Papurau Newydd Cymru

Chwiliwch 15 miliwn o erthyglau papurau newydd Cymru

Cuddio Rhestr Erthyglau

10 erthygl ar y dudalen hon

.;-CORRESPGNDENCEe IiIIfI'W'I8

Newyddion
Dyfynnu
Rhannu

CORRESPGNDENCEe IiIIfI'W'I8 To the Editor of the Cardiff and Merthyr Guardian. Sirt, The bull of Maescadlawr, whose exploits were so poetically celebrated by William Hopkin, turns out to have been but a poor calf' Thus tradition obtains. If this be true, the intention of the bard was, probably, to hint to the worthy vicar of his parish that his numerous retainers (a long list of whom appears in the song) were but a set of idle loons. Or it may be that the poet humourously employed his satire against those parties whose names are known to us only by his song. This was a favourite custom of the bards and many pieces of sparring between William Hopkin and Darid Nicholas (household bard of Aberpergwm) are traditionally recited and sung by the peasant™ even to this day. Jenkin Traherne, from whose reciting the *ng has ùeea printed, affirms" that this bull was but a calf," ipsissimis verbis, Mi giywais nad oedd y tarw hwn dim ond 110 bach, a Will Hopkin a ganws y canu 0 wawd. Ac mi giywais fod y bwtsiwr yn fyrnig iawn yn dy- wedyd bod rheittach. gwaith o lawer gan Will Hopkin i'w wneuthur na Uunio celwydd yn y modd ag y b"Wnaeth. Yr oedd yn tori character y bwtsiwr. Ilyn mi giywais lawer gwaith gan Nani Hutton. Yr oedd hi yn byw yn y Nantmwth, a mamgu i Edward Thomas sydd yn bnv yn Maescadlawr yn awr ydoedd hi. Yr oeddwn yn rv ieuenctid yn 'nabod rhai o'r dynion a enwir yn y canu. Nani Hutton mi a welais lawer o weithiau, a Thwm ab Ivan. Un o'r Mawriad'' ydoedd Twtp. Mae eu had hwy yma heddyw, sev y mawriad vel eu gelwir yn y plwyv. Y Marged a enwir yn y canu oedd Margaret Lewis, a mamgu i Dwm sydd clerk yn y Llan heddyw ydoedd hi. Morgan yr offeiriad oedd Virtue." Jenkin being asked whether the David Nicholas men- tioned in the song was the bard of Aberpergwm, replied Nage, Dio Lwyn Gwladus (a farm in the same parish) oedd hwnw. Yr un tylwyth oedd y ddau. Ve vu'r bardd Darydd Nicholas yn cadw ysgol yn y Llan. A gwr o'r parthau hyn ydoedd eve. Ve vu hen-dadcu y gwr sydd yn awr yn y Gelli yn yr ysgol gydag ev, a llawer eraill o hen bobl y plwyv. Y Mari Thomas a enwir yn y canu oedd verch i'r 'feiriad; hi briodws yr Emmunds o'r Bontvaen. The parish registers confirm throughout the sayings of this old man. The Rev. Morgan Thomas was vicar from A.D. 1707 to A.D. 1763. The baptism of "fair Mary Thomas" is thus recorded—" Maria filia Morgani Thomas et Tabitha; Jones bap. fuit 24to die Martii 1712-13;"—her marriage thus— "Thomas Edmunds paroehia: de Lantrithyd et Maria Thomas de Langonwyd in matrimonio conjuncti fuerunt vicessimo primo die 7 bris 38." In a different hand, and paler ink, before the worJ. Thomas" is inserted an L., probably to intimate that the maniage was by license also between the words Of Edmunds" and" paTochise," in the same hand and ink, the three letters gen" are inserted above, with a caret underneath. One fact is elicited from this date, that the song was composed anterior to 1738, the marriage of fair Man- Thomas. The death of this lady is thus inserted—" Mrs. Edmunds, mother of the late Colonel Edmunds, of Cowbridge, and daughter of the Rev. Mr. Thomas, of Maesgadlor, and late vicar of this parish, was buried here on Sunday, the 18th day of February, 1798. She then lived with Doctor Sanders at Bridgend." The marriage of Mar- garet or Peggy," who took refuge in Pedair Erw," is also thus recorded—" William Bevan, carpenter, of Croft yr Evail, in the middle hamlet of the parish of Langonwyd, and Margaret Lewis, spinster, living in a certain house called Maescadlawr, were married in this Church 26th day of November, 1751, by me, Morgan Thomas, vicar of Langonwyd." Respecting Nanny Hutton, the subjoined extracts are made from the registers—"Anna filia Bartholomei Hutton et Janse William bap. fuit decimo terlio die 8 bris 1717." Again, 2dus, Bartholomeus filius Jonis Hutton vicc. ibid. et Ceeilite Griffith bapt. fuit U Augusti, 1670." From these two tran- scripts it would appear that Nanny Hutton was the grand. daughter of the Rev. John Hutton, vicar of the parish of Llan- gynwyd, from A.D. 1662 (when the Rev. Samuel Jones, of Bryn Llywarch Vawr, was