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Ystrad Mynach

(ystrad+mynach)

There are many Welsh words for a valley, depending on the nature and shape of the valley. 'Ystrad' is a wide flat bottomed valley and 'mynach' is the Welsh word for 'monk'. The reason for the name is not actually known, though this may be the now-unused name of a river that flowed into the Rhymney as currently there is no evidence of a monastery existing in the area. One curious folktale about the place name does exist however. Apparently a monk was forced to flee from Caerphilly Castle after it became known that he was having an “unsavoury” relationship with the young daughter of the French family in residence at the Castle at the time. He was captured, sentenced to death and hung from a tree in the valley, the area becoming known as 'Monk’s Valley' or in Welsh - Ystrad Mynach.

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