Cwrt Henllys restaurant, Cwmbrân

The name of this building, and of the nearby Cwrt Henllys Farm, means “court (or large house) in Henllys”. A document of 1584 records the name as “the Courte of Hentllys” and parts of the hotel are thought to date back to the 15th century.

Today Henllys is a residential area on the edge of Cwmbrân but the name is taken from the parish of Henllys which means “old court” or “old hall”. The location of that building is unknown but it may have been nearer to St Peter’s parish church than the current Cwrt Henllys. A suggestion that Henllys was an administrative court of the lordship of Machen is unproven.

The Welsh word cwrt is a common element in place-names with a number of other meanings including “court-yard” and “farm” and it is not always possible to say which is most appropriate. It also appeared locally in the name of a former house, Cwrt-y-llaca, probably meaning “court (or farm) near the mire”.

Farmers from Henllys Court took part in local agricultural events. They included David Morgan, who won first prize in a ploughing competition at the 1879 annual meeting of the Henllys Farmers’ Association. In 1905 eggs presented by Ruth Dowling of Henllys Court Farm won first prize at the Henllys sheepdog trials.

In 1899 her son Arthur went missing from the farm, aged 17. The Dowling family offered a reward of 10 shillings for information which could lead to his discovery. Two years later, the 1901 census recorded Arthur living at the farm with his father William, mother and younger brother Horace.

With thanks to Richard Morgan, of the Welsh Place-Name Society

Postcode: NP44 6HX    View Location Map