Christmas in Caerphilly

2010

History Of Markets in Caerphilly

Reference has been made to fairs held at Caerphilly during the medieval period. Both markets and fairs must have been abandoned during periods of war involving this neighbourhood, and we have no detailed records until peaceable conditions were restored finally.

During the later 17th Century the increased use of the town as a trading centre is confirmed by entries in the Welsh Almanack for 1699 (Thomas Jones) and 1726 (John Rhydderch). The Almanack lists the dates of all the fairs held in the 13 counties of Wales together with those for the 4 border counties. Caerphilly held seven fairs annually whereas at Cardiff only four were held. On the other hand Cardiff had two weekly markets and Caerphilly one. According to the Welsh Almanack for 1726 Caerphilly had three ‘high’ or ‘great’ markets annually. These were held respectively on the last Thursday in January and on the first Thursdays in March and May. They continued into the 19th Century.

Cardiff Corporation were so concerned with the loss of trade to Caerphilly that in 1661 they petitioned Charles II to suppress the Caerphilly fairs. These they regarded as prejudicial to the interests of Cardiff.

Caerphilly fairs continued to be held regularly until the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939. The value of the Tolls in 1825 was £60 per annum. Latterly cattle, horses and sheep with smaller numbers of pigs were the main business at the fair, but formerly woollen goods, especially stockings were also sold. Horses and cattle thronged the Twyn and sheep were collected in sheep pens on land adjoining the castle and elsewhere near the main streets. At some of the fairs thousands of sheep would be brought for sale, some from as far afield as Breconshire. The many taverns, several have now disappeared would be filled with farmers and dealers bargaining or completing transactions already started in the street.

A visitor to Caerphilly in 1784 described a fair here as ‘exhibiting no striking marks of discrimination from an English country fair, except that the predominant language was Welsh’.

The History of Caerphilly

Caerphilly's story begins nearly two thousand years ago, soon after the Romans marched into Wales and built an auxiliary fort at Caerphilly in A.D.75.

During the following centuries it is said that the Christian missionary Saint Cenydd established a monastic site at Caerphilly. On leaving he was reputed to have entrusted it to his son Ffili. It is from the combination of this story and the Town's Roman origins that Caerphilly takes its name - the fort (caer) of Ffili.

In 1066 the Normans invaded England and soon advanced into Wales. By the beginning of the twelfth century they had conquered much of the lowland area south of Caerphilly. In 1267 the Anglo-Normans gained an uneasy control of Caerphilly. To enforce this, they began building Caerphilly Castle in 1268. A Settlement soon grew up around it and the town you see today began to emerge.

In 1316, the Castle and Town were attacked by Llywelyn Bren and partially destroyed by fire. In 1326, the ill-fated King Edward II sought sanctuary at Caerphilly Castle, before finally losing his throne. By the mid-fourteenth century the Castle's military role had all but ended, although its up-keep continued.

The Castle once again became the focus of hostilities during the Civil War, when a redoubt was built beyond its northwest defences. After the war and during the 1700s, Caerphilly developed as a market town.

In the nineteenth century the Industrial Revolution swept into Caerphilly and it soon blossomed. As its size, wealth and standing grew, it established itself as the main town of the area. Caerphilly also developed a reputation for its cheese, which was an ideal meal for miners. Today, Caerphilly with its sculptures and modern facilities, is a rich contrast of old and new.