The forests in the area were cleared for farming and rearing animals by the families of those that were buried in the Round Barrows on the Garth Mountain 4000 years ago. Then the area came under the influence of the Celts and the Roman legions.
The geology of the area includes the southern outcrop of the coal measures, a belt of carboniferous limestone that crosses from north east to south west and a small area of Oolitic limestone which is the characteristic geology of the Vale of Glamorgan. It was the quality of the agricultural land in the Vale which attracted farmers to the area thousands of years ago and it is no accident that Castell y Mynach is the oldest and by far the most important house in Pentyrch.
The ownership of a number of the farms in the area can be traced to the family of Hywel ap Meredith, the last Welsh Lord of Meisgyn. He was defeated by Richard de Clare in 1246. But the Welsh Lords continued to retain their lands on condition they cooperated with the Normans.
Ownership of the land is described in the Manor of Pentyrch by J.Barry Davies. Vol III No. 5
