No brochure would be complete without reference to the religious activities in Nantyglo on Blaina, and of their significance on the lives of the ordinary man and woman. Such reference comes to repudiate the vicious attacks made by the publication of the '' infamous Blue Books '' already mentioned in a previous chapter. Much of the information contained in this chapter comes from the brochures which were issued to celebrate the centuries of the various denominational places of worship, and the best thanks are recorded for permission to have them included in this publication.

Nantyglo Church

Nantyglo Church is quite modern and was largely built as result of the interest displayed by Crawshay Bailey. It came into being as a result of an order in Council. It was built in 1844, and consecrated on 10th August 1854, and dedicated to Holy Trinity. The patronage of the Church was invested in the Crown and the Bishop of Llandaff alternately.

The first incumbent was the Reverend John Griffiths, who afterwards became Archdeacon of Llandaff, he resigned in 1846. He was followed in succession by the Reverend D Morgan, 1846-57, Reverend John Morgan, brother of the Reverend D Morgan, 1857-1893, 1894 - the Reverend George Griffiths (retired), the Reverend Robert Lewis (retired) 19 (?) the Reverend Albert James, 1946-51. (references made it to Reverend John Griffiths and his work at Nantyglo in '' famous Welsh Religious Leaders in the Victorian Era '' by I Morgan, 1900.)

Hermon Baptist Church Nantyglo

Like the established Church the Baptist cause had its roots in the Llanwenarth. The older Baptist Church, which had for many years upheld the Baptist cause in that locality was the Mother Church of Hermon.

The rapid increase in the population consequent upon the opening of the Nantyglo works in 1811, necessitated a place of worship for the adherence of the Baptist faith. The first services were held at Ffosymaen, the home of Benjamin Price, on Sunday afternoons. Mr James Lewis, pastor of Llanwenarth made periodical visits to the home of Benjamin Price, he with his wife having been baptised at Llanwenarth in 1800. Three years later at the great Francis Heyley, one of the stalwarts of the Baptist denomination was a frequent visitor at Ffosymaen, expounding the word of life with burning eloquence. As the population increased so did the converts to the Baptist cause, and were baptised at Llanwenarth. Richard James who had preached at Govilon came into the locality and as a result '' revival '' broke out and the ordnance of baptism was performed at Nantyglo for the first time. These attended Communion service once a month at Llanwenarth until in February 1818, the observance was carried out by monthly at Nantyglo.

The meeting-place, now becoming too small at Ffosymaen, Mr Price granted a lease for 999 years at 2/6 d for the erection of a suitable Church and later gave a gift of land at a nominal rental of £5. 5 s for a graveyard and the erection of six houses, on 17th July, 1820, the first building measuring 37 ft by 23 ft was opened, pastor of Llanwenarth officiating.

In 1830, Hermon ceased to be attached to the Llanwenarth and was received into the Baptist Association. In that year John Edwards, of Trefynnon became its first pastor and two years later at the Monmouthshire Baptist Association was received. At this time Tabor, Brynmawr and became the Daughter Church. From 1835-1840, Robert Pritchard with '' his deep sonorous, and lion like voice convinced hundreds of wavering sinners, turning them from darkness into light ''.

In 1841 Reverend Samuel Williams, was ordained and remained until 1876, and under his guidance the membership of the Church increased greatly, during one of the outbreaks of cholera there was a large ingathering of converts and membership increased to 600. During this period the present Church was built to seat 1000 and in 1895 a new burial ground was opened at a cost of £389.

From 1880-1905 the Church was blessed with the Ministry of the Reverend Hugh Williams who resigned because of the language difficulty. In 1907 the Church was renovated at a cost of £2,000. In 1921 the Centenary was celebrated and shortly afterwards the Reverend W T Hughes, B. Lit., became pastor resigning in 1949.

At the centenary celebrations this was written '' there are greater and higher rewards, compensations and joy is in this world which more than make up for the cost of Christian service; and there is the supreme joy of knowing that one had shared in the task of bringing men and women from darkness into the glorious light ''.
That simply, is Herman's contribution to Nantyglo on Blaina.

