The History of Aberaeron

Aberaeron does not appear on the earliest maps, although it has several references in 'The itinerary in Wales' of John Leland from 1536 -1539 . in 1566 records show "there was a small creek or landing place at Aberaeron". Shown below is Speed's map of Cardiganshire published in 1676. The location of Aberaeron is circled in red. The Admiralty Chart of 1740 did not record any landing place between the ports of New Quay and Aberarth. Aberaeron was thought to be of less importance than nearby Aberarth, which throughout the middle ages, was a point of supply for the Cistercian Abbey of Strata Florida twenty miles to the east. Aberaeron is seen however on the William Morris chart of 1801. The name 'Aberaeron' appears on a road chart, drawn by John Owen and Emanuel Bowen in 1720, showing the route between Cardigan and Talybont (Cardiganshire. It is recorded on this chart as 'Aberaeron Bridge' 
 

Speed's Map 1676	Morris' Chart of  1801

The Morris chart shows a a number of historical features, most notably Castell Cadwgan. Samuel Lewis describes it in 1833 as: "On the sea-shore, near the town, there is a small circular encampment, designated Castell Cadwgan, and supposed to have been constructed by Cadwgan ab Bleddyn, about the year 1148". The Ordnance Survey first 25" edition (1862-1872) shows only a 60 m part section of the fortification, the rest having already been lost to coastal erosion at the time. Today, there are no remains to be seen.

There are also lime kilns shown on both sides of the river mouth. Today only those on the south side of the river remain as grassy humps.

n the eighteenth century, Aberaeron was little more than a cluster of houses around the (upper) bridge over the Aeron. Transport links were poor, the harbour was small and difficult to navigate and the roads were undeveloped.

The Cardiganshire turnpikes were created as part of a general South Wales Act in 1770 linking Cardigan with Aberystwyth. A turnpike from Lampeter to Aberayron was built after 1791 to give easier access from the Teifi Valley. Now Aberaeron was at the junction of two turnpikes.
 

Monachty (Mynachty) in about 1872	Ty-Glyn, Vale of Aeron in about 1872

Aberaeron came about as the result of the good fortune of Alban Thomas-Jones, firstly by marriage and secondly by inheritance.

In 1797, the Rev Alban Thomas-Jones, formerly a country rector in Hampshire returned to Wales to marry his cousin, Susannah Jones of Tyglyn. Seven years later, in 1805, the Mynachty estate was left to Thomas-Jones by his cousin. He  and his wife moved into Mynachty, where, as the new Lord of the Manor of Aberaeron he took the name Thomas-Jones Gwynne.

Realising the potential for Aberaeron, now being at an important turnpike intersection,  the Rev Alban Thomas-Jones Gwynne in 1807 obtained a private Act of Parliament to rebuild the harbour at Aberaeron. A section of this bill stated that Alban Thomas Gwynne, "Clerk, Lord of Llyswen otherwise Aberayron, is willing and desirous, at his own expense, to rebuild, enlarge, improve and maintain the said Quay or Pier, and also improve the said harbour" (J.Geraint Jenkins).

The building of the new piers and removal of shingle banks began in 1808 supervised by William Green from Aberystwyth and Edward Ellis of Chancery at a cost of about £6000. The piers were completed by 1809 and the inner harbour was excavated after 1811.The harbour was fully completed in 1816.

The architect William Haycock was employed by Colonel Alban Gwynne, son of the Rev Alban Thomas Jones Gwynne to design the layout of the town around Alban Square.

 

The Rebecca riots: In the early 19th century many toll-gates on the roads in Wales  - including those passing through Aberaeron, were operated by trusts which were supposed to maintain and even improve the roads, funding this from tolls. However, many trusts charged extortionate tolls and diverted the money raised to other uses. Even where this was not the case, the toll-gate laws imposed an additional financial burden on poor farming communities and people decided that enough was enough. The Rebecca Riots - from the Illustrated London News 1843

They took the law into their own hands and gangs were formed to destroy the toll-gates. These gangs became known as Merched Beca (Welsh for Rebecca's Daughters) or merely the Rebeccas.

Henry Tobit Evans described in 1910 what happened in Aberayron: 'The same day (August 3rd 1843)  Rebecca visited Aberayron, with about a hundred of her followers, and destroyed two gates ; five only of the Rebeccaites were on horseback. They made the toll-keepers begin the work of destruction, and in a short
time the gates, posts, and boards on the walls were smashed to atoms.'
 

The Railway - The station was officially opened on May 12th, 1911.  As a result seagoing passenger trade declined very quickly. In 1951 the railway was closed for passengers and carried freight trains only until it closed in 1965. Click here for more photos of the station
 

Aberayron Station in about 1920	Aberayron Station in 1967 (Photo by Nick Catford)

The chalybeate spring in Aberaeron was discovered in 1872 when it was known as Ffynnon Goch (red well). The water was presumably red from the presence of iron salts. The shelter was built in 1881. A 1911 travel book 'The South Wales Coast from Chepstow to Aberystwyth' quotes Dr Burghardt of Manchester on the Chalybeate Spring in Aberaeron as being one of the best in the kingdom. 
 

To be continued