Cylchgronau Cymru

Chwiliwch trwy dros 450 o deitlau a 1.2 miliwn o dudalennau

Native Settlements in the Banwy Valley W. T. REES PRYCE, B.Sc., Dip.Ed. The scope of this paper is concerned with the distribution of non-nucleated settlement which has resulted from the indigenous population, rather than from an intrusive element-the so-called "scattered habitat" of the human geographer. Thus we are not concerned in any detail with the distribution patterns of the houses of the gentry*, of which there are ten in the Banwy Valley, with only three remaining at the present time. Two of these houses are of very recent origin (post 1900). The study also omits other houses which might be considered intrusive, for example the Turn Pike houses, and other recent habitations, including those to be found in the village. The area might be considered as typical for the western Borderland, including as it does a tract of land extending from the Welsh Heartlandr to the fringes of the true borderland where Anglicized elements are an important facet of the cul- tural landscape. The Banwy Valley thus is primarily an area of traditional native settlement, with minor intrusions of what may be considered as an alien settlement pattern. SOURCE MATERIAL 1. Schedule and Maps of the Enclosure Awards, c. 1812; 2. Schedule and Maps of the Tithe Survey, c. 1842; 3. Ordnance Survey Maps: 21 inches and 1 inch to the mile; 4. Field Observation, 1959. Of the farms in the region (which are considered as native settlement) the follow- ing elements are distinguishable (a) Native farms and houses which can be explained as a manifestation of the Welsh Laws; (b) Native farms (including the crofts of encroachers) resulting from "Ty-un-nos" and "Caban-un-nos" traditions. The Editor hopes that it will eventually be possible to publish a general study of the distribution of gentlemen's houses in the County as a whole. (1) Bowen, E. G. (Editor) Wales: A Physical, Historical, and Regional Geography, London, 1959.