The schedule contains strong evidence that the community had started to decline by 1842. John Edwards had a house, garden, and orchard in the central part of the settlement, but he was also the tenant of several plots near the western end that now contain the ruins of houses (PRN 5849, 5850, 5851, and 5855). In the schedule these plots are described as grass or arable (see photograph on the left). There is no mention of houses on them. It is just possible that these houses were built after 1842, but more likely that they were built earlier and had already been abandoned by that date.
It appears then that the community at Y Graig had begun to shrink before the date of the Tithe Commutations. My theory is that the subsequent imposition of cash rents was intolerable to many of the inhabitants. If they had to make a living from an acre or so their low income would have made it hard for them to afford the additional charges. Landowners, or perhaps the rector himself, took action against them to enforce the payment of the new rents. The action taken, whether in the form of selling livestock or making houses uninhabitable, drove the residents to move away and seek refuge elsewhere.
This theory is provisional, and I will be looking out for evidence that would confirm it or refute it. I will also be interested in any information about what happened to the last inhabitants after they left.
A good time to visit Y Graig today is during the winter. There is less vegetation, making it easier to see things and to find your way around the site. Even then, however, you will come across fallen trees and branches and will be called upon to decide whether to climb over them, duck under, or make a detour. An added bonus during the colder months is the profusion of varieties of fungus growing out of rotting pieces of wood. In the areas where the main groups of houses are located the task of exploration has been made easier since a contingent of Gloucestershire boy scouts carried out a major clearance operation in the summer of 2006.
It is possible to gain access to Y Graig in several ways. The most convenient, however, is to begin in the central area. Travelling along the A40 from Abergavenny you pass a lay-by on the right hand side and then make a very sharp right turn up a narrow road that has probably not changed much since 1842.
If you are coming by car and notice other traffic on your tail you may consider it prudent to continue past the turning and make a U-turn at a Peugeot dealer a few hundred yards further on.
