Cefn-y-Crib: Introduction
After visiting the ruins of Raglan Castle, we (Monika, my Dad and I) made our way towards Hafodyrynys and having taken a back road came first to Pantygasseg, a village I knew through my research as being the place where my Great-Uncle amongst many others had worked as a miner. Looking at the census records for the area, almost every man was employed in the mines. The village (which is no more than a single street with houses on one side) also interested me as regards the meaning behind its name, which in Welsh means, 'hollow in the mare's back'. This description derives from the shape of the mountain as it appears on the horizon and having researched the theme of 'distance' some time ago for an art project, I found it interesting that the village got its name from how it was seen from afar. Pantygasseg is so named through its being a part of (or identified with) the distance.
