Miskin

 ( Villages In Rhondda Cynon Taf ) 

The name change from New Mill to Miskin was brought about by Judge Gwilym Williams, and was taken from the medieval commote of Miskin.

By the 1870s several ironstone mines are evident to the north of the village, and the village's population continued to grow, as skilled miners rather than heavy labourers were needed to extract the ore. The 1871 census records the village's population as 144, with more than half of the miners being immigrants from the depressed copper mining county of Cornwall.

Just off Hensol Road, outside Miskin and between Caergwanafuchaf and Ceulan farms, lie the remains of a Roman auxiliary fort.

The fort was constructed and occupied during the early Flavian period, as part of the Roman military consolidation of South Wales. It would have housed between 500 and 1,000 soldiers, depending on whether the garrison comprised an infantry unit, a part-mounted infantry unit, or, more rarely, a cavalry unit.

The defences consisted of an earthen rampart (vallum), typically faced on both the inner and outer sides with turf and timber. Beyond the rampart were at least two defensive ditches. In its earliest phase, the fort would have featured a timber breastwork and wall-walk atop the rampart, with timber gateways and towers positioned around the circuit.

Within the fort were a range of standard military buildings, including the central headquarters building (principia), the commanding officer’s residence (praetorium), granaries, barrack blocks, stables, workshops and storehouses.

The site is of national importance due to its potential to enhance understanding of the early Roman military presence in Wales, particularly in Glamorgan, where such evidence is limited. Its significance is further increased by its apparent association with large-scale ironworking, which probably began during the fort’s occupation and continued into the late third and early fourth centuries AD. Evidence of close links between Roman military activity and industrial production is rare in Wales.

Approximately 300 metres to the west, near Ty Isaf Farm, is a small “practice fort” measuring around 25 metres square. A further possible practice fort lies about 175 metres to the north of this feature. Source Pontyclun website

Funds for the building of the church were raised by public donations and events, notably the Grand Fete at Miskin Manor which raised over £1,000, with the majority of the funds coming from Emma Eleanor Williams, Gwilym Williams' widow.

St David's Church was designed by local architect E. M. Bruce Vaughan and has been described as 'earnestly handsome'. The church has an over-buttressed square tower, and is faced with green Quarella stone outside and in. Of note are three stained glass windows by Jessie Bayes, to members of the Williams family.