Salem Baptist Church Blaina

Salem, Blaina is a Daughter Church of Blaina Gwent Baptist Church. The latter cause was started when loan ap loan, having retired from Cromwell's army in 1646 lived at a farmhouse called Gelli-crug in the valley of the Tillery. He began to preach the gospel to a congregation of Baptist and Independents: differences do to the question of baptism cause the Baptists to leave Gelli-crug and worship at the house of a Mrs Nest Llewellyn.

The exact date on which services began to be held a Blaina is not known but it was some time before 1836. At first they were in a private house called Ty Watkin in Abertillery Road opposite the old foundry, and which was occupied by Benjamin and Rachel Edmunds, two members of Blaina Gwent. The cause prospered and the son of Benjamin Edmonds named Edmond, a Deacon at Blaina Gwent, together with another Deacon, Daniel Lewis who lived near the Glyn Milwr pond, broke away from their Church and started regular services. Morgan Walter, and William Edwards, Rolling Mill were also two of the other founders.

In 1837 the first Salem was built. It was '' situated about a fourth of a mile above the parish Church to near to the road which leads through Nantyglo to Abergavenny. Its name for Salem, and its size 33 ft by 23 ft ''. There was '' preaching here at three Sabbath mornings in the month, and every Sabbath evening ''. On the fourth Sabbath morning in the month, all Church members attended communion service at Blaina Gwent. This chapel is now used by the Blaina Band.

In 1851 the present chapel was built at a cost of £1,000. At the opening services on October 5th and 6th, Reverend D Lloyd Isaac, Thomas Thomas, Pontypool, Price, Cymru Bach, Robert Ellis, Cynddelw and W Roberts, Tredegar, all stalwarts in the Baptist faith. (attended)

In 1851 the English cause took hold of old Salem and because the latter Day Saints wanted to purchase Berea Bach, Tom LLewellyn, Brewer bought it from the Independents and handed it over to the English Baptists.

The Church has been blessed with its choice of pastures Reverends John Lewis and David Edwards, pastors of Blaina Gwent, took under their wing the congregation at Salem. Then in 1845 the Reverend William Roberts received the call and laboured for 30 years. He was followed by the Reverend J Aled Jones who resigned in 1887 after seven years' ministry on becoming clerk to the Aberystruth School Board. The next pastor was the Reverend Charles Rees.

Discipline in Church affairs were much more severe than it is today. Sixty years ago in Salem '' any member of the Church absenting himself from the Church service for three months, and not attending communion service during such a period, unless under the disciplinary rules, illness, or some other reasonable cause, satisfactory to the Church meeting, shall be considered to have ceased to be a member of the Church ''.

In 1891 of the Elders wrote '' we have been fully justified in drawing much encouragement from the past, God has been with his people, blessing their efforts. May he be with us still in the present and in the future, and give up hearts prepared for His Holy Presence ''.

Salem Calvinistic Methodist Church, Nantyglo

Before the close of the 18th century there came to live at Twyn Blaenant two brothers, Thomas and John Thomas from Machynlleth if. The former was the grandfather of John Thomas, brick manufacturer and clerk to the Brynmawr Local Board for many years. The brothers were capable men and experts in the working for lead ore. Presumably they came to work in the iron and coal mines of North Monmouthshire.

Both men were of a Religious turn of mind, but the nearest Methodist causes were at Clydach and Blaenavon. A great revival started by Howell Harris, had created a great awakening in the hills, and Charles of Bala's schools had been a godsend.

In the year in 1811 the Thomas's opened their farmstead for Calvinistic Methodist services on Sunday afternoons and during weekdays. They persuaded the itinerant preachers who visited Clydach and Tredegar to preach to those assembled at Twyn Blaenant. After the great influx of people in 1811 meetings were held in various cottages, until in 1820 a structure was erected for divine Service in Waen Ebbw. The building was always well-filled and in 1833 the present building was erected with accommodation for 1200 people, being the largest religious structure in those years in the country. '' It was a great undertaking but the results of the old father's justified their faith ''.

