfan and St Teilo.  This rural way of life lasted up until the middle of the twentieth century when continuity with the past was finally broken and the land around the village was developed. 

Mark and Jonathan Lambert are archaeology graduates of Cardiff University and are published authors. They have been writing about and researching local history for the past 20 years and have a wealth of knowledge. All articles are original compositions - we hope you enjoy our content. Enquiries: hiddenglamorgan@outlook.com

©Jonathan and Mark Lambert 2016

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