Gwent Family History Society was established in 1981 as a registered charity and covers the old county of Monmouthshire. The Industrial Revolution had a major impact on the nature of the area which, in the 19th century, developed very industrialised northern and western parts, while the south and east remained essentially rural. As a consequence of coal mining and iron- and steel-making the county saw a continuous migration from other areas. This contributed to Monmouthshire being something of a ‘mongrel’ in terms of its ‘Welshness’ as the influx of workers was mainly from English counties. Remnants of Monmouthshire’s industrial past can be seen at Blaenavon World Heritage Site and mining disaster monuments, such as the Guardian on the site of the Six Bells Colliery disaster of 1960.
Blaenavon Ironwork. Coal- and steel-mining in this part of Wales during the Industrial Revolution saw waves of migration from other areas of the UK