The Opening of Bridgend Free Library, 1907.




On the 28th of August, 1907 - Bridgend Free Library, Wyndham Street was officially opened by Mr. John Randall, County Councillor. The building which was built at the cost of £2000 replaced the Reading Room at Bridgend Town Hall. A large amount of townspeople were present at this historical event.

On the day Mr. Randall was welcomed into the new building by Mr. Michael Davies (Chair of the Library Committee) and Mr. P. J. Thomas, the architect who designed the building. - He was presented with a leather bound copy of  Mr Bradley's book on the Marches and Borderlands of Wales as a souvenir.

Later a gathering was held at the lecture room, here Mr. Davies delivered an address expressing his confidence in the Free Libraries Act along with its history.  He talked about Mr. Carnegie's contribution had attached the condition that a site of free rates should be obtained, this was fulfilled by the Earl of Dunraven who had generously provided three fourths of the cost of the pre-sent freehold - with the other third being paid for by the subscriptions of the wealthier public. Mr. Randall made a speech, which focused on the advantages of the library to the young people of Bridgend, also expressing his thoughts on how it would help the social life of the community.

Mr. H.J. Randall (hon. sec. of the library) proposed a vote of thanks to the donors: Mr. Andrew Carnegie, the Earl of Dunraven and to the subscribers.  He also added that through his connection to Mr. W. Brace MP he had secured a number of historical books which would be valuable to students in the district.

Mr. J. Ballinger, the Chief Librarian of the City of Cardiff, is said to have made an interesting speech about the uses of the Free Library, he pointed out how it would be a valuable aid to education in the area.

The building was designed by Mr. P. J. Thomas with the contractors being Messrs. Price and Morgan.

Bridgend Free Library, 1908.


Sources: Cardiff Times - 1907

The Original Maid of Sker



This story first appeared written in Welsh with the title ‘Y Ferch o’r Scer’ and, as is usual with Welsh stories, its origins are obscure. The earliest reference to a love-lorn maid appears in 1806 in a translation by the historian William Davies of Neath of the words of a Welsh air composed by a Harper. There is doubt as to who this Harper was but it seems likely that he was Thomas Evans of the parish of Newton-Nottage. Further information about the story was then obtained by Thomas Morgan of Maesteg from an old woman of Maudlam who said she knew the Maid and it is her version that has generally been accepted. There are doubts about the authenticity of the story, however, and Mr. Leslie Evans in his book Sker House valiantly wrestles with the problem. His researches uncovered two descendants of the so-called Maid who hotly averred that the heroine had been happily married, It is a pity to spoil a good story, however, and this is the original account of Y Ferch o’r Sker.

 Isaac Williams of Sker had tow daughters, Mary and Elizabeth. Elizabeth (the  Maid) was tall, beautiful and loved dancing. She used to wait impatiently for the Gwyl Mabsant to come round, the annual festival to commemorate the local saint (Saint  Mary Magdalene, hence the name Maudlam). The celebrations took  place in the Town Hall of Kenfig (today the Prince of Wales Inn) when the harpist would  appear and play throughout the night. Everyone attended, even the old women who now preferred knitting, but the youngsters thought it despicable if they failed to dance continually until the dawn.

 One fateful year the harpist was Thomas Evans of Newton-Nottage, who was always in great demand. The sight of the tall attractive girl must have quickened his pulse and his music, for he fell in love immediately; and to his joy he saw that Elizabeth was not averse to his approaches. They made the most of the evening together and by dawn they were lovers.

 But Isaac Williams, when he heard if the associations, was furious, after all he  was a gentleman farmer and Thomas Evans was a mere carpenter, however good his music. Undeterred the harpist hired a carriage and pair, and stealthily approached Sker House at night, hoping for an elopement. Unfortunately the dogs heard him and quickly the old house was alight as candles and lamps were  lit. Poor Thomas though it best to retreat. The father locked the Maid in her room and she was not allowed to leave the house for a long period of time. But she still pined for her lover so Isaac Williams forced her to marry Mr. Kirkhouse of Neath.

