GLAMORGANSHIRE. 



•ppfarance of Merionetliftiire, by their extreme abmptncfs, 

 which imparts an air of wildnefs to the country, and of ele- 

 vation exceeding the reality to them. They differ, however, 

 in one material refpeft, that they exhibit greater traces of 

 cultivation and occupancy. Glamorganlhire lies under the 

 imputation of want of wood ; but tkis is only true of its 

 level and moll cultivated parts. The obfervation docs not 

 apply either to its eallern or weftern extremities. Thofe 

 who know the banks of the Taff, the two Ronthas, and the 

 Cunno, die wilds of Abudarr, and Yftradyvodwg, have 

 feen fuch woods and groves as are rarely to be found. The 

 magnificently clothed hills of Margam, Bagland, Briton- 

 ferry, and the vale of Neath, unite the beauties of cultiva- 

 tion with the unfelled luxuriance of foreft fcenery. Gla- 

 morganlhire produces with fufficient liberality oak, afh, 

 beech, and all tlie common forell -trees, except elm, which 

 is obferved not to be indigenous. On the north and nortli- 

 €aft ftdes this county is very mountainous ; and in fome 

 parts prefents rugged rocks, and in others a foil covered 

 with plenty of fine wood, and concealing rich mines of coal 

 and iron. A tract of land can fcarccly any where be found 

 more inviting to fcientiiic cultivaticm than the vale of Gla- 

 morgan, between the mountains and the fea ; and yet it is 

 ■obferved that the agriculture of this county does not keep 

 pace with the fertility of the foil. In addition to natural 

 fruitfulnefs, they have lime every where at command for 

 manure ; and this facility affords a llrong temptation to 

 that ail of injuftice which the farmers call " driving the land.'" 

 In Glamorganlliire, good land, lituated near a conliderable 

 town, lets almoll as high as within five miles of London ; 

 but land among the northern hills, fcarcely reclaimed, and 

 from its locality irreclaimable to any very lucrative purpofe, 

 is of courfe low in its rent, and occupied only by tenants, 

 natives of the hills, and unacquainted with the fupcrior ad- 

 vantages and comforts enjoyed by the farmer in the vale. 

 Another circumilance which materially affedls the value of 

 farms, is right of mountain ; where that is attached to a n 

 «ftate, it compenfates in fome degree for diftance from mar- 

 kets or poverty of foil. Thefe conliderations are applicable 

 to other counties as well as Glamorganlliire. But what 

 dillinguillies and enriches this county above all the rell 

 is the profuiion of coal, iron, and lime-done, with which it 

 almoil every where abounds. The earth, indeed, of which 

 it is compofed, taken externally and intarnally, fcems to be 

 full of every thing necelTary to the ufe and convenience of 

 man. Manure, metal, and the means of manufatluring that 

 metal, are all found on the fame fpot ; fo that indullry is ex- 

 erted at the lead poflible expence. and confequently to the 

 greateil poflible advantage. The rivers, and mountain tor- 

 Tents, fo remarkable in this diilrift, afford an ample iupply 

 of water for all the purpofes of life, as well as the means of 

 procuring that artificial and cl'.eap conveyance which is 

 among the moil ingenious improvements of the prelent age. 

 With refpetl to tliat moll extenlive bed of lime-Hone, of 

 which nearly the whole of Glamorganlliire forms only a part, 

 it commences with the eallern extremity of the coimty, and, 

 taking a diredion due well, runs in a Uraight line to Sw;ui. 

 fea bay, appearing again in Gower, and, having palfed under 

 Caermarthcn bay, is frcn to occupy in grent part the louth 

 and well of Pembrokefliire ; it then takes its courle tiu-ough 

 St. George's channel, and is found in Ireland in that exacl 

 bearing which unque'.lionablv marks its continuity. 



The air on the N. fide of the county is fharp, occalioned 

 by the long continuance of the Inow on the hills ; but on 

 the S. lide mild and temperate, occalioned by the fea-breezes. 

 Tliat in the vicinity of Margam is deemed peculiarly falu- 

 brious. 