expelled for non-conformity) to Dec., A.D. 1705. Coed y Pare, Coed y Ceven, Pedair Erw, names of places which occur in the song, are well known by those names this day. Baidan is the name of one of the hamlets or divisions of the parish. A chapel called" Capel Baidan," built by the families of Ceven Ydva and Tondu, is now in ruins. Of Cil- daudy, another name that occurs there, it may be mentioned that it was one of the first-if not the very first—place of dis- senting worship in Wales. The Rev. Samuel Jones, M.A., vicar of Llangynwyd, was one of those clergy who refused to sign the Act of Uniformity (which was enforced the 22d August, 1662), and he established a meeting-house at Cildaudy; and at his residence, in Bryn Llywarch Vawr, in the same parish, opened a school, which was- the first non-conformist school in Wales. The song of Maescadlawr is not composed in the fet- ters of cynghanedd, although every Welsh bard revels in cyng- hanedd as far as possible. The rhyme, in one or two places, appears rugged for instance, in the seventh verse gyllell rhymes with difaeth, but the common Dimetian pronunciation of the word (now spelt cylleZi) is cylle<A. And in the first verse unsut rhymes with Llangynwyd. Now the word sut, i. e., form, man- ner, condition, &c., is pronounced as though written shwd. This sut, in the common salutation, Sut YT IIch chwi? Hew are you ? is pronounced as though spelt shwd, and the. rhyme would be thus to the ear— Llangynwyd unshwd. William, the rhymer of Aber, who sang the humourous history of the terrible spirit which troubled the house of Pentre, in the parish of Llangynwyd, writes thus— Daeth ysbryd berodd arswyd I ganol plwyv Llangynwyd, Er dychryn llu—os bu e'n bod O'r chwerwa' erio'd a welwyd Tl:' names of most of the parishes in Wales have suffered grefuiy from mis-spelling—no parish more so than Llangynwyd. In the return of all the clergy, &c., in this diocese, to Anthony Kitchen, bishop of Llandaff, A.D. 1560 (printed in Browne Willis, LIandaft., A.D. 1718), it is stated—" John ap Morgan, clerke, vicar of Langenowde, in the sayd dioces, is not resydent." In 1662, the Rev. John Hutton, who succeeded the non-con- forming Samuel Jones, writes thus-" Registru Paroch de Llan- gonwyd restauratum (a significant word when we regard the date) fuit Johannem Hutton vicarium anno regni regis ni Caroli 2de decimo quarto Anog.Dni 1662." Another incumbent writes —" Registrum Paroch de Llangonwyd imhoatum fuit pt. me Thomas Edmunds ibidem vicarium 19 die Aprilis anno regni rpginse nostras annae quarto Annog. Dom. 1706." Again—" Re- gister De Paroehia Llangynwyd one thousand seven hundred sixty and one." Browne Willis, in 1718, writes "Hangonwyd." During the incumbency of the Rev. John Parry the word was written variously-Llangonwyd, Llangynoyd—sometimes with a double L, sometimes with a single L, and sometimes Llangynwyd. Carlisle, in his Topo. Diet. of Wales, 1811, writes Llangynwyd Fawr." On the Iron Chest, provided accordpg to the Act 52 Geo. 3, c. 146 (1812) the word is spelt GYNWYD. In Bonedd y Saint, My v. Arch. vol. 2, p. 37, we read— "Kynwyd St.—Llangynwyd Fawr Morg." And this, doubt- less, is the proper way to spell the word, the Church being de- dicated to St. Cynwyd. Professor Rees, in his Welsh Saints, pp. 208-270, says-" Cynwyd Cynwydion, the son of Cynfelyn ab Garthwys, "as a saint of the congregation ot Cattwg, and is presumed to be the founder of Llangynwyd Fawr Glam." Clydno Eiddyn, Cynan, Cynfelyn Drwsgl, and Cadrod, sons of Cynwyd Cynwydion," &c. Within half a mile of the Parish Church, is a farm called Bryn Cynan. Was it ever the property or residence of Cynan the son of Cynwyd ? The present learned Archdeacon of Llandaff addresses the churchwardens of the parish as of Llangynwyd." This is as it should be, and it is hoped that henceforth old St. Cynwyd will have his due, and that we shall no more see such unintelligible, unmeaning, un- translateable gibberish as Langonoyd, &c. Yours truly, Llan. Vicarage, 15th Sept. R. & M. To the Editor of the Cardiff and Merthyr Guardian. SIR,—Having attended to witness the exhibition of Stock, &c., for premiums given by the Glamorganshire Agricultural Society at Cowbridge on Tuesday last, I felt great surprise to find so small a number of cattle exhibited; there were