Garw Farms

Prior to the main development of the valley, around the late 1860s, the majority of the population were involved in farming. To date there does not appear to be an overall, and detailed, record of the farms and their inhabitants. An attempt to illustrate the farming fraternity over the years since mining came to the Garw has shown what a wide group of agricultural sites there were. Further research into the social threads of people shows how families moved around; how sons and daughters went to work in other farms, and how farming families offered lodging to miners. Some of the numbers inhabiting specific places must have stetched the facilities and the overall quality of living standards may have left much to be desired when viewed from a 21st century perspective.

Some names have altered over time, some have longer histories than others. People details are sourced from examination of individual Census pages as well as the georeferencing maps. Not all farms have been specifically georeferenced to date, and the positions of some will rely upon local knowledge or other sources.

This is a list derived from Census records and Parish listings. How the farm names are derived is not always clear. Some names have altered over time, some farms have disappeared. The qualities of the writing offered by Census Enumerators leaves much to be desired, so spelling errors abound. Occasionally, a person who wrote their occupation as 'Farmer' did not always live on a farm, further complicating the process.

All the farms shown lie within the designated Parish boundaries of Llangeinor and Bettws as depicted upon the OS maps at the times of the census involved. Transcribers of Parish records show an incredible lack of appreciation of Welsh names.

After the 1881 Census, it is apparent that sizes of land holdings were no longer recorded, though some do appear in the Parish records.