Cyfarthfa Castle - Merthyr Tydfil - Wales.
N 51° 45.263 W 003° 23.465
30U E 473005 N 5733792
Designed by Richard Lugar for the Crawshay family, the Castle was built in a year (1824-25). As a fortified house, that looked like a Castell, & was in fact called a castle. In 1910 it was converted to a museum.
Waymark Code: WMDZ42
Location: South Wales, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 03/12/2012
Views: 4
In 1816 William Crawshay, took refuge in a Farmhouse, until troops arrived.
"In 1816 Riot in Merthyr Tydfil and Tredegar during miners strike. In Merthyr, JJ Guest barricaded himself into his home, Dowlais House and William Crawshay took refuge in a farmhouse. Troops were brought in to disperse about 8.000 workers. In Tredegar, troops were sent in and one worker was killed - but the threat of Crawshaws wage reductions was withdrawn. Troops fire warning shots in Aberystwyth as protests take place over enclosures."
This is why William Crawshay built a fortified house.
"The Merthyr Rising of 1831 was the violent climax to many years of simmering unrest among the large working class population of Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales and the surrounding area.
Throughout May 1831 the coal miners and others who worked for William Crawshay took to the streets of Merthyr Tydfil, calling for reform, protesting against the lowering of their wages and general unemployment. Gradually the protest spread to nearby industrial towns and villages and by the end of May the whole area was in rebellion, and for the first time in the world the red flag of revolution was flown.[citation needed]
After storming Merthyr town, the rebels sacked the local debtors' court and the goods that had been collected. Unpaid debts were taken and given back to their original owners. Account books containing debtors' details were also destroyed. Among the shouts, were cries of Caws a bara (cheese and bread) and I lawr a'r Brenin (down with the king).
On 1 June 1831, the protesters marched to local mines and persuaded the men on shift there to stop working and join their protest. In the meantime, the British government in London had ordered in the army, with contingents of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders dispatched to Merthyr Tydfil to restore order. Since the crowd was now too large to be dispersed, the soldiers were ordered to protect essential buildings and people.
On 2 June, while local employers and magistrates were holding a meeting with the High Sheriff of Glamorgan at the Castle Inn, a group led by Lewsyn yr Heliwr (also known as Lewis Lewis) marched there to demand a reduction in the price of bread and an increase in their wages. The demands were rejected, and after being advised to return to their homes, attacked the inn. Engaged by the 93rd (Highland) Regiment, after the rioters seized some of their weapons, the troops were commanded to open fire. After a protracted struggle in which hundreds sustained injury, some fatal, the Highlanders were compelled to withdraw to Penydarren House, and abandon the town to the rioters.
For eight days, Penydarren House was the sole refuge of authority. With armed insurrection fully in place in the town by 4 June, the rioters had commandeered arms and explosives, set up road-blocks, formed guerrilla detachments, and had banners capped with a symbolic loaf and literally dyed in blood. Those who had military experience had taken the lead in drilling the armed para-military formation, and created an effective central command and communication system."
Source:- (
visit link)