Welsh Journals

It is doubtful what Machen is derived from, unless it be from Meugan,1 a sixth century saint and member of the college of Illtyd and founder of St Maughans. The parish is divided into the hamlets of Upper and Lower Machen and Rhydgwem Alder Ford which latter though in the parish of Machen is in the county of Glamorgan. The area is Lower Machen 1,975 acres of land, 25 acres of water; Upper Machen, 2,466 acres of land, 19 acres of water; Rhydgwern, 715 acres of land, 8 acres of water. The rateable value of Upper and Lower Machen in 1815 was £ 2,702; in 1891 it was Lower Machen, £ 6,533, Upper Machen £ 5,701, Rhydgwem £ 498. The population has been as follows: Year No. of inhabitants Lower Upper Rhydygwem Machen Machen 1801 676 1811 1,167 1821 1,032 1831 699 474 1841 1,577 1881 1.036 1,447 1891 1.179 1,718 264 The Lordship and Castle Machen was part of the ancient demesnes of the kings or princes of South Wales and the "tower of Machen" was built by Meredydd Gethin, son of the lord Rhys prince of South Wales who died in 1196 and was buried in St David's cathedral. In one of the many contests between the Welsh and the Normans the castle of Machen was taken by Gilbert de Clare, earl of Pembroke, who was afterwards killed in a tournament at Warwick in 1241. {Marginal note: ?Cyfoeth Meredydd} The lordship of Machen is also called Cwmmwd Meredydd and the castle is sometimes called Castell Coch but appears on the recent ordnance map as Castell Meredydd. Machen In the inquisition post mortem of Joan, widow of Gilbert de Clare (the Red) and daughter of Edward I, in 1307, among other lordships and manors she was seized of Machen including the fishery of Dyffryn Ebboth, held of the king in chief, of ancient acquisition, by service unknown.2 The manor of Machen and Machen Wood was one of those subject to the great lordship of Wentllwg and Newport and devolved with Newport. It was eventually granted to William Herbert, first earl of Pembroke of the second creation. In 1465 Howel ap Ivor was the steward. The castle passed out of the hands of the descendants of Meredydd Gethin and the Bowles of Penhow had it; after them it belonged to William Vaughan3 of Caldicot who in 1542 sold it to Rowland Morgan, whose father Thomas Morgan second son of Sir John Morgan of Tredegar is also described as of this place. Leland (1575) says "There is a nother of the Morgans dwelling by Remney at Maghen, having a fair House. He had been a man of fair Landes, if his Father had not devided it partely to other of his Sunnes."4 This refers to Rowland Morgan of Machen whose son afterwards succeeded to Tredegar on the death of Miles Morgan. On Thomas Morgan, the son of Rowland abovementioned, succeeding to Tredegar, Machen became a secondary residence of the family, and the mansion called Plas Machen has for the last 100 years been deserted by the family and let as a farm house. Machen Place. W. Byme after Sir R. C. Hoare, 1800. University of Wales College of Cardiff Library.