Brynddu Caeau Cymru

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-This diary is a priceless record of

-the landscape of a corner of Wales.

-This time, we visit Anglesey and

-this book will be our cornerstone.

-Welcome to Caeau Cymru.

-This series takes us

-around the whole of Wales...

-..in our quest to uncover

-the history of field names.

-With help from farmers and experts,

-I try to unlock the secrets...

-..of the hidden history

-of the Welsh countryside.

-Dr Rhian Parry, the

-landscape historian, is by my side.

-Our journey begins

-at Bangor University Archives.

-It's not unusual for us

-to look at a Tithe map, Rhian...

-..but this one

-is different from the norm.

-We also have a diary here,

-but tell me about the map first.

-It's a map of Brynddu estate,

-on Anglesey.

-It was created in 1773...

-..and it shows the farms

-which formed the Brynddu estate.

-The diary

-was written by William Bulkeley.

-In it, he often describes...

-..what was happening

-in the fields...

-..and how he created those fields

-in the first place.

-We tend to assume fields have always

-been there, but that's not the case.

-Boundaries were set out and fields

-were created in the 18th century.

-The diary takes us through

-that process, step by step.

-The Llanfechell area of Anglesey

-is under our microscope this time.

-In addition to Brynddu...

-..we'll also visit Brynclyni farm

-and Coedan farm.

-We can see on the 1878 estate map...

-..that these farms

-were part of Brynddu estate.

-There are fascinating fields there

-which are well worth a visit.

-Records of field names

-on the maps are sparse.

-That's why William Bulkeley's

-diaries are so crucial to our story.

-He was born in 1691...

-..and a house has stood

-on this site since the 17th century.

-The influential

-Bulkeley family's ancestry...

-..can be traced back

-to the Middle Ages.

-Emlyn Richards, a local author...

-..tells me more

-about William Bulkeley.

-There's something very endearing

-about William Bulkeley, the diarist.

-It's a real pleasure

-to read about his life story.

-The majority of the old squires

-lived pretty soulless lives.

-They did nothing but drink all day

-and go on trips to London.

-But this one was home,

-on his estate.

-He had a great relationship

-with people.

-When he went to Beaumaris

-and attended the Sessions there...

-..he sat there for a week

-and he enjoyed himself...

-..in the company

-of the great and the good.

-And yet, he could return home

-to Llanfechell...

-..and feel equally at ease

-among the poor people here.

-He felt so comfortable here...

-..he called everyone in Llanfechell

-by their nicknames.

-Can you tell me how he went about

-improving the quality of the land?

-In the 18th century,

-all the land around here was boggy.

-It yielded very little.

-William was a very innovative man.

-He was forward-thinking.

-He was a pioneer who always

-wanted to sample something new.

-He fertilized this land.

-He advised every tenant to do that.

-Above all, he was the wall erector.

-He was the man who created

-the first fields in this area.

-These walls

-didn't appear here like magic.

-William Bulkeley and his men

-built them all.

-They created fields

-and gave them some wonderful names.

-Rhian, we've heard quite a bit about

-William Bulkeley and his diaries.

-We can now see his handiwork.

-Yes. We've just walked

-from Cae'r Coed to Cae Coch.

-We see here some of handiwork

-of William Bulkeley.

-He improved the land.

-He opened a deep ditch

-and built a bank beside it...

-..using the soil he dug

-to create the ditch for the bank.

-The soil must have been wet.

-The soil must have been wet.

-

-Yes. It was poor quality land.

-It was claggy land

-and it was very open too.

-It's hard to imagine this

-as open land.

-He talks in his diaries

-about animals wandering...

-..and the trouble he had when they

-gained access to his crops.

-It was vital to open ditches

-to drain away the surface water...

-..to build walls and to then

-go ahead and improve the soil.

-The field behind me is called

-Cae'r Coed - Field Of Trees.

-It's sloping ground...

-..so he opened a drain

-rather than a ditch here.

-These drains were very deep.

-They're not visible today,

-but they are there.

-They carry water down the slope to

-a ditch at the bottom of the field.

-They're in working order?

-They're in working order?

-

-They work perfectly.

-As part of his efforts

-to improve the land...

-..William Bulkeley imported trees

-from Ireland.

-Blackthorns and hawthorns

-to plant in the hedges...

-..and trees to protect the estate

-from strong winds.

-He also planted cowslips in the

-fields, as cows loved to eat them.

-He certainly was an

-agricultural pioneer in many ways.

-Robin Grove-White, a descendent of

-William Bulkeley, lives in Brynddu.

-Do the diaries have any influence

-on your life here today?

-Do they help you

-understand the land?

-Yes.

-The diaries

-are very important to my family.

-We certainly feel William Bulkeley's

-spirit at the heart of our home...

