| Abstrakt: |
The article discusses the influence of foreign nationalities on the life of the people of Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. The human race has always moved from place to place in the search for food. In the old days the movement was from the hills to the plains; but with the development of civilization the quest was for the means with which to obtain food and the other essentials to life. Therefore the Industrial Revolution caused men to return to the hilly lands because it was here that coal was found. It was this discovery of coal, and its value for smelting iron, that laid the foundation for the growth of the borough of Merthyr Tydfil. The history of the local iron trade goes back to the sixteenth century, but it was not until 1760, when furnaces were opened at Dowlais, that a definite attempt was made to develop the mineral resources. The company Cyfarthfa Ironworks were opened in 1765, and reached their most prosperous period under the Crawshays, who came in 1791. The Irish have also contributed very much to the life of this district, though they have had a more chequered local history than the English. |
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