The old building was used as a school on weekdays which was conducted by the Reverend Evan Evans, the father of Beriah, Gwynfor Evans. He was known as Evans Bach, and was a great protagonist of total abstinence. He commenced his ministry in 1825 and remained for 22 years before leaving for America where he died in 1887. He was helped by the Reverend David Edwards, Brynmawr, who later became Moderator of the Association and General Assembly.

Among the famous preachers who officiated at Salem were John Elias, John Williams (Lledrod), John Jones, (Talygarn), Ebenezer Richards, Thomas Richards (Aberwaen), John Evans, David Howells (Swansea), John Jones, (Blaenanerch) William Evans, (Tonyrefail) and at Ieuan Gwyllt, all great Methodist Giants at of the 19th century.

In 1835 Salem was strong enough to entertain the October Association of the Connection. Crawshay Bailey took upon himself to afford hospitality to the Moderator and five leading ministers. The pasture fields were opened freely and without demand, to the hundreds of ponies belonging to the preachers and deacons, and even the staging in the fields for the open-air preaching was erected free by the works carpenters.

In 1835 Capel Gobain, Blaina was started as a Daughter Church and over a hundred scholars were lost from the Sunday School. In 1839 Libanus, Brynmawr was first started as a Sunday-school in temporary premises resulting in a further loss of 147 scholars. Again in 1862 an English cause was started at Bailey Street, Brynmawr, under the leadership of John Thomas, and in the same year Bethania on Pen Y Garnfach was started. The founding of all those Daughter Churches greatly weakened the cause at Salem. Until 1870 the services were always conducted in Welsh. In the last decade of the last century services were conducted in English and Welsh.

The first pastor was the Reverend J Griffiths who emigrated to Australia because of ill health, the Reverend David Thomas took charge in 1894 and remained for considerable time to be followed in 1912 by the Reverend and John Williams Bamford, B J Evans, Gordon Roberts and Glaslyn D Bevan.

St Peter's Blaina

St Peter's has had a chequered history, its pastoral beginning having long since merged into an industrial background and though the district is now largely non-conformist the residents still retain an affection for the parish Church.

Part of the early history of the Church can be gleaned from the writings of Edmond Jones and Archdeacon Cox.

Edwin Jones was born at Penllwyn house, Nantyglo in 1702, although a Dissenting preacher, described St Peter's as '' an extraordinary edifice and before the end of time much good will be done by it ''.

It was a large building of a double roofs with a row of large stone pillars running through the middle of it from east to west.

It was built with a place for Popish confessions in the south wall, which had '' been prudently filled up ''. There was a stone in the porch to contain Holy Water '' to sprinkle the people. One may imagine not from - but in their sins, '' said the old dissenter.

A stone font was also used for baptism, while a painted glass window was placed in the west end of the Church. The square tower was large and of considerable height yet had '' but too small lintern nabulum bells '' for church uses. The yew trees made a notable sight though they were '' manifestly in decay ''.

It according to the all the profit the Church for a Bill to 200 years Iliad in 1779, in the time of King Henry the VII or VIII. It was finished in February and dedicated '' not to God but to the Apostle Peter ''.

His picture was drawn upon the wall with a key by his side to let the people and heaven. This gave rise to a joke from one of the parishioners, who seeing the picture asked the meaning of it, and on being told, replied that '' none were gone to heaven for '' he said '' his key is become rusty ''.

The wakes

The wakes were held in February, but were later changed to St Peter's day in June. The old dissenter had some hard things to say about the wakes. '' no act of devotion is performed but abundance of sin is committed and the measure of sinning is very great ''.

However, there was a tendency to improvement and '' that it may come to nothing '' was the desire of the then present minister.

Before the Church was build a great speech contest took place where it was to be erected. One site suggested was on the brow of the Beacon Mountain. Work was begun to clear the ground and so was called Lle-yr- War Eglwys (the place of the Church). Another site suggested was in the Valley of the Tillery at Ty-llawn Cwm March (the House of the full loaded horse).

