Llanfihangel-ar-Arth Caeau Cymru

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-Let's begin

-by looking at the Tithe maps.

-Where will you take us

-this week, Rhian?

-To Penlan farm, which lies between

-Llandysul and Llanfihangel-ar-arth.

-It's an interesting area,

-historically and archaeologically.

-What about the field names?

-What about the field names?

-

-They're equally interesting.

-Each one has a tale to tell

-and here are a few interesting ones.

-Cae'r Odyn, Cae Pistyll

-and Cae Bola Hawl.

-Bola Hawl is a strange name.

-There's also Cae Lilley here.

-Are they good stories?

-Are they good stories?

-

-Yes, including a tale about a wolf.

-Really? Will we be safe?

-Really? Will we be safe?

-

-Well, who knows!

-Arwyn and Lydia Williams

-are the farmers in Penlan.

-Arwyn has been here for 60 years...

-..and he has a keen interest

-in field names.

-Names which are steeped in history.

-Arwyn, have you always

-farmed here, in Penlan?

-Yes. For the past 60 years anyway.

-Did the previous people

-list the field names for you?

-Yes. We bought the farm

-from a brother and sister.

-The sister lived here for a year.

-Her house in Llandysul

-was occupied.

-She told us a lot of the stories

-linked to the land.

-We would have heard some of them

-from our neighbours too.

-Farmers knew the names

-of next door's fields...

-..because we all helped each other.

-We knew where everything was

-and we knew the field names.

-We used the names constantly.

-The brother and sister

-who owned the farm...

-..had heard all the stories

-from their family?

-Yes. They were raised here.

-One of the Penlan fields

-is called Cae Lilley.

-That field is linked to an urn.

-Can you tell me the story?

-Jams went to plough the field,

-as he'd done many times before.

-They'd had a lot of rain and

-he hadn't been up there for days.

-He hit the urn and he came back,

-as white as a sheet.

-They called the police, the council

-and the curator from Carmarthen.

-They dug the urn out

-and it drew a crowd from Llandysul!

-It was 3,000 years old,

-though it contained small bones.

-They weren't human remains.

-I think it contained rabbit bones.

-I don't know, but it must have been

-someone important.

-How big was it?

-How big was it?

-

-It's the biggest urn in Wales.

-Who was buried there?

-There's nothing here.

-There was nothing anywhere.

-It's old, isn't it?

-The urn was discovered in 1938

-by Jams Davies...

-..the previous owner of Penlan farm.

-The urn dates back to the

-Bronze Age, around 3,000 years ago.

-It is currently on display

-at Bishop's Palace, Carmarthen...

-..the home of the county museum.

-There's a burial place here.

-In the middle of the Bronze Age...

-..they would burn the body and take

-the bones of one person, usually...

-..and place them in an urn

-similar to that one.

-It would be buried

-next to a smaller urn...

-..containing food for the journey.

-They would then create

-a mound of soil above it...

-..on which

-they sometimes laid stones.

-It disappeared a long time ago

-from this site.

-Why bury an urn

-in a field on a hill?

-For a very good reason.

-The climate was very mild

-in the middle of the Bronze Age.

-In Wales, people took advantage

-of the opportunity...

-..to leave the coastal areas

-and head up, into the uplands.

-They capitalized on fresh land

-which had remained uncultivated.

-They also selected

-this particular location...

-..because you can see the tops of

-the hills all around you.

-You can follow the hilltops

-with your eyes in a complete circle.

-It forms a ring around you.

-Do we know who these people were?

-It was thought they were people

-referred to as the Beaker People...

-..because of the shapes of the urns

-in which they buried their dead.

-It's now seen as unlikely

-that a large number of them...

-..descended on our shores

-and settled here.

-It's thought they influenced us...

-..through people gathering

-to trade goods.

-If we use our imagination

-and ignore the hedges...

-..we can imagine an open fire...

-..with people gathered around it

-for a burial ceremony.

-Yes, we can imagine these things

-in the absence of any evidence.

-It's important

-to use your imagination.

-The landscape was important to them.

-If we look at our map...

-..we'll get an idea of the fields

-surrounding Penlan farmhouse.

-Some of the names listed

-on the Tithe map are still in use...

-..and others have been changed.

-Cae Pistyll and Cae'r Odyn

-are original names...

-..but Cae Lilley,

-where the urn was discovered...

-..is listed in the schedules

-as Cae Cely.

-Cely may be

-a corrupted form of Lilley.

-There's a fascinating story

-behind the name Lilley.

-Local historian, David Thorne,

-knows all about it.

-We're sitting in Cae Lilley.

-What's the story behind the name?

-Lilley is the name of a person.

-We can make a direct link

-between the name Lilley...

-..and a real person.

-Lilley was a villain

-from Pembrokeshire.

-He was imprisoned

-in Haverfordwest...

-..but he managed to escape

-while he was awaiting deportation.

-He went on the run and he ended up

-here, in Llanfihangel-ar-arth...

-..where he met the

-equally villainous Captain Owens.

-Lilley was shot by Captain Owens

-and he was buried in this field.

-They say Lilley's ghost

-still wanders around this land.

-Captain Owens was prosecuted

-for murder and he was hanged.

-As the legend spread

-through word of mouth...

-..the name changed from Lilley

-to Lili Wen.

-Nantlais, the poet, was a minister

-in Llanfihangel-ar-arth.

-He refers to

-the legend of Lili Wen...

-..in one of his

-autobiographical essays.

-Apparently, the ghost of Lili Wen...

-..appeared regularly

-on Alltwalis hill.

-One of the local boys decided to

-challenge the ghost one night.

-Out he went, wielding an axe.

-He felt the need to be armed,

-in case of emergency.

