School House
near Penyralltwen Farm, Alltwen

Based on information contributed by Mrs.W. J. Chart, present occupier of one of the houses which are still known locally as Tai'r Ysgol. The kind assistance of West Glamorgan Archives Service is acknowledged.

This school was operational in the period from 1839 to probably c1873, and was in effect Cilybebyll Parish School.
The schoolmasters in turn were Mr George Bird and Mr David Davies.
The book extracts, Gwyn Estate papers, and census entries together illustrate some of the history of the school.

• Book references
• Census entries
• Map
• Gwyn Estate Papers
• Photographs

Book references

 

Around Pontardawe.  Compiled by the Pontardawe Historians 1996 Has a reference to the fact that there was a school opened at Penyralltwen in 1839 Around Pontardawe, the Second Selection, Compiled by the Pontardawe Historians 1999. Has a reference to Rhos School opened in 1908 with the comment "the school lay historically on Pen-yr-Alltwen farmland". The first headmaster was Henry Jones. There is a photograph of the school buildings.

History of Pontardawe and District By John Henry Davies 1967 EDUCATION AT CILYBEBYLL In 1746-1747, the Welsh Circulating Charity Schools, organized by the Rev. Griffith Jones, Llanddowror, came to Cwm-mainllwyd, Cil­ybebyll, where twenty-six scholars were registered. This school was held for about four months, during which the students were taught the Church Catechism and how to spell and read Welsh. The Circulating Schools whetted the appetite of the people for education and prepared the way for permanent schools. About 1819,  the people subscribed to build a school at Plas-y-waun, where Henry Lloyd took charge. In 1839, he left to take up Cae'r Doc School, Pontardawe. Plas-y-waun school-room was converted into a dwelling house. Howell Gwyn, Esq., built another school in 1839, and Mr. George Gowing Charles Bird was its first schoolmaster. Eight years later, William Morris, assistant inspector, wrote : Parish of Kilypebyll.--- I visited this parish on 25th February, 1847, It contains Ynisgeinon, Waun-y-coed and Primrose Collieries. I found a parochial day-school-room with a master's house attached, situated in the centre of the parish, about a mile from the church. On the school-house,which is built of stone and slated, is a tablet inscribed: "The mistress appeared to conduct her part of the school efficiently. I could not, after a most diligent enquiry, hear of any other day schools " In 1839, Mr. Bird, who later moved to Cae'r Doc, Pontardawe, presided over this school, and David Davies (Dafydd Dafis) followed him at Cilybebyll. Davies, a Welshman, prohibited the children to speak Welsh, their mother tongue. A boy who attended this school later wrote about Dafydd Dafis : he was a droll old man, with his bell and stick giving the pupils "Welcome Home" when late returning from play-time or dinner-time. Another method of punishment he adopted was to make the boys stand on one leg on the desk, like a row of cockerels, with their hands up holding slates on which their faults were written for all the others to see. A couplet was often sung by the children ' Davies y Rhos, a'i gaib a'i gos, Yn clatcho plant Ysgol y Rhos.' He taught children up to the third standard and then appealed to the parents to take them out of school. Children had to chop firewood, dig the garden and collect manure along the road. The people of Cilybebyll wasted no time in putting the Elementary Education Act (Forster's Act) of 1870 into operation. The School Board held its first meeting at the Reading Rooms, Alltwen, in the parish of Cilybebyll on June 8, 1871. On August 29 1871, 352 pupils attended, 89 between the ages of three and five years and 263 between five and thirteen years of age. (Were they at Penyralltwen ?) In 1873 the Board built a new school at Gellinudd, to hold 400 pupils........................in 1903 another to accommodate 600 children ......in 1883/4 opened an infant's school at Graig to accommodate 200 children ...... in 1908 Glamorgan Education Authority opened a new school at Rhos to hold 216 pupils.......... PS. About 1889, when Herbert Lloyd Esq, Y Plas, Cilybebyll ....... came along the road, he and his family expected all children to show respect , boys to salute and girls to curtsey to them ................