Whimsical Group

It was a handsome Gothic building, the outside of the body, and chancel with lower part of the tower and its battlements, were whitened and the remaining part of the lower was of hewn stone and uncoloured.

There was no chancel and so the communion table was placed in a small recess at the extremity of the nave. Over it was a whimsical group carved in wood and painted: two angels were represented, sounding brazen trumpets, and between them a clergyman in his robes, holding an enormous trumpet in his hands '' as if fatigued with blowing ''.

The service was always performed in Welsh, and of the 11 yew trees planted in the form of a square, the largest was 24 ft in circumference, and the smallest 11 1/2 feet.

The present Church built to replace the old one which was burned down in 1854 is described as a '' fine building '' from designs by an architect named Norton.

It contains an apsidal chancel, which some consider as " rather too dark and heavy for the interior ''. In one corner of the churchyard are buried the victims of the cholera epidemic of 1866, which forced the Ironworks to close down for three years.

Berea Congregational Church Blaina

The few Congregationalists who resided in Nantyglo and Blaina attended the Rohobath, Brynmawr, one of the great pillars of the Congregational denomination in the early days of the Industrial Revolution. By 1840 however many were desirous of meeting for worship during the week and prayer meetings were conducted from house to house. However all attended Rohobath on Sunday.

D Seys Lewis, a man who was much in the public life of Nantyglo on Blaina, after consultation and discussion with a Deacon's of Rohobath agreed to accept responsibility for erection of a place of worship for those who lived in Blaina and Garnfach, with him and was David Richards later to become Reverend David Richards, Caerphilly, whose family was to become closely associated with a new Church, even until the present time.

In June 1842 Berea Bach was built as a Welsh Congregational Church at a cost of £250. Berea Bach was built on the present site of Bethel Baptist Chapel. The Reverend D Stevens, pastor of Rohobath preached the first sermon, and undertook to conduct services there once a month. By 1845 the membership had risen to 105. As at Hermon, the cholera epidemic caused many to flock to the services and by 1851 the membership had risen again to 280.

By 1850 it was decided to build a present Berea Chapel. The land was bought from Tom Brewer for £150, but eventually Brewer took Berea Bach for the land on which the present Berea was to be built.

The foundation stone was laid and 25th June 1850, at 6:30am in the morning: visits were made to the mines, forges, and furnaces soliciting help in its erection.

Meanwhile David Williams, of Llanelly Carns a student at Brecon College was given an unanimous '' call to be Berea's first pastor ''. He accepted and was ordained in June 1852 and remained for 34 years.

Berea was opened in October 1853 at a cost of £1,370. 8 s. 6 d, and by 1858 that debt had been reduced to £620. In the meantime Tabernacle Abertillery became a Daughter Church in 1855. The membership fluctuated from year to year but the revival in 1859 increase membership to to 221.

About this time the Sunday School was established in a River Row. Three houses were built there, with a school room above, two of them at a cost of £310. The English language was gaining ground and it was decided to form an English cause in the school room. Later the New Congregational Church was built on its presence site and a son of the pastor of Berea, the Reverend David Williams, became its first pastor in 1867.

The temporary closure of the Ironworks again troubled a Berea, and many members were forced to leave the area and by 1869 only 121 remained, but '' the fort was held against overwhelming odds ''.

In 1870 the structure of the Church was affected by subsidence and services could not be held for over two years. Protracted negotiations with the Nantyglo and Blaina Ironworks Company, who denied responsibility, eventually resulted in an offer of £600 towards the damage done. This was accepted and by 1884 Berea was free of debt for the first time. During the temporary closure of the Chapel, services were held in the Local Board School.

The English language was gradually introduced into the services, but it was not until 1917, that the English tongue became the accepted language of Berea. The following have ministered in Berea: Reverend D R Morgan, 1892-1900; Reverend Gomer Leyson, 1906 to 1912; Reverend Morris Jones, 1917-1922; Reverend E T Jenkins, 1936 to 1941.

As was written in one of the annual reports '' much good has been done by Berea in the past, but the church content with her achievements is doomed. Let us look to the past mainly for inspiration for today ''.