-..here in Brynddu.

-The diaries contain wonderful detail

-about life in Llanfechell...

-..during the 18th century.

-William also writes in great detail

-about life at Brynddu itself.

-These diaries

-conjure up some very vivid images.

-Are you proud of the diaries?

-Yes, I'm extremely proud of them.

-William Bulkeley

-was an extraordinary character.

-His writings

-strengthen my understanding...

-..of my connection with Brynddu.

-On we go to Brynclyni farm,

-in search of a field name...

-..which has been lost

-during the past few centuries.

-You have some detective work for us.

-You have some detective work for us.

-

-Yes.

-We're armed with diary entries

-which refer to Cae'r Iarlles.

-William Bulkeley writes about

-the agricultural practices there...

-..and this is

-an excellent example of that.

-"Today, I begin to open

-The Great Ditch...

-..betwixt Cae'r Iarlles

-and Cae Maen Arthur."

-We're standing in Cae Maen Arthur.

-There's certainly

-a substantial ditch here.

-It's reasonable to assume

-that Cae'r Iarlles...

-..is the field

-on the other side of the hedge.

-We've located

-a perviously lost field.

-Should we be excited? Have we made

-a significant discovery?

-Yes, I think so.

-This field name was lost

-for a long period of time.

-We now know the exact location

-of Cae'r Iarlles.

-As we see on our digital map...

-..our journey has taken us

-from Brynddu to Brynclyni.

-Following the detailed descriptions

-in William Bulkeley's diaries...

-..and The Great Ditch he dug

-alongside Cae Maen Arthur...

-..we found Cae'r Iarlles.

-No record of it existed

-on any map...

-..but we can now pinpoint the exact

-location of Cae'r Iarlles...

-..and The Great Ditch.

-We owe a huge debt of gratitude...

-..to researchers like Dafydd Wiliam

-for their thorough work.

-Your work made it possible for us...

-..to discover

-the location of Cae'r Iarlles.

-We were up there in the fields

-very recently.

-Can you tell me

-how you went about...

-..carrying out your research

-on the diaries?

-I've known about these diaries

-for many years...

-..and I must have read them

-cover-to-cover at least ten times.

-During that process, I extracted

-all manner of things from them...

-..but searching for something

-specific was a laborious task.

-Two years ago, I decided to arrange

-the content of the diaries...

-..under various headings.

-Farming was one of those headings.

-The majority of the diaries'

-content comes under that heading.

-If you wanted to write a book

-in the future, it's all organized.

-You mentioned Cae'r Iarlles -

-Countess's Field.

-The name sounds medieval...

-..but we have no idea

-who this countess was.

-However, it's an enchanting name

-and we can now locate the field.

-When you go to a field

-which has a specific name...

-..you feel a tingle

-go down your spine...

-..and you feel

-a sense of understanding.

-The mysteries which surround our

-field names fire the imagination.

-Time can alter names

-and some even disappear.

-Finding the location of Cae'r

-Iarlles has given something back...

-..even if we don't know

-who or what the countess was.

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-We move on to our third location...

-..a stone's throw

-from Brynddu and Brynclyni.

-We've moved on to Coedan farm.

-There's a link between

-William Bulkeley and this place...

-..but we're going back even further.

-Yes, we'll go back

-400 years further.

-The name Coedan was recorded

-on the Extent of 1352.

-What is the Extent?

-What is the Extent?

-

-It's a survey.

-The Extent was a survey by the crown

-to discover who owned what lands.

-This place is ancient, in that case.

-This place is ancient, in that case.

-

-Yes.

-You can feel it, when you look down

-at the old buildings.

-It feels almost like

-an ancient village.

-Yes, it was an old township.

-Coedan and the surrounding landscape

-are important in ancient history.

-That history lives on

-through the current owners...

-..Liz and Wyn Rogers.

-Liz and Wyn,

-are you interested in field names?

-Yes. I think it's important

-to preserve field names.

-Liz, do you agree?

-Yes. I really fear these names will

-be lost through the IACS scheme...

-..and people will use numbers

-instead of the names.

-I think it's important

-for every farming family...

-..to make sure these names survive

-into the future.

-Do you use them on a daily basis?

-Do you use them on a daily basis?

-

-Yes.

-That's how we refer to the fields.

-They're part of Coedan.

-What field names on your farm

-fire the imagination?

-Do any of them grab you?

-Yes. This place is a good example.

-Llain Cywion - Chicks' Tract.

-Another strip of land is called

-Llain Gwsberies - Gooseberry Tract.

-It was full of gooseberry bushes

-in the 1950s...

-..but we started to keep sheep there

-and the gooseberries vanished!

-Wyn, have you been interested

-in names since you were little?

-No, I wasn't interested

-when I was young...

-..but you take more notice of things

-as you get older.

