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Mynydd-is-llwyn, meaning the mountain below the grove, is a very large parish consisting to a great extent of mountain land formerly sparsely inhabited but now teeming with people. It is sometimes called Plwyf Tudyr ap Hywel, the parish of Tudor ap Howel, from the saint Tudyr, who however was not son of Howel but son of Arwystli Gloff, the son of king Saithenin, founder of the church in the sixth century. His festival is on the 15th of October.' Within the boundaries of the parish are several hamlets or villages of comparatively recent growth, but anciently it was divided into the three hamlets of Clawrplwyf, Mynyddmaen and Penmaen. The area of the parish is 15,960 acres of land and 117 acres of water. The rateable value in 1815 was £ 8,774 and in 1891 £ 63,335. The population has been as follows: Year Number of inhabitants Clawrplwyf Mynyddmaen Penmaen 1801 476 454 614 1811 882 1,098 1,010 1821 1,250 511 1,425 1831 1,918 942 2,175 1841 6,000 1881 8,825 1891 14,364 Penllwyn Sarph Penllwyn Sarph, which means the end of the serpent's grove, was for several generations the seat of a branch of the Morgans. Edmund Morgan fourth son of Thomas Morgan of Machen was settled here in the sixteenth century and his descendants remained here till the family ended in an heiress Florence who married in 1722 John Jones esq. of Llanarth, in which family it has since continued. The house is a very large one and is a gabled building with a walled in courtyard in front and the offices behind. The situation is fine, being on the ridge of a hill facing south. It would appear to be of the date of Henry VIII and was probably built by Edmund Morgan the first settler here. Archdeacon Coxe mentions some sycamore trees of great size; these still exist and are the largest of their kind in the county. Mynyddislwyn Penllwyn House. Fred J. Hando, 1953. By kind permission of Chris Barber, Esq. The last Henry Morgan was a man of great power and influence and at an election would bring a numerous body of voters with him from his district sufficient to turn the election. He was known as Y gwr Penllwyn, the Man of Penllwyn. Abercarn Abercarn may be the same as Tref-y-carn in the Liber Landavensis where it is recorded that Llywarch in atonement for certain plunderings gave the village of Treficarn pont and three modi of land in alms.2 This was in the time of bishop Galfrid in the tenth century. The lordship of Abercarn with the grange of Cillonydd belonged to the abbey of Llantamam being no doubt bestowed on that abbey at its foundation by Sir Howel of Caerlleon in 1175. The lordships of Mynyddislwyn and Abercarn were granted in the 2nd year of Elizabeth to William earl of Pembroke and descended in the same way as Newport and Caerlleon to the wife of Thomas, viscount Windsor. His son the 2nd viscount in about the year 1722 sold this estate for a small sum to John Burgh of Troy, steward to the duke of Beaufort. John Burgh died in 1740 whose son the Rev. Henry Burgh succeeded, he being followed by his son Charles Henry Burgh, a minor in 1772.3 John Burgh's grand-daughter Mrs. Johns afterwards had the estate. In 1807 Samuel Glover sold it for £ 3,500 to Richard Crawshay, the great ironmaster, who settled it on his daughter on her marriage with Benjamin Hall, esq. Their son lord Llanover did much to develop