Trealaw

Trealaw in the Rhondda Fawr was built In the mid 1860s on land belonging to Gwilym Williams and so named in honour of his late father, David Williams, who, in addition to being a landowner and coffieiy proprietor, had earned himself a reputation as a bard using the bardic name of ‘Maw Goch’.

David Williams was born in 1809 in the parish of Ystradowen. about two miles north of Cowbridge. In 1821 the Williams family moved to Aberdare and David found work as a sawyer. Two or three years later he turned to coal mining where he started as a haulier earning nine shillings a week. After some time he branched out on his own using a skill he bad developed for detecting rich deposits of coal.

In 1842 he sunk a pit on land at Ynyscynon. Aberdare, in partnership with Lewis Lewis of Ceih Coed. The pit was opened in 1843 and the venture proved a success, earning Williams the title of ‘David Williams, Abercynon’. He then opened another pit at Aberanian by obtaining a lease from Crawshay Bailey, the ironmaster and M.P., who took a great interest in his efforts and became his friend. This pit was generally known as Williams’s Pit.

Following this venture he sank the Deep Duffryn Pit at Mountain Ash. Although this was a success, the actual sinking of it was costly and he Is said to have often remarked that it would send him to the workhouse. However, by persevering he managed to win coal of excellent quality and In a short time the pit was turning out a hundred and fifty tons a day. There were, however, difficulties with the ventilation which he was unable to solve and when, in 1850, he was offered £42.000 for it byJohn Nixon who had just sunk the nearby Werfa colliery, he readily accepted.

With this money Williams sank another pit at Cwrndare in 1853. This, too, was a success and he eventually sold it at a good profit. It was Indeed by opening up pits and then reselling them that he achieved considerable wealth which he Invested In land. At first he bought up some farms near Meidrlm and Kidwelly in Carmarthenshlre. Subsequently acting on the advice of Crawshay Bailey, he bought the Monachty estate In the parish of Llanwonno, and then the farms known as Brithweunydd Uchaf, Brithweunydd Isaf and Ynysgrug in the Rhondda Valley. It was on land belonging to Brithweunydd that Trealaw was eventually built.

The acquisition of wealth, however, in no way caused Williams to lose touch with the working classes. He was able to build up a fortune without encroaching upon the rights of others and without being unkind to any of the people he employed. His close contacts with all classes of Welsh society was undoubtedly fostered by his keen appreciation of Welsh literature, and he was fond of composing verse. He often presided and adjudicated at local eisteddfodau and also made considerable efforts to Infuse vitality into the national Eisteddfod. For a while he became treasurer to the council of this Institution and spent large amounts of his own money in trying to establish the meetings alternately in North and South Wales.

As well as performing good works for the Eisteddfod, he also served the community in the capacity of poor law guardian and as a member of the old Highway Board and the local Board of health. He was a prominent member of the Carmel Welsh Calvinlstic Methodist Church at Aberdare.

Gwilym, the elder of his two sons, was born in 1839 at Ynyscynon and became an important judge in the county courts of Glaniorgan. He was a highly respected public figure and was known as Judge Gwilym Williams of MIskIn Manor. Both he and his father were the promoters and chief supporters of the first daily newspaper in Wales, the Cambrla Daily Leader. YGwladgarwr, the Welsh language newspaper published at Aberdare, was also established with the help of David Williams.

Gwilym Inherited most of his properties and lands in Glamorganshire whilst those In Carmarthenshire, together with the Monachty estate, went to his brother Gomer.