-This is Cae 'Sgubor - Barn Field

-because the barn's right there.

-William Bulkeley mentions this field

-in his diaries.

-In what context?

-He wrote about building walls here

-and improving the soil.

-He also carried lime and sand

-from Benllech to this place.

-He brought it around the sea

-into Cemmaes Bay then on to here.

-He scattered it on the land.

-To loosen the soil.

-It's exciting to read about

-the history of these fields...

-..in William Bulkeley's diaries...

-..but your research takes us

-one step further back in time.

-Yes, we Googled the name Coedan...

-..and we discovered it's mentioned

-in The Red Book Of Hergest...

-..which is stored

-in Jesus College, Oxford.

-A poem by Mab Y Clochyddyn,

-written in 1351, mentions Coedan.

-You can see it clearly

-in the manuscript.

-What's the link between the poem

-and this piece of land?

-It's a poem written by

-Mab Y Clochyddyn for Gwenhwyfar...

-..who was the wife of Hywel ap Tudur

-ap Gruffydd of Coedan.

-The poet praises her

-for her generosity in his poem.

-She apparently gave the poet

-wine, clothes and food...

-..and he repaid her

-by writing this poem.

-In the first verse,

-he mentions Mynydd Mechell...

-..then he mentions Trum,

-which is behind me here.

-The poet also refers to Gwenhwyfar

-as a Lady From Anglesey.

-"Generous Lady from Mechell was she

-"We lamented her passing

-"A sorrowful collection are we

-"A humble, brilliant beauty

-With goodly grace

-"Fair and just, she shared her wine

-"Boldly I shouted

-And toiled with my voice

-"A clear, poignant cry

-Which carries echoes of the past

-"A poet cannot fend off

-The power of missing her

-"A considerate lady

-From the Trum area

-"Wise, beautiful, noble woman

-"Sprightly, delicate Gwenhwyfar

-With rose-like cheeks

-"Enormous and intense distress

-For the passing of an Anglesey lady

-"In whom we had unswerving faith."

-It's one thing to discuss

-William Bulkeley's diaries...

-..which mention this place

-back in 1734.

-This poem goes back so much further.

-This poem goes back so much further.

-

-Yes, and it's so important to us.

-It's really made us stop and think.

-We often look out of the window

-at night...

-..and see the moon over Trum.

-These poets saw the same sight

-all those years ago.

-Wyn, you've brought me to a field

-which has a glorious name.

-Yes. This is Cae Lloriau.

-It's a 26 acre piece of land.

-Finished cattle

-do really well in this field.

-Why is it called

-Cae Lloriau - Floor Field?

-I can only pass on

-what my grandfather told me.

-It's linked to the floors

-of the buildings.

-You can split this rock.

-Every building has a floor

-made of pieces of this rock...

-..and that's why

-it's called Cae Lloriau.

-They came up here,

-quarried the stone...

-..split it

-and used it for the floors.

-When would that have been?

-When would that have been?

-

-The old barn is 800 years old.

-That gives you an idea

-of the timeframe.

-You were born and raised here.

-You must have lots of stories

-about the place.

-I remember sheep being washed in

-the river before they were sheared.

-That was in the 1950s.

-We played on these rocks,

-as children.

-Coedan is mentioned in the diaries

-and in the Red Book Of Hergest.

-How does it make you feel

-to know your home is famous?

-It's interesting.

-As I get older, I appreciate the

-history of this place more and more.

-I love it and I'm learning things

-all the time.

-I wish I'd learned more about it

-when I was younger.

-It's fascinating.

-June 12th, 1736.

-"My people all this week carrying

-of sand from Cemmaes...

-..to put on Cae'r Lloriau."

-December 2nd, 1736.

-"Today, my servants began to plough

-Cae'r Lloriau in Coedan...

-..which was sanded last summer."

-August 7th, 1737.

-"Have 13 reapers today

-at Cae'r Lloriau."

-Reading William Bulkeley's words

-here, in Cae'r Lloriau...

-..makes me feel that his voice

-is reaching out to me...

-..across the centuries.

-Discovering William Bulkeley

-has been a real eye-opener for me.

-Without his diaries,

-we'd know very little.

-We'd know next to nothing,

-based on the existing Tithe maps.

-The detailed descriptions

-in the diaries...

-..tell us what he did,

-step by step...

-..as he took a scientific approach

-to developing this land.

-We also catch a glimpse

-of his vision, through the diaries.

-They allow us to recognize

-the difference...

-..between the landscape in the

-18th century and what we see today.

-It's fitting to give

-William Bulkeley the final word.

-He wrote this on April 3rd, 1734.

-"Cold and windy all day.

-Dark and cloudy."

-"Nothing besides worth mentioning."

-S4C subtitles by Eirlys A Jones

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