a few good things shewn certainly, but upon the whole it was a meagre exhibition. It is said that the premiums are too small to tempt competitors to come to the place of meeting from any distance. My surprise, however, did not end here, for at the dinner and meeting I was astonished to find such an extraordi- nary absence of the landed proprietors of the county there was the talented and never-failing Vice-President of the Society, 1\lr. Bruce Pryce, presiding in the chair, it is true, Supported on his left by the High Sheriff of the county, and on the right by the Rev. Robert Knight, and one of the members of the House of Aberpergwm; but where were the Members of Parliament for and connected with the county ? not one of whom was there. It was said that their recent dismissal from a long, and more than an ordinarily laborious Session, fonned a sufficient reason why they should be elsewhere, indulging in relaxation. Well, be it so; but where were the most of those, whose mansions and broad lands form such imposing and important features in the far-famed vale of Glamorgan ? There was a strong muster of farmers, assembled, no doubt, in the full expectation of being cheered by the presence and countenance, and enlightened by the intelligence of their landlords, and of learning something for their mutual benefit. The few, however, who did attend, played their parts 10 admirably well, that the evening passed off most agreeably the Chairman, Mr. Knight, and Mr. Williams, addressed the meeting at considerable length, and communicated much in- formation upon agriculture, which their reading, travelling, and practical experience enabled them to do. They courted and induced discussion, and a very animated one ensued upon many practical poi.its, in which the able SecreUuar of the Society, with Mr. Garsed, and Mr. Perkins, ofTttonknash, joined and the meeting, upon the whole, proved both énter- taining and interesting. The Committee for arranging the amount of the premiums to be awarded for the ensuing year, is doubtless composed of «fficivnt members of the society but I thus take leave, most respectfully, to suggest the propriety of their adding to the amount of the prizes to be competed for, their funds being, I •m told, sufficiently ample for the purpose. In the same spirit Of humility, I venture to suggest to the proprietors of Glamor- gan's fair lands, the great benefit that would result from their chtcring their tenantry by meeting them upon such occasions at the one just past; and by their advice and example, to induce and stimulate them to renewed exertions in the cultiva- tion of the soil. Gentlemen who have great capital invested in mercantile affairs, are ever active and watchful of their inte- rests, and bv their constant watchfulness and vigilance in protecting and promoting that interest, they increase their opulence and influence. Agriculture now cries aloud for help, and if the landowners the legitimate supporters of that totter- ing interest, will not unite every means in their power, and Mtrt their best energies towards its relief, it is plain they will, by and by, feel most sensibly, in the loss of their rents, the Mrious consequence of their negligence. I am, Sir, Your most obedient humble servant, A SMALL FARMER. SepWmbc 24th, 1845. To the Editoi of the Cardiff and Merthyr Guardian. 8m,—Will you, with your accustomed liberality, give in- sertion, if possible, in your next publication, to the following very rare natural curiosity. On the morning of the 18th inst<int, as Mr. Hellicar's ware- bouwmau was perambulating (according to custom) his exten- live bacon and flour establishment in Skinner-street, in this town, he discovered, to his great amazement, in a trap, a purely White rat, with the exception of a delicate line of black, which utellded from its ncse to the extreme end of its tail. It was handed over forthwith to the able hands of our curious townsman, Mr. Chas. Napper, who will doubtless preserve it with his accustomed skill. I have been credibly informed this morning, that it is intended for Lewis Edwards, Esquire's thoice little museum of natural curiosities at Brynhjfrid tieutt, near Newport. I am, Sir, Your obedient servant, ZOOLQOYCCS, iStWfM, Septewbej 24th, 1845

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