Neath
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Neath Coat of Arms |
Neath (
Welsh:
Castell-Nedd) is a town and
community with a population of approximately 45,898, located on the river of the
same name in the
traditional county of
Glamorgan,
South Wales.
Historically Neath was the crossing place of the
River Neath and has existed as a settlement since at least
Roman times, following the Roman invasion of
Britain in the
1st Century AD.
There is evidence of undated settlements on the hills surrounding the town, which were probably
Celtic. Human remains of a female were discovered 25 miles away at Pavilland Cave
[Explore Gower:Paviland Cave - Goat's Hole] on the
Gower Peninsula dated 24,000 BC proving that humans lived in the region during the last
Ice Age. Neath was on the southern edge of the ices sheet with the
Vale of Neath being a
glaciated valley.
Vegetation and
animal life migrated to the area following the recession of the ice around 15,000 years ago.
The
Romans used the name
Celt (outsiders) for the unfederated European tribes outside of their empire and the tribes inhabiting the Neath area before Roman times would have been
Celtic.
Nidum is the name of the Roman fort discovered close to a housing state, known as Roman Way, on the west side of the
River Neath whereas Neath town is on the east side of the river. The fort covered a large area which now lies under the playing fields of Dŵr-y-Felin Comprehensive School
[Dwr y Felin School: History Department].
The Roman occupation of
Britain ended in the
5th Century AD and at that time
Christianity was spreading from the east.
St Illtyd[Britannia: St Illtyd][Early British Kingdoms: St. Illtyd][Ancient Texts: St. Illtyd] ], a prominent Celtic warrior and Celtic saint who became a
Christian was a major force in establishing
Christianity within
Wales having taught
St David, the patron saint of
Wales.
St Illtyd visited the Neath area and established a settlement in what is now known as Llantwit on the northern edge of the town. The church of St. Illtyd
[Parish of Neath: St. Illtyd] was built at this settlement and was enlarged in
Norman times. The
Norman and pre Norman church structure remains intact and active to day within the Church in Wales
[Church in Wales].
Neath was a market town that expanded with the arrival of the
Industrial Revolution in the
18th Century with new manufacturing industries of iron, steel and tinplate. The Mackworth family, who owned the Gnoll Estate
[Britton Manor] were prominent in the towns industrial development.
Coal was mined in the surrounding valleys and the construction of canals and railways made Neath a major transportation centre and the Evans & Bevan family were major in the local coal mining community and also owned the Vale of Neath Brewery
[Neath Brewery].
The town also continued as a market trading centre with a municipal cattle market run by
W.B.Trick.
The
River Neath is a navigable estuary with Neath having been a river port until recent times.
Industrial development continued throughout the
20th Century with the construction by
British Petroleum of a new petroleum refinery at
Llandarcy.
The heavy industries are no more with the town being a commercial centre and tourist attraction.
The Welsh name for Neath is
Castell Nedd, which refers to the
Norman Neath Castle
[Neath Castle], which is close to the shopping centre.
Other major attractions for visitors are the ruins of the Cistercian Neath Abbey
[Neath Abbey]and the Gnoll Park
[Gnoll Park].
The previous borough council was absorbed into the larger unitary authority of
Neath Port Talbot on
April 1 1996. The town encompasses the electoral wards of
Neath East,
Neath North and
Neath South.
The Town and the surrounding area is represented at
Westminster by
Peter Hain MP (
Labour) and in the
National Assembly for Wales by
Gwenda Thomas AM (
Labour)
*The
Welsh Rugby Union was formed at a meeting held at the Castle Hotel
[Neath Castle Hotel].
*
Neath Rugby Football Club, the famous "Welsh All Blacks", play at The Gnoll.
*Lord Admiral
Nelson stayed at the Castle Hotel en route to
Milford Haven when the fleet was at anchor there.
*Lt Lewis Roatley
[HMS VICTORY. MAN~OF~WAR 1805 MUSTER LISTS], the son of the landlord of the Castle Hotel, served as a
Royal Marines officer with Lord Admiral Nelson aboard
HMS Victory for the
Battle of Trafalgar.
*Neath is the native town of some famous
Hollywood actors including
Anthony Hopkins,
Richard Burton and
Ray Milland. The international theatre director
Michael Bogdanov was born in Neath.
*The town has produced some talented and successful classical singers and musicians, including
Ivor Emmanuel,
Rebecca Evans, the international sopranos Rebecca Evans and Gail Pearson, classical singer
Katherine Jenkins, the rock singer
Bonnie Tyler and classical pianists Gordon Back and Andrew Matthews-Owen.
*Neath hosted the
National Eisteddfod in
1918,
1934, and
1994.
*
Craig Y Nos, which is a village close to Neath, was chosen by the famous opera singer
Adelina Patti to live. She constructed Craig Y Nos Castle
[Craig-y-Nos Castle and Country Park ] as her home; it includes a miniature opera house where she entertained her house guests. Craig Y Nos was the first place to have electricity installed in Wales.
*In a 1993 edition of
FHM The Parade, Neath was infamously named the second most likely place in the UK to encounter a fight on a Friday night.
*In April 1980, it was reported that thousands of fresh garden peas pelted down in Tonna (Neath) over a man called Trevor Williams in some freakish weather phenomenon.
*
*
History of Neath
