Gilwern, Monmouthshire

This group was originally set up to help each other with their own personal family history research but over the years it has evolved to include research into the wider social history of Gilwern and the surrounding area.

However, if you are interested in researching your own family tree and would like some help then our members are more than happy to help you get started.

We are now working on these two projects:

1. Oral Histories

We have been interviewing residents of Gilwern and Clydach who have lived here for many years and can talk about their experience of living in this area in the past. We are very grateful to the participants for agreeing to be interviewed and would welcome hearing from anyone else who may be interested. We are particularly looking for participants from the Llanelly Hill area. The completed project will provide a fascinating insight into how this area has changed, and it will provide a valuable resource for family and social historians now and in the future.

If you, or anyone you know might be interested in being interviewed, please get in touch with us.

2. Living Stones

Our second project involves photographing and researching the older graves at St Elli Churchyard. Why not join us as we unravel the forgotten history of this area and help us reveal the stories of the past.

For progress of our work please keep track of our latest posts and monthly updates below.

Latest Posts from the Group

• September Headstone - Meredith-Daniel Family
  The Meredith-Daniel family, another story of hardship and resilience.
• August Headstone - Joshua, Martha & Mary Ann Vaughan
  Their story serves as a poignant reminder of the harsh realities faced byfamilies in 19th century industrial Wales and the progress we've made in public health andchild welfare over the past century.
• July Headstone - Lewis & Martha Probert
  From humble beginnings as a 10-year-old ironstone miner (born in Myrtle Cottage, Gilwern) to Principal of Bala-Bangor Congregational College.
• June Headstone - Elizabeth, William, John & Mary Walbeoff
  The 1841 Census shows John, age 60, living with his eight children at Dan-y-lan, Llanelly Parish and the 1851 Census shows John, age 70, still working as a labourer and now living at Harewell Rock, Llanelly Parish with his two sons Lewis and Frederick and daughter Christina. Can anyone identify the location of these two… Read more: June Headstone - Elizabeth, William, John & Mary Walbeoff
• May Headstone - Major T L Lawrence, Dr Evan Parry, Louisa and Anna Pyne
  Major Lawrence, a retired Major/farmer lived at Duffryn Mawr, Lower Common, Gilwern (now a wedding venue) and Dr Evan Parry a GP/Surgeon lived at Ivy Towers and Pen y Dre, Crickhowell. Dr Parry's wife Louisa and his sister Anna are also interred here. Two families linked by marriage.

Our first project (now completed):

WW1 Llanelly Parish REMEMBERS

To commemorate the centenary of the end of WW1 and to express the debt of gratitude we owe the servicemen from this area, Gilwern u3a Family & Social History group spearheaded the preparation of the biographies of all those servicemen who fought in WW1. It followed on from work that originally identified the servicemen from the area who had died but it now includes those that fought and survived. A successful exhibition of the biographies was held in the village in 2018 and following positive feedback it was decided that it should be printed in hardback book format to be kept in remembrance of those now gone.

Many of the biographies are very poignant, with families suffering great loss and some having more than one family member going away to fight. There are 33 biographies for servicemen killed in action and 115 for servicemen who survived the fighting. Six servicemen were awarded the Military Medal and these have also be highlighted in the book. We have not been able to uncover sufficient information on a further 25 biographies. Half of the WW1 military records have been destroyed and so it may never be possible to give complete them all. However, we will continue to research these servicemen and hopefully, following the publication of this book members of the public may be able to come forward with further information.

The book was paid for by a generous grant from Llanelly Community Council and it was distributed to the main religious and civil institutions locally including Gilwern Library, Gilwern Primary School, churches, chapels and other locations where they may be inspected. 

WW1 Exhibition in Gilwern Village Hall

Gilwern in bygone days