Maerdy
Maerdy (, Y Maerdy) is a village and community (and electoral ward) in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, and within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales, lying at the head of the Rhondda Fach Valley.
"Maerdy" is a Welsh word meaning "house of the STEWARD", and may indicate a medieval origin. The "maer" (steward) was usually appointed by the king; the maer biswail (literally the "dung steward") was not as important and wielded less authority than the "maer" (Hen Gyfreithiau Cymreig, S. J. Williams). "Maerdy" was also used for a 'summer dwelling' as well as for a 'dairy farm' (GPC). The name is found in several locations throughout Wales. 'Mardy' represents the local Gwentian dialect form of the written "maerdy".
The area grew from a farming community to town around the coal mining industry and the development of Mardy Colliery in the late 19th century, but its last pit (Mardy Main) shut in 1990. Maerdy was not originally an area of industrial confrontation, with the Cambrian mines of Pentre showing far more socialist ideals. This view would change by the mid to late 20th century when Maerdy became synonymous with working class syndicalism and solidarity. In the mid-twentieth century Maerdy was associated with the Communist Party of Great Britain and radical miners' leaders such as Arthur Horner and was known as Little Moscow. By the time of the Miners' strike in the 1980s, Maerdy was the location of one of the last working mines in the south Wales valleys, and the pictures of the returning miners once the strike was resolved was one of the defining moments of late 20th century Welsh history.
Maerdy has a number of memorials erected to remember events of significance and notable people. Near the Avon factory, a bridge has been constructed to remember Frank Owen of Pentre Road, who died fighting in the Spanish Civil War.
There is also a memorial in place to remember victims of the colliery disaster, placed in Maerdy Park, and is a coal Dram filled with coal from Maerdy Colliery. Also located in Maerdy park is a memorial dedicated to the memory of fallen World War I and World War II Soldiers.
A newer, updated War memorial has been erected adjacent to the Colliery memorial with the names of all the soldiers who died in both World War I and World War II.
In 2017, a memorial, known locally as the ‘Maerdy Gateway’ was created at the foot of the mountain road leading to neighbouring Aberdare. It consists of a pitwheel and a statue of a miner holding a child, wrapped in a traditional Welsh shawl, in memoriam and recognition of the area's booming coal industry.
"Maerdy" is a Welsh word meaning "house of the STEWARD", and may indicate a medieval origin. The "maer" (steward) was usually appointed by the king; the maer biswail (literally the "dung steward") was not as important and wielded less authority than the "maer" (Hen Gyfreithiau Cymreig, S. J. Williams). "Maerdy" was also used for a 'summer dwelling' as well as for a 'dairy farm' (GPC). The name is found in several locations throughout Wales. 'Mardy' represents the local Gwentian dialect form of the written "maerdy".
The area grew from a farming community to town around the coal mining industry and the development of Mardy Colliery in the late 19th century, but its last pit (Mardy Main) shut in 1990. Maerdy was not originally an area of industrial confrontation, with the Cambrian mines of Pentre showing far more socialist ideals. This view would change by the mid to late 20th century when Maerdy became synonymous with working class syndicalism and solidarity. In the mid-twentieth century Maerdy was associated with the Communist Party of Great Britain and radical miners' leaders such as Arthur Horner and was known as Little Moscow. By the time of the Miners' strike in the 1980s, Maerdy was the location of one of the last working mines in the south Wales valleys, and the pictures of the returning miners once the strike was resolved was one of the defining moments of late 20th century Welsh history.
Maerdy has a number of memorials erected to remember events of significance and notable people. Near the Avon factory, a bridge has been constructed to remember Frank Owen of Pentre Road, who died fighting in the Spanish Civil War.
There is also a memorial in place to remember victims of the colliery disaster, placed in Maerdy Park, and is a coal Dram filled with coal from Maerdy Colliery. Also located in Maerdy park is a memorial dedicated to the memory of fallen World War I and World War II Soldiers.
A newer, updated War memorial has been erected adjacent to the Colliery memorial with the names of all the soldiers who died in both World War I and World War II.
In 2017, a memorial, known locally as the ‘Maerdy Gateway’ was created at the foot of the mountain road leading to neighbouring Aberdare. It consists of a pitwheel and a statue of a miner holding a child, wrapped in a traditional Welsh shawl, in memoriam and recognition of the area's booming coal industry.
Map - Maerdy
Map
Country - United_Kingdom
 |
 |
| Flag of the United Kingdom | |
The United Kingdom has evolved from a series of annexations, unions and separations of constituent countries over several hundred years. The Treaty of Union between the Kingdom of England (which included Wales, annexed in 1542) and the Kingdom of Scotland in 1707 formed the Kingdom of Great Britain. Its union in 1801 with the Kingdom of Ireland created the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Most of Ireland seceded from the UK in 1922, leaving the present United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, which formally adopted that name in 1927. The nearby Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey are not part of the UK, being Crown Dependencies with the British Government responsible for defence and international representation. There are also 14 British Overseas Territories, the last remnants of the British Empire which, at its height in the 1920s, encompassed almost a quarter of the world's landmass and a third of the world's population, and was the largest empire in history. British influence can be observed in the language, culture and the legal and political systems of many of its former colonies.
Currency / Language
| ISO | Currency | Symbol | Significant figures |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP | Pound sterling | £ | 2 |
| ISO | Language |
|---|---|
| EN | English language |
| GD | Gaelic language |
| CY | Welsh language |