Cymoedd y RHONDDA Valleys

TREALAW

Brith wynydd, 1625 MRA

Berth-waunydd, 1833 OS 

Trealaw Colliery, 1872 NLW

Trealaw Coal and Brick Co. 1880 

Brithweunydd Colliery, Trealaw, 1880 Slaters Directory 

All Saints church, Trealaw 1897

Today Trealaw is the name of a village in the valley of the Rhondda Fawr. Originally Trealaw was the name of a colliery built on the lands of Brithweunydd farm c1870.

Its literal meaning is Alaw’s town, so named after Alaw Goch, the bardic name of landowner/industrialist David Williams (1809-63) of Ynyscynon House, Cwmbach, Aberdare.

David’s son Gwilym (1839-1906) [later to become the renowned Judge Gwilym Williams] named the colliery in honour of his late and much respected father. The village that developed around the colliery adopted the colliery name. All Saints church was erected in Trealaw in 1897.

Brithweunydd Colliery, Trealaw listed in Slaters Directory of 1880 actually closed in 1879. This is not to be confused with Trealaw Colliery. 

Brithweunydd (speckled moors) remains with us as Mynydd Brithweunydd and Brithweunydd Road, Trealaw. Ynyscynon Road reminds us of David Williams's Cynon valley residence while Judges Hall commemorates Judge Gwilym Williams.

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Pendyrus is known far and wide as the name of a famous male voice choir from the Rhondda Valleys. But many may be surprised to know that there is no village of that name in either the Rhondda Fawr or the Rhondda Fach valleys.

The choir is based at Tylorstown (named after coal owner Alfred Tylor of Newgate, London.) and takes its name from Pendyrus Colliery and the names of two farmsteads – Pendyrus Isaf and Pendyrus Uchaf.

The village was named after coal owner Alfred Tylor, but the choir was named after the place of work of most of its early members.

Pendyrus has two elements – ‘pen’ and the adjective ‘dyrus’ meaning ‘hill of tangled undergrowth’. Paradoxically however, Pendyrus male choir always produced harmonious musical tones of high quality, especially while under the baton of maestro Glyn Jones.

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