NEATH ABBEY, TOWN, AND CASTLE--THE KNOLL--BRITON FERRY--FUNEREAL
RITES--ABERAVON--MARGAM--ABBEY RUIN--PILE.
Our tour now took an eastward direction. Crossing Swansea river by an
exceeding good ferry, and passing a region of furnaces, we traversed a
considerable hill to the neighbouring valley of NEATH; a spot that might
be deemed pleasing, were it not overhung with the smoke of numerous
manufactories, and its soil blackened with coal-works and rail-ways.
{145} Neath abbey is a short distance west of the town, and its remains
are extensive. Besides the abbey church, the walls of the offices and
other apartments are yet standing; but, undecorated with verdure, and
partaking of the sable hue that impinges on every object around, it fails
to create an idea of beauty or grandeur. As we were exploring the dark
recesses of the ruin, a number of haggard forms on a sudden darted from
various apertures, and eagerly pressed toward us. Their wan
countenances, half hidden by black matted hair, bore the strongest
expression of misery; which was further heightened by a scanty ragged
apparel, that scarcely covered their meagre limbs: upon their whole
appearance one might have asked with Banquo,--
"What are these,
So wither'd, and so wild in their attire,
That look not like th' inhabitants o'the earth,
And yet are on't?--You should be women;
And yet your beards forbid me to interpret
That you are so."--
The poor creatures were the wives of miners, and women that worked in the
manufactories, who burrowed and brought up their families in the cells of
the ruin. Unceasing drudgery, however, was unable to obtain them the
necessaries of life; much less a taste of those comforts, to which the
exertion of useful labour might seem to have a just claim. An old woman,
bent nearly double with years,
"Of ashy semblance, meagre, pale, and bloodless,"
gave us her account of the ruin. She shewed us the nuns' dining-room,
the roof of which is still entire, supported by Saxon, or rather early
Norman pillars and arches. From the refectory we passed to what was once
the dormitory, and were shewn a nauseous dungeon, in which, as the legend
of the ruin relates, offending nuns were wont to be confined. This abbey
was built by Richard de Granville and Constance his wife, in the reign of
Henry the First, for Cistertian monks, and dedicated to the Holy Trinity:
at the dissolution of monasteries its revenues were valued at 150_l._
_per annum_. The abbey-house, about a century and a half since, formed
an admired seat of the Hobby's family.
Neath, the Nidum of Antoninus, was formerly of greater extent and
importance than at present; for, notwithstanding its flourishing
manufactories, it now makes but a poor dirty appearance. The Castle, now
an inconsiderable ruin, was built by Richard de Granville, one of
Fitzhammon's knights, upon the site of a British fortress of very antient
foundation; and was taken and in part burnt by Prince Llewelyn A.D. 1231.
The Neath river limits that tract of country called Gower; it also formed
the western boundary of the Lordship of Glamorgan, which anciently
extended eastward to the river Usk. The latter district fell under the
dominion of the Normans in the following manner.
In the year 1090, Jestyn, lord of Glamorgan, having a difference with
Rees, King of Wales, had recourse to arms, and solicited the assistance
of Fitzhammon, an Anglo-Norman chieftain, to support his cause. The
confederates were successful; but, as it generally happens when foreign
aid is required in domestic disputes, the remedy proved worse than the
disease; for, on the plea that the conditions of their compact had not
been fulfilled, Fitzhammon collected his forces, attacked Jestyn, and
deprived him of his life and territory. Fitzhammon shared the spoil with
twelve knights who accompanied him, rewarding each with a manor. Now, as
a dominion thus acquired must be supported by the iron arm of coercion,
we find the first attention of the conquerors directed to rearing
fortresses on their domains; and shortly afterwards an appendant creation
of religious houses makes its appearance, as a salvo for the slaughter
and injustice that purchased their greatness. To this foundation most of
the picturesque ruins that we are about to examine in Glamorganshire, and
part of Monmouthshire, may be traced: it will, therefore, be necessary
not to lose sight of this point of history.
We did not fail to admire the KNOLL, a castellated seat of Sir Herbert
Mackworth's, occupying the summit of a hill at the termination of a noble
lawn. The fine views which its elevation commands, encompassed by
hanging woods, and extensive plantations, its shady walks and picturesque
cascades, render it a place deservedly attractive. Beneath the tufted
hills of this estate, we passed from Neath in our way to Briton ferry;
and soon remarked a single stone monument {150}, a massive
paralellopiped, on a height to our left: another immediately afterwards
appeared in a field close to the road on the right.
From these monuments of other times, however, the rich hanging woods and
open groves of BRITON FERRY attracted our interest, clothing that
charming domain of Lord Vernon's.
The extensive plantations spread over several bold hills westward of the
Neath river, whose broad translucid stream here emerges in a fine sweep
between high woody banks, partly broken into naked cliffs, and soon
unites with the sea. From a delightful shady walk impendent over the
stream, we branched off into an "alley green" that led us up a steep hill
covered with large trees and tangled underwood: the ascent was
judiciously traced where several bare craigs projecting from the soil
formed an apposite contrast to the luxuriant verdure that prevailed
around. On gaining the summit the charms of Briton ferry disclosed
themselves in
"An ample theatre of Sylvan grace"
of more than common beauty; beyond which the Bristol channel, bounded by
the aerial tint of its opposite coast, formed the distance. But from a
roaming prospect the eye gladly returned to repose on the local beauties
of the scene; the tufted knoll, the dark glade, and the majestic river.
In returning, we passed the mansion, a very ordinary building; but paused
on the neat simplicity of the village-church adjoining, and its
well-ordered cemetery.
