How Gorseinon Got It’s Name.
In the year 991, there were two Princes – the Prince of South Wales, Prince Ithol and the Prince of Glamorgan, Prince Meredith. They fought a bloody battle on Garngoch Common and the Prince of South Wales, who was a brutal man, was defeated. Amongst those who took up arms against the Prince of South Wales was a man called Hywell, Einon meaning “leader”.
After the battle Einon Hywell camped his men on the Gorse, near Penllergaer. The name of Gorseynon was then created, later changed to Gorseinon.
How Gorseinon Developed.
Religious Development
In 1840 the population of Gorseinon was barely 250 people. There were only two churches in the area. One was the “Church on the Marsh” (Left), also known as Loughor and Llandeilo (Talybont) – this has now been restored and rebuilt at St. Fagan’s Folk Museum. The other church was – Brynteg Chapel, the only Non-conformist chapel for miles. This was built in 1815 and can still be seen today. The first church to be built in Gorseinon was Holy Trinity Church (Right).This was built in 1882 – just opposite where Somerfield stands today. It was the first church in Wales to be lit by electricity. Seion Baptist Church was opened in 1886. It was built on the banks of a river at the bottom of Gorseinon, but by 1902 a new Seion was built in High Street. The old Seion was taken over by the English Methodists – but this eventually became the Moose Hall. Bethel English Congregational Church (Evangelical) celebrated it’s centenary on Saturday and Sunday 9th and 10th July 1894 –1994. Holy Trinity Church was extended in 1884. The English Congregationalist built a Church in Masons Road, now known as West street- Bethel Chapel. Then progress seemed to stop for a few years.
Ebenezer, the Welsh Congregational Chapel (Left) opened in 1887, but by 1909 a new chapel was built near Seion Capel.
St. Catherine’s Church was built in 1913 and the Salvation Army in 1910. The Roman Catholic Church was built at Pontardulais Road in 1932 but a new Church (Right) was built on Alexandra Road in the 1960’s.
The architect of the Catholic Church was Robert Robinson a local Gower man.
Agricultural & Industrial Development
Gors Eynon first appeared on an ordinance survey map in 1813, but in 1830 it was known as Gorseinon on the maps.
The monks of Neath Abbey paid many visits to this locality, and evidence of this were several mills built on the banks of our rivers.
Cadle Mill, on the Lliw, Pontlliw, Melyn Mynach and and Loughor Mill.
There was one weaving Mill and two flour mill on the river. These were worked by the monks to provide food and clothing for the Abbey, wool being brought here from Gower sheeplands.
By the end of the Thirteenth Century the monks at Melyn Mynach owned vast acreage devoted to sheep farming. They produced high quality wool at Cwrt Y Carnau, which was traded in Flanders and Italy.
With the arrival of the black death and bubonic plague in the fourteenth century, labour became scarce and the monks were forced to sell or rent to the local farmers. Eventually, during Henry VIII’s reign, the few monks that were left were pensioned off, as their land passed into crown hands.
Mr. John Pryce, a legal gentleman, who was originally from the area but had moved to London, returned to raise a family at Cwrt Y Carne. In 1575 he purchased the Manor and land, and also the Mill at Melyn Mynach. The whole estate totalled over 130 acres. Pryce tried to squeeze every penny out of his tenant farmers and many disputes followed. The Pryce family prospered and by the early eighteenth Century, the name had changed to Price.
The last owner of the Melyn Mynach was the husband of a Price family member. He was called Nathaniel Cameron – Mayor of Swansea. He also owned the Mountain Colliery but sold the Mill after getting into financial difficulties to Mr. William Lewis, the founder of Gorseinon.
There were few industries but coal was plentiful. A drift was opened in 1846 and became known as “The Mountain Coal”. This coal was transported on a narrow gauge railway line to Loughor, where it was loaded onto barges and sent to Llanelli for transportation all around the world. The drift mine continued to be worked until 1900, when a shaft was sunk.
In 1860 the L.N.W.R. wanted to extend the line from Pontarddulais to Swansea. William Lewis, a young industrialist sold them the land and a station was erected in 1870 – this became known as Gorseinon Station.
The Mountain Colliery laid a siding from the Colliery to the Station and coal was redirected to Swansea Docks.
The first day-school was opened in 1880 at Penyrheol. The Headmaster, Mr. Jones afterwards transferred to Gorseinon. As Gorseinon’s industries grew so did its housing and streets, with the development of Mill Street, Gorseinon Terrace, Eynon Street and High Street.
In 1886 the Grovesend Tin Works was built and the Lewis Family built many houses around the area to house the workers. The Grovesend Steelworks opened in 1890, but in 1891 all Tinplate Workers in South Wales were involved in a seven month strike and times were very hard for the workers.
Gorseinon had two Public Houses, the Gorseinon Hotel (Bottom Hotel) and the Station Hotel (the Gyp). It was said that the Bottom Hotel was for miners and the Gyp was for Tinplate workers and it was a mortal sin to encroach on another man’s territory. Then in 1892 the West End Hotel was built and the Mardy in 1901 bring the number of Public Houses to four.
Gorseinon Institute was opened in 1904 and in 1908 the Bryngwyn Sheetworks was opened.
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