Maerdy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Maerdy (Welsh: Y Maerdy) is a town in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taff, traditional county of Glamorgan, south Wales, lying at the head of the Rhondda Fach Valley. The town grew around the coal mining industry, but its pit shut in 1990. "Maerdy" is a Welsh word meaning "house of the mayor", and may indicate a medieval origin. The "mayor" was the official also known as the reeve, usually the most affluent farmer in the area.
Maerdy was known in the mid-twentieth century for its people's support for the Communist Party of Great Britain and was sometimes called Little Moscow. The town may have inspired Lewis Jones' novel Cwmardy.
The name Maerdy is also thought to be the origin of the Northern English colloqiualism Mardy meaning moody. During the General Strike of 1926, miners from the Maerdy area were sent to Staffordshire and thereabouts to take the place of belligerent locals. Neither these imported miners nor those they replaced were all too thrilled. Locals would mutter darkly when they saw them - 'They're Maerdy.' Since 'mardy' is slightly easier to say, the pronunciation shifted and evolved. From link title Evan John(a 15 second appearance on 'Wales Today') used to live there. Also his brother Owen John, a locally famous actor who starred as an extra in the Welsh soap 'Pobol y Cwm' and later as a main character in 'Pam fi Duw?'(and a 20 second appearance on 'Newyddion'.)