The History of Pontardawe By John E Morgan 1911 ............. Later, Howell Gwyn,Esq., of Dyffryn, built another school at the bottom of the hillside coming down from Alltwen to Rhos, Cilybebyll. In l839, Mr Bird was the schoolmaster there, and he also went to Pontardawe. After Bird came David Davies, a full red blooded Welshman, but it was English that was taught in the school (Teaching Welsh to the Welsh was a crime). He was a comical man, and is well remembered for his bell and little stick giving us a 'welcome home' on our late return from our wanderings during playtime and dinner time. Another thing that Davies did was to set offenders --- and there were many at times --- to stand on one leg on a stool, like rows of cockrels, with their hands up holding a slate with their faults written on them, to the shouts of the other Pupils. I remember two undying lines composed by some chick of a bard at that time, which we used to sing, and if, it is of benefit to anyone, here they are:- ' Davies y Rhos,a'i gaib a'i gos, Yn clatcho plant ysgol y Rhos.' This school was a combination of "elementary school" and "training school". They were taught up to third standard, then the parents were asked to take their children from the school. If they went further, their education would be higher than the schoolmaster. The children were taught to be useful by teaching them to cut firewood, dig the garden, gather manure for the garden along the roads, so that when they left school they were also ready for work.

Census Entries

 

1841	CILYBEBILL SCHOOL HSE BIRD GEORGE GOWINGS CHAS 35 PAROCHIAL SCHOOLMASTER BIRD MARY ANNE 45 SCHOOL MISTRESS
1851	ALLTWEN UCHAF SC/HOUSE DAVIES DAVID HD M 41 SCHOOLMASTER CMN LLANDOVERY DAVIES GEORGINA WI M 45 - IRL CORK DAVIES MARY ANN DA U 13 - BRE DEFYNNOG DAVIES SARAH DA U 11 - GLA ST.BRIDES MAJOR DAVIES MARGARET DA U 8 - GLA ST.BRIDES MAJOR DAVIES ELIZABETH DA U 6 - GLA CILYBEBYLL
1861	CILYBEBYLL SCHOOL HSE. DAVIES DAVID HD M 51 TEACHER CMN LLANDOVERY DAVIES GEORGEANA MARGARET WI M 54 TEACHER IRL CORK DAVIES MARGARET DA U 18 DRESSMAKER GLA ST.BRIDE'S MAJOR DAVIES ELIZABETH DA U 16 TEACHER
1871	KILLYBEBILL HOUSE SCHOOL (NEXT TO RHOS COT) DAVIES, DAVID, 61, SCHOOLMASTER, (LLANDOVERY, CARMS) DAVIES, GEORGIANA, WIFE, 66, SCHOOLMISTRESS WIFE, (IRELAND,CORK) DAVIES, ELIZABETH, DAU, 26, ASSISTANT, (KILLYBEBILL, GLAMORGAN)
1881	No sign of Mr & Mrs Davies, and the school houses are not identifiable on the census index

Map

This map dated c 1884 shows the school, by now disused.
The road alongside the school is the road from Alltwen to Neath. The sharp corner near the school (shown as field ref. 784) is now the junction of Penyralltwen Road and New Road, the latter had not been built at this time.

For a larger 1884 map see the old-maps site and search on the address Penyralltwen, also a modern and aerial view available there.

Gwyn Estate Papers

These details below are taken from a schedule of the Gwyn Estate Papers held at West Glamorgan Archives.

Since the school was started in 1839 on this site, see above, then it is assumed that the previous land use was dealt with either informally or by a previous formal document.

Gwyn Estate papers

Deeds of Properties in Cilybebyll parish

56. Conveyance for 10s dated 1846 [day and month left blank]

Howel Gwyn of Baglan House esq., to the Revd. William Thomas of
Cilybebyll, clerk, Rees John Gibbs of Alltwen Genol and Richard Smith of
Wigfa, yeoman (the vicar and churchwardens of Cilybebyll parish)

School house, buildings and garden on part of Penyralltwen Farm, for a
school for the children of the parish.

[1 parchment]

Photographs

Three photographs taken by Roy Davies, February 2004

1.The current houses which are the original house and school were modernised around 1952. A further building which was between and adjoining the two houses was demolished in the early 1980's due to it's poor condition.
Mrs Chart is unable to say which of the buildings was used as a school and which was the schoolmaster's house.
When the middle building was demolished in the early 1980's old inkwells and other bits and pieces were found during excavation.

2.There is a mark on the front of the right hand house, and there was one on the left hand house also before modernisation.

3.At the rear of the house on the left is an old building which has a fireplace and a small window. This is probably an original building which measures about 10 ft. by 8ft. but it's usage is not known.

Gareth Hicks © Copyright notice