In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Ystradgynlais like this:
YSTRADGYNLAIS, a parish in Brecon, and a sub-district partly also in Glamorgan, but all in Neath district. The parish lies on the Swansea canal, and on the Swansea Vale railway, 14 miles NNE of Swansea; contains Ystalyfera and Gwys r. stations; has a post-office‡ under Swansea, and the Lamb and Flag inn; is cut into two divisions, lower and upper, and subdivided into six parcels; and includes Ystrad, Cwmygied, Cabillo, Giedd, Dyfnant, and Bullfa villages. ...
Acres, 21,954. Real property, £15,961; of which £380 are in quarries, £3,258 in mines, £2,802 in ironworks, and £250 in railways. Pop. in 1851, 3,758; in 1861, 4,345. Houses, 908. The increase of pop. arose from the opening of new collieries, and from the extension of the iron trade. Anthracite, ironstone, and limestone abound. Tram railways have long been in use for the collieries and ironworks. A fall of 90 feet occurs on the river Llech. Hill forts, cairns, traces of a Roman road, and other antiquities are seen-The living is a rectory in the diocese of St. Davids. Value, £305. Patron, R. D. Gough, Esq. The church's walls include two inscribed stones, supposed to be Roman. The p. curacy of Capel-Coelbren is a separate benefice.—The sub-district consists of Y. and Ilanguick parishes, and comprises 34,504 acres. Pop. in 1851, 7,987; in 1831, 12,328. Houses, 2,438.
Ystradgynlais through time
Ystradgynlais is now part of Powys district. Click here for graphs and data of how Powys has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Ystradgynlais itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Ystradgynlais, in Powys and Brecknockshire | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/12425
Date accessed: 19th April 2024
Not where you were looking for?
Click here for more detailed advice on finding places within A Vision of Britain through Time, and maybe some references to other places called "Ystradgynlais".
