Editing Aberdare (section)

===Middle Ages===
Aberdare lies within the commote ([[cwmwd]]) of Meisgyn, in the [[cantref]] of [[Penychen]]. The area is traditionally given as the scene of the ''battle of Hirwaun Wrgant'', where the allied forces of the [[Normans|Norman]] [[Robert Fitzhamon]] and [[Iestyn ap Gwrgant]], the last Welsh prince of [[Glamorgan]], defeated [[Rhys ap Tewdwr]], prince of [[Dyfed]]. The battle is thought to have started at Aberdare, with the areas now known as Upper and Lower ''Gadlys'' (The battle Court(s)), traditionally given as each armies' headquarters.<ref name=EB1911/>

The settlement of Aberdare dates from at least this period, with the first known reference being in a monastic chapter{{clarify|date=September 2023}} of 1203 concerning grazing right on [[Hirwaun]] Common.<ref name="CVHistSoc-Intro">{{cite web |title=Chronology of the History of the Cynon Valley |url=http://www.cvhs.org.uk/timeline/chron.html |website=Cynon Valley History Society |access-date=19 December 2019}}</ref> It was originally a small village in an agricultural district, centred around the [[St John's Church, Aberdare|Church of St John the Baptist]], said to date from at least 1189. By the middle of the 15th century, Aberdare contained a water mill in addition to a number of thatched cottages, of which no evidence remains.<ref name="Conservation Rep">{{cite web|title=Aberdare Conservation Area. Appraisal and Management Plan |url=http://www.rctcbc.gov.uk/en/relateddocuments/publications/planning/aberdareconservationarea/aberdareconservationareaappraisalandmanagementplan.pdf |archive-url=https://www.webarchive.org.uk/wayback/archive/20151202082041/http://www.rctcbc.gov.uk/en/relateddocuments/publications/planning/aberdareconservationarea/aberdareconservationareaappraisalandmanagementplan.pdf |url-status = dead|archive-date=2 December 2015 |publisher=Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council |access-date=20 November 2013 }}, pp.9–11</ref>