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SARON GRAVEYARD PROJECT – THE WHERE, WHAT & WHY

Troedyrhiw (in Welsh Troed-y-rhiw meaning ‘foot of the hill’) is a village in the valley of the River Taff situated some 3 miles (5 km approx.) south of Merthyr Tydfil. The growth and development of this settlement from the early part of the nineteenth century onwards was linked to the exploitation of the locally abundant iron and coal reserves.

Like many valleys communities Troedyrhiw has its historic graveyard which is a site rich in heritage and local meaning. Names and dates are carved into headstones which have become a fixed part of the landscape and are part of the identity of this place. The above link to Google Maps is centred on 40 Chapel Street, Troedyrhiw which is immediately adjacent to Saron Graveyard.

SARON CHAPEL & GRAVEYARD – SITE PLAN 1951

Friends of Saron was formed as a community group in 2009 with the primary aim of rescuing the graveyard of the former Saron Chapel, Troedyrhiw from almost 30 years of neglect. The group have produced draft proposals to turn what has been a blot on the village into a community asset by creating a low-maintenance Memorial and Wildlife Garden on the Saron site.

A BLOT ON THE VILLAGE – MARCH 2009

Hedd, perffaith hedd?

(Peace, perfect peace?)

A Welsh Government funded programme of clearance work was carried out in the graveyard in the early part of 2012 under the Tidy Towns scheme. This was followed up by the application of herbicides over the site under the supervision of Keep Wales Tidy.

AN IMPROVING SITUATION – MARCH 2012

In addition to the main focus of the project which is on the graveyard itself the group is involved in a range activities which include:-

Research into the history of Saron Chapel and the village of Troedyrhiw.

SOME RESEARCH MATERIALS

Creation of as complete a burial record as possible in the absence of the original.

Memorial on the grave of two children of Rev J W Price, known as ‘Price Saron’.
IN MEMORY OF
WILLIAM DAVID AND
MAGGIE MARY
THE BELOVED CHILDREN OF
THE REV. J.W. PRICE
SARON VILLA, TROEDYRHIW
WHO FELL ASLEEP
FEB 23RD 1893 AND
JUNE 23RD 1898
AGED 19 MONTHS
AND 11 YEARS
THEY ARE NOT DEAD
BUT ASLEEP

Printing and distributing occasional newsletters.