-And that was the last anyone heard

-of the ghost of Lili Wen...

-..but the legend lives on,

-especially here in Cae Lilley.

-Arwyn, you've lived in Penlan

-for almost 60 years.

-You must have seen

-countless changes.

-Yes. Incredible changes.

-The biggest change has happened

-during harvesting time.

-A crowd would come and help with the

-harvest but there's nothing today.

-There would be a full house

-here to eat meals.

-The women worked hard.

-The pace of life was slower.

-There was plenty of time

-to get everything done.

-It's all changed.

-When I was a boy,

-horses did the work.

-Two loads done by lunch,

-two more done by tea...

-..and two done by milking.

-We did everything by hand.

-We used a pick, a shovel,

-a pitchfork and a wheelbarrow.

-What's been the biggest improvement?

-The tractors on the farm

-are the biggest improvement.

-The milking machine too.

-Everyone sold milk,

-even if they only had three cows.

-You don't see that any more.

-The milk tanker signalled the end

-for small dairy farms like us.

-It wasn't worth their while.

-We often hear people say

-the characters have disappeared.

-Nonsense!

-There are still

-people like Arwyn around.

-Something about Llanfihangel-ar-arth

-must attract them.

-The story of Lilley being killed

-by Captain Owens in that field...

-..itself proves that the legend

-of the ghost of Lilley is alive.

-Who knows what might

-have happened...

-..had that lad not tackled

-the ghost of Lili Wen with an axe!

-Maybe the ghost

-would still be with us.

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-So far, we've heard a handful of

-stories relating to Penlan fields...

-..and there's more to come.

-One field is linked

-to a fierce creature...

-..which roamed the land

-before fields existed.

-First, a field linked to a farming

-tradition which vanished long ago.

-David, here we are

-in Cae'r Odyn - Oast Field.

-What was an oast?

-It was a primitive but effective

-kiln which was used to dry grain.

-It included a deep ditch

-which was five or six metres long...

-..with a firepit built

-at one end of it.

-At the other end, there would be

-a fragile, thatched timber building.

-That would be the drying room.

-A kiln cloth

-would be draped over the roof...

-..and the grain

-was placed on this cloth to dry.

-Would it be dynamic, visually, with

-the huge fire and all that smoke?

-Yes, but the stoker

-controlled the smoke.

-Excessive smoke

-would ruin the grain.

-He was responsible for controlling

-the intensity of the fire.

-He was also responsible

-for drying the grain...

-..and he would collect the

-dried grain and take it to the mill.

-Remains of Medieval oasts

-have been discovered...

-..and field oasts were used

-in this area until around 1850.

-The mills then started to offer

-a service of drying grain...

-..and grinding it into flour.

-That was more convenient

-for the farmer.

-Do records tell us

-how much grain was dried here?

-The work of carrying out

-an 1801 government survey...

-..was given to local bishops,

-who passed it on to local priests.

-The records collected here,

-in Llanfihangel-ar-arth...

-..includes a note added by a priest

-before handing it to the bishop.

-In it, he expressed doubts...

-..that the figures given to him

-by local farmers are accurate.

-The reason for that being

-they feared their taxes would rise.

-Nothing much changes

-in the farming world!

-Arwyn, we've come

-to another part of the farm.

-The land slopes sharply

-to the valley from here.

-What are the names of these fields?

-This is Pen Yr Allt Goch -

-Top Of the Red Hill.

-This field is at the top of

-the red hill, or oak tree hill.

-The leaves turn red in the autumn.

-The leaves change colour?

-The leaves change colour?

-

-Yes. They're red in the autumn.

-You're so interested

-in field names...

-..you went to the National Library

-to see the Tithe Maps.

-Yes, but I'd forgotten my glasses

-and it was dark in there...

-..but I saw lots of field names

-on my farm and on nearby farms.

-Before you saw the Tithe Maps,

-what did you call this field?

-Cae Bach Uwchben Yr Allt -

-Small Field Above The Hill.

-The Tithe Maps show it's called

-Cae'r Hiw, so we changed the name.

-Has the land improved,

-thanks to these modern chemicals?

-Yes, we farm more animals

-which produce more manure.

-The fields of Wales

-are improving all the time.

-Yes. It's honest land.

-If you don't give,

-you won't receive.

-That's very true.

-If you don't give,

-you won't receive.

-Looking at our map, we can see

-the location of Cae'r Hiw...

-..the old name

-which Arwyn has adopted.

-This field is on a slope...

-..so Cae'r Hiw may be a corrupted

-form of Cae Rhiw - Hill Field.

-Adjacent to it are Cae Pistyll,

-Cae'r Banc and Cae'r Odyn.

-Three names which have survived

-since the days of the Tithe Maps.

-At the foot of the valley,

-below Pen Yr Allt Goch...

-..there's another field

-with an interesting name.

-Arwyn called it Dol Gyferbyn A

-Phant Y Croen in the past...

-..but Arwyn has now gone back

-to the old name - Cae Bola Hawl.

-Having spoken to Arwyn, I realize

-there are some unusual names here.

-Cae Bola Hawl is a strange name.

-Yes, and it's likely to be...

-..a case of the recorder

-of the Tithe Maps mishearing it.

-The correct spelling is likely to be

-Cae Bola Haul - Sun Bathed Field.

-The sun shines on this field

-all day long.

-In other circles, you may see names

-like Bryn Golau - Light Hill...

-..in an area which is

-exposed to the sunshine.

-The name of the next field...

-..is linked to the fierce animal

-I mentioned earlier.

-Cledwyn Fychan has written a book

-about this creature...

-..which vanished from Wales

-500 years ago.

-Cledwyn, this field

-is known as Cae Bribwll by Arwyn.

-What does bribwll mean?

-Bribwