Cosmeston is an open-air museum, a historical reconstruction of a Welsh village of the fourteenth century. It is located in the Vale of Glamorgan, near the capital of Wales Cardiff.
During the construction of a park in Cosmeston in 1978, the remains of a settlement were discovered, whose age was more than 600 years. And so began a unique archaeological project to restore the medieval village of Cosmeston. For the year 1350 was chosen for the "living history" type of historical reconstruction. It was an interesting time! The country was ruled by King Edward III, it was the twentieth year of the war with France - a war that historians would later call the Hundred Years' War. Britain was slowly recovering from the Black Death, a plague that had killed almost half its population.
The village was founded around the 12th century near the manor house of the de Costenten family, one of the first Norman nobles in Wales, originally from northern France. They named the village Kostentenstun, which later became Cosmeston. The estate was small, and the village was a few round stone houses covered in thatch. The population did not exceed 100 people, including children. In 1316, the village passed to new owners, the de Caversham family. There is no evidence that the village continued beyond the Middle Ages. There was no church here, and by 1824 a detailed map of the Marquess of Bute's holdings showed only the small farm of Cosmeston and a few pastures. Why was the village abandoned? There could be several reasons. The inhabitants could have died in the plague. They could have moved elsewhere because the land is very low and prone to flooding. The village may also have suffered during military conflicts - for example, in 1316 Llewellyn Bren stormed Caerphilly Castle, which is very close by.
This open-air museum is now considered to be Britain's finest reconstruction of medieval village life in Britain. It is visited by specialist archaeologists, tourists and school trips. Cosmeston is populated by characters - the Headman, the Sgt, Potter, Carpenter, Baker, their Wives, Priest and even a Noble Lady. Each one has its own story and its own role to play.