 As with most forced marriages Elizabeth never forgot the man she had favoured and so there was constant friction between her and her husband. She sought out  the harper whenever he was in the region and once Mr. Kirkhouse caught them together. The story has an unhappy ending, for within nine years of the marriage  the Maid was dead; dying, presumably of a broken heart. She was buried at Llansamlet on January 6th 1776. The tombstone that marked her grave has disappeared and lies buried in an unknown part of the churchyard. Thomas Evans, however was made of sterner stuff, for although he, too pined for his lover for the rest of his life, he eventually married in his fiftieth year and had several children. His end came much later in  1819, when, playing at a ball in Nottage Court, he collapsed and died a few weeks afterwards. He is buried at Newton churchyard.

How much of this story is true and how much is fiction we do not know.

The story of Y Ferch o’r Sker has a remarkable resemblance to that other tear-jerking legend, The Maid of Cefn Ydfa. In this story another lowly born bard, Wil Hopcyn, was prevented from marrying Ann Thomas, the daughter of a well-to-to farmer at Llangynwyd. Poor Ann like Elizabeth Williams, was forced to marry another man and died of a broken  heart in her lover’s arms. Wil Hopcyn, not being as robust as Thomas Evans, also pined away, meeting his death later when he fell off a ladder whilst carrying out his trade as a thatcher. It would be fair to end in saying that such stories, whether there was an element of truth in them or not, were repeated, in various forms, throughout the Principality. They were the stock plot of the nineteenth century.


The Legends of Porthcawl and the Glamorgan Coast
Author:  Alun Morgan 
Illustration: Margaret Wooding 

Facts about Bridgend: Did you know?

Dunraven Place



























A few facts that I have recently discovered about our town! 

Bridgend's first police station in 1835/36 was a house in Nolton Street with one or two cells.

Patients at Angelton Asylum wore boots with locks on to prevent them from losing their footwear.

Newbridge Fields were built with a large grant from the National Fitness Council. - The arrival of the Gorsedd Stones was delayed until 1948 due to the outbreak of World War Two.

The current boards garage was originally a coach house of a large house. The house was known as Price the Tanyards House. The tannery itself was on the site which is now the Rhiw Multi Story Car Park.

Bridgend Railway opened on the 22nd of October, 1830.

The Court House was designed by John Pritchard - The construction of the building began in 1874 but was not completed until 1878.

Derwen Road was originally called Oak and Ash Lane but was renamed Derwen Road in 1919.

A large area of Caroline Street was rebuilt in 1973 after the demolition of the market.

There was a books shop in Bridgend Railway Station as early as 1870.

The Davies Building were built on the corner of Caroline Street in 1892 - they were built by confectioner George E Davies. He owned a sweet shop adjoining the side, this was known as Davies' Rock Shop.

The Toll Gates on Derwen Road were removed in 1887 by The Glamorgan Highways Board.

Market Street was originally a track called Heol y Cawl, which led from Dunraven Place across to the Workhouse.

The Wyndham Arms was formally for premises: A House - A Pub - A Shop - and The Wyndham Arms.
At one time part of the building was used as a court house and jail.

The first library in Public Library in Bridgend was situated in the Town Hall (1901).

Dunraven Place was originally called The Square. - It is thought to be the site of  Bridgend's first open air market.

After the Black Death hit Glamorgan in 1349, much of the land remained unoccupied; therefore, landlords were only able to collect small sums of rent.

St. John's Cottage (Bridge Cottage) was built in 1480 - demolished in 1966.

The Old Stone Bridge is made of Quarella Stone.

Parc Gwyllt & Angelton : In 1898 there were 1,504 patients between the two asylums, 60 of whom were from London and 478 from Cardiff. The hospitals were still so oversubscribed that there were reports of beds being placed in lavatories.

The usual working hours were 6am one day until 8pm the next day.

Caroline Street

(sources: Dr. Randall - Natalie Murphy - welshnewspapersonline - LLGC - Emma Hill)
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