Rhiwbina Living

the tithe
Is the Rhiwbina we know now very different to the one that existed
200 years ago? Nigel Lewis goes back in time to find out
By Nigel Lewis
Midsummer Day was on the 24th
June this year, and it started me
thinking about midsummers in
Rhiwbina in earlier times.
In 1801, the population of the
whole parish was less than 700
and the population of Rhiwbina (or
Rhyd-y-Walla as it was called then)
would have been no more than
70-100 folk. They would have been
living in one of the five or six local
farms or the scattered cottages
nearby; hardly big enough to call
itself a hamlet!
There was a mill, probably a forge,
and perhaps a beerhouse. No
churches or chapels back then.
So, what would Rhiwbina have
looked like? There would have been
footpaths, rough stone tracks for
farm wagons and lots of open fields
with hedgerows. There would have
been many trees too, with areas of
ancient woodland, and of course
20
the stream Nant-Waedlyd running
through.
There was a road (of sorts) further
east running up to Thornhill, and
linking with Cardiff to the south.
Then there was the ancient route
through Whitchurch to Llandaff
via a ford across the River Taff. The
whole of the area was self-sufficient
and there was hardly any reason
to travel. Rhiwbina back then had
hardly changed since medieval
times.
Midsummer in such a rural area
was as close to a hive of activity
as could be imagined. Dawn, well
before 6 o’clock, and not getting
dark until 10, this was a busy time
for the whole hamlet. Everyone
turned out, from the youngest
to the eldest. Everyone had their
particular role.
Nowadays, if we have time and
a garden, we might grow some
flowers and a few tomatoes. Two
hundred years ago, every cottage
would have to grow sufficient
vegetables to sustain the family
for the whole year. Back then, not
only was everyone incredibly busy
in the fields, but there was also the
cottage garden to tend to.
The local farms varied in size from
just a few fields to twelve or more
for the larger ones. All the work
was labour-intensive and even the
smallest farm could probably share
plough horses and have at least
one cow for milking. The larger
farms might stretch to a few horses.
Even in the cottages, there would
be ducks, and hens for eggs, bees
for honey, and pigs! The parish was
famous for its pigs. There would be
lots of farm dogs and cats (the cats
for mousing and ratting!).
In midsummer, the hedgerows
would be full of wildflowers, but
the ‘countryside smells’ would have
been pungent!
So, who were the farmers, their
wives and farm workers? There
were no proper records before the
middle of the century (apart from
Sketch: Nigel Lewis