The antiquity of the cottages is a ftrongly marked fu- 

 ture in the appearance of this county. Many of them are 

 probably as ancient as the callles, to which they were at- 

 'u I ^'■cl"tedure is particularly dcferving of 



tached 



notice. The pointed door-waysr"a"nd'"^o"intt^' 



lulhcien y evince their date, and though Welch towns are 

 univcrlally — '^- i i o . .o 



iUi 

 onr 



rfally cenfured by llrangers, for the inelegance and in 

 Jnience of their houfcs, the dired revcrfe is the fad wiU 

 refped to the habitations of the peafantry. There is one 

 c.rcumllance, beiides their general Hrudure, that of many 

 of which IS the ancient Gothic, which adds to the refpcd- 

 able appearance of the cottages, and that is, tlic univerfal 

 pradice ot lime-whitening them. Tliis has been tiie cullom 

 ot the county from very remote ages, and is extended eve. 

 to the barn, and ftables, to tlie walls of yards and gardens, 

 it IS noticed and praifed in the n.oll ancient Welch poems, 

 and certainly evinces a v.-ry early Rnlibility to the arts and 

 decencies of life. The pnco of pnn ilions in this county hji 

 ot hite very much increal'cd, and is comparatively very high 

 on account of the iucrcafed demands of the manufadurinif 

 dilUids, which are numerous. The price of labour i» 

 equally enhanced from the fame caufe. The increafe ot" 

 population, owing to the influx of commerce, and the mag- 

 nitude of its ellablifliments at Swanfea, Merthyr-Tvdvil, 

 Neath, Aberavon, Melin Gruffydd, near Cardiff, where are 

 the largell tin works in the kingdom, &c. afford another 

 reafon why the cheap comforts and elegancies of life are att 

 longer to be fought for here. 



The drels in Glamorganlliire is not fo (Irongly marked 

 as in iome other counties, except that the women univerfallf 

 adopt the man's hat ; but they wear it with a very good 

 grace, and are remarkably neat in their attire, as well a J 

 comely in their perfons, and graceful in their carriage ; 

 which may probably be attributed to the habit of dancingi 

 which is their favourite amufement Their modes of greet. 

 ing are unuiually affedionate, fonietimes bordering on th* 

 ludicrous, particularly among the women, who arc con. 

 ildiitly feen ialuting each other at market, and on the molV 

 ordinary occalions of bulinefs, as well as on occafions of 

 dillrefs. At a wedding it is the cullom of all who are 

 invited, both men and women, to ride full fpeed to the 

 church porch, and the perlbn who arrives there firll has 

 fome privilege or dilUndion at the marriage fcail. In caf* 

 ot death, the bed on which the corpfe lies i; always (Irewed 

 with flowers, and the fame cullom is obferved after it is laid 

 in the coffin. It is ajj invariable practice, both by day ar() 

 night, to watch a corpfe ; and tlie hofpitality of the country 

 is no lefs remarkable on melancholy than on joyful occafions ^ 

 for the invitations to a funend arc very general and i-xtenlive; 

 and the refrellimer.ts are noT light, and taken llandintr, Iju^ 

 fubllanlial and prolonged. Tlie grave of t!ie deceal'cd i» 

 conlluntly overfpreiifl with plucked flowers for a Wick or 

 two alter the funer.il ; the planting of graves with flower* 

 is confined to the villages, and the poorer people. It if 

 very connnon to drels the graves on \Vhitr.ind.iv, and olLer 

 fellivals, when flowers can be procured. 



The Roman llations, forts, aid tamps, in thi< county, 

 are generally underilood to be at Cardiff, Cta-rpiiilly, ani 

 Caera, which lies between Wenvuc, a large handfome hou'.e 

 built in the callellated form, and the Cardiff road. The 

 great Roman road was over Newton Down, leaving the 

 jirelent road on the right, and pafles through Kenlig to 

 Margam, and as llr^ught as the nature of the country will 

 admit, llirough Aberavon pariih to Neath. Glamorgac- 

 (liire contains one epifcopal town, i-iz. LlandafT, and fevcral 

 others, as C;u-diff, the capital of tlie county, Caerphillv, 

 Llantrifcntj Cowbridge, Bridgend, Neath, Mtrthrr-Tydvil, 



