It is situated on rocks rich in lead and silver and during a lengthy period in the 18th and 19th centuries, Ystumtuen was a busy mining village. With the demise of the lead mining industry and in particular the closure of Cwm Rheidol mine, the population dwindled rapidly with the last ancestral population disappearing in the 1970s.
Ystumtuen, located on rock deposits rich in lead and silver, was once a thriving mining village during the 18th and 19th centuries. However, the decline of lead mining, particularly the closure of Cwm Rheidol mine, resulted in a significant population drop, with the last residents leaving by the 1970s.