Cathays from Old English haga. An unlikely explanation which is sometimes found is that it is from 'Cad Hayes' – cad, the Welsh word for battle, and the various shades of meaning of the medieval English hague/hay above. The current term shares its orthography, but not its pronunciation nor meaning with 'Cathay', an alternative name for China. By the medieval period farmland outside the old Cardiff Castle, Cathays takes in the northern limit of medieval Cardiff — marked by the crossroads of Fairoak Road and Crwys Road. After John Stuart, 1st Marquess of Bute, married The Hon. Charlotte Hickman-Windsor (daughter of
Fairwater, Double Bay living of the upper middle classes which has now largely vanished. The place has potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales. "Fairwater" has research value as a rare example of a large Victorian/Edwardian domestic residence and grounds, which retain a high degree of integrity in both its individual components and planning. The place possesses uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales. The association between "Fairwater" and the Fairfax family in view of the longevity of ownership and occupation by