Interesting origins of movement

FOLLOWING news about the new co-operative opening in cwmbach, i always believed the first co-operative in Wales was the one in cwmbach but i have recently read a book called Dr William price by Dean powell.

in it it states: “The chartists of newbridge (the original name of pontypridd) have come to the determination of opening a co-operative store for themselves.”

The organisation was named the pont-y-typridd provision company, one of the first times the Welsh place name was used rather than newbridge.

This was an example of a co-operative movement that was created due to the beginning of militant trade unionism and political agitation and formed self-help organisations by the most political workers.

Dr price’s newbridge (pontypridd) chartists were a force to be reckoned with and their pont-y-ty-pridd provision company which was defunct by the end of 1842 was the first co-operative society in Wales.

The first co-operative that endured in Wales was not established until 1859 in cwmbach, and was modelled on the pioneering co-operative in rochdale established in 1844, four years after the newbridge (pontypridd) venture.

The cwmbach cooperative was established by John rees, a collier, and David Thomas, a mechanic at the Llety shenkin colliery.

it was inspired by the rochdale principle and the overwhelming poverty suffered by the community in the miners’ strike of 1857.

The cwmbach cooperative was closed through over-funding the miners’ lockout in the 1920s and was forced to merge with the larger Aberdare society.

Harry Parfitt Tynte