The Vaughan’s of Velindre

Many people will know of the Bookers of Velindre, but who were the Vaughan’s and what was their connection with Velindre?

Before the Booker family and Richard Blakemore, and even before the west-country Quaker families of the later 18th century became involved, Velindre and Melingriffith were quite different. This was a time before the Glamorganshire canal, or the railways, and Melingriffith was linked to the rest of Whitchurch by a simple unmade road. There was a similar road south towards Llandaff Yard, where there was an old bridge over the River Taff. Just to the north, there was an ancient ford over the river linking to Pentyrch. In 1700, Velindre was described as ‘a mill hamlet’

There are headstones in old St Marys Churchyard for members of a family called Vaughan who lived in Whitchurch at that time. The oldest, Joseph Vaughan was born in 1697 and his headstone reads ‘in memory of Joseph Vaughan of Velindra’. A second headstone for another Joseph Vaughan (possibly his son) who was born in 1736 reads ‘in memory of Joseph Vaughan of Velindre in this parish, many years agent at Melin-Griffith works’

In all probability, the Vaughan’s gained possession of Velindre sometime in the early 1720’s and ran the old mill and forge. So, what was the house like in the early 18th century?

Velindre was probably ‘old’ by the time the Vaughan’s took over, and might well have been a medieval stone-built Welsh hall-house with a tiled roof and small stone-mullioned windows. There are existing examples of similar houses in Glamorgan even today, many where the properties have been much altered over many centuries with new floors inserted and many additions. Ty Mawr nearby is of similar heritage

There’s no way of knowing, but based on the Tithe Map, the 1700 Velindre would probably have sat on the same house footprint as the later ‘gentrified’ house and been accessed off Velindre Road through a gate and long driveway. Stables would have been located beyond. A 1700 record describes Velindre as a ‘house and garden’, so not just a farm and yard. The sketch below shows what the house and garden might have been like in 1700

By 1788, the lease of ‘Vaughan’s Forge’ was renewed by Hartford Partridge & Co from William Vaughan (was this another member of Joseph Vaughan’s family?). So, by the 1770’s, the Vaughan’s have gone and replaced by the new Quaker ironmasters

We’ll explore another time how Velindre was ‘gentrified’ and much extended over the following 50-100 years

In the meantime, does anyone know any more about the Vaughan’s and early Velindre?

  Back