The custom of planting ever-greens over the graves of departed friends,
and bedecking them with flowers at certain seasons of the year, is, here
attended to with peculiar care; and to this pleasing tribute of
affection, characteristic of Wales, David ap-Gwillim, a Welch bard who
flourished about the middle of the fourteenth century, thus sweetly
alludes in one of his odes:
"O whilst thy season of flowers, and thy tender sprays thick of
leaves remain; I will pluck the roses from the brakes; the flowerets
of the meads, and gems of the woods; the vivid trefoils, beauties of
the ground, and the gaily smiling bloom of the verdant herbs, to be
offered to the memory of a chief of fairest fame: Humbly will I lay
them on the grave of Ivor!"
Shakspeare also, with exquisite tenderness:
"With fairest flowers while summer lasts
I'll sweeten thy sad grave: thou shalt not lack
The flower that's like thy face, pale Primrose; nor
The azur'd Harebell, like thy veins; no, nor
The leaf of Eglantine, whom not to slander
Outsweeten'd not thy breath."
Highly pleased with Briton ferry, we proceeded along the coast, and
passed through the little town of ABERAVON. Its copper and tin works
added no charms to the verdant fertility of this part of the country,
which appeared ornamented with several gentlemen's seats, and well
planted hills; but, grandly rising above comparison, "the mighty hill of
MARGAM," a steep mountain entirely shaded with oaks from the base to its
"cloud-cap't" summit, arrested our chief attention.
[Picture: Margam Abbey]
Margam park, belonging to Mr. Talbot, is chiefly to be noticed for its
orangery; a magnificent pavilion of the Doric order, 327 feet in length,
wherein the orange-trees are arranged in unfavourable weather: but on our
visit, these trees, to the amount of a hundred and fifty, from six to ten
feet high, and all in full bearing, were agreeably disposed in a
sequestered part of the garden. {153} Margam abbey was until within
these few years the mansion of the estate; but it is now pulled down:
some low ruins, however, remain, and the walls of its elegant but
neglected chapter-house. This structure is thus described by Mr.
Wyndham, who visited the spot about thirty years since: "It is an elegant
Gothic building, of a date subsequent to that of the church. Its vaulted
roof is perfect, and supported by a clustered column rising from the
centre of the room. The plan of this chapter-house is an exact circle,
fifty feet in diameter. The just proportion of the windows, and the
delicate ribs of the arches, which all rise from the centre column and
the walls, gradually diverging to their respective points above, must
please the eye of every spectator; and, what is uncommon in light Gothic
edifices, the external elevation is as simple and uniform as its
internal, there being no projecting buttresses to disturb or obstruct its
beauty."--"The preservation of this building led me to conclude, that
much attention had been given to the lead that originally covered it;
but, to my astonishment, I heard that the lead had long since been
removed, and that the only security of the roof against the weather was a
thick _oiled paper_, which by no means prevented the rain from
penetrating and filtering through the work." Mr. Wyndham concludes by
trusting, that, as the present proprietor is a lover of antiquities, the
deficiency would be corrected. But, unfortunately, the edifice was left
to its fate, and the roof soon fell in: thus one of the finest specimens
of Gothic architecture in this or any other country is lost to the eye of
taste and science.
Just perceptible from the turf we traced the foundation of the Abbey
Church, and the bases of four clustering pillars that most probably
supported the tower; the steps of the altar were also visible,
besprinkled with grass; and, turning over some fragments, we picked up
part of the chalice for containing holy water, and several of those
coloured glazed tiles which were used in the early Norman age for paving
principal buildings, but commonly called Roman tiles. We were informed
by Mr. Snook, the intelligent gardener of the place, who was present at
the dilapidation of the abbey, that the pavement formed with these tiles
was the lowermost of three which were then removed; and that on digging
deeper they came to an immense heap of human bones. This pavement is
still in many places remaining, though nearly concealed by a covering of
moss. Many curious sculptured stones of high antiquity are to be met
with in the park, and in the village adjoining; the church of which
presents, in its elevation, a more pleasing symmetry and composition than
any Gorman work that I remember to have seen. {155} A shady walk,
carried beneath the leafy mantle of Margam's hill, passes a ruined
chapel, and a loggan or rocking-stone, in its way to the summit, where a
prospect of uncommon extent greets the beholder. Eglis Nunne, about two
miles south of Margam, now a farmhouse, was formerly a nunnery subject to
that abbey.
Renewing our journey, we left Kenfig on our right, where some vestiges of
a castle built by one of Fitzhammon's knights are said to appear, and
proceeded to PYLE. The inn here, built by Mr. Talbot, and which might be
mistaken for a nobleman's seat, affords excellent accommodation for
travellers, who are frequently induced to make it their head-quarters
while visiting the several objects in the neighbourhood.--Leaving Pyle,
we soon found ourselves on Newton Down, and from its height discovered
the range of hills forming the opposite boundary of the vale of
Cowbridge, in which a bold hill crowned with Penline Castle was eminently
conspicuous. On looking back, we were pleased with a comprehensive view
of the country that we had lately traversed: beyond the wide bay of
Swansea, the whitened habitations of Ostermouth caught our eye; the
sulphureous clouds revolving from the works of Swansea and Neath were
only divided by the projection of Kilway hill; and the picturesque knolls
of Briton ferry appeared sunk into comparative littleness beneath the
towering dimensions of Margam's shady mountain.--Our tour now became
thickly interspersed with baronial castles and other monuments of feudal
times, interesting either by their historical events or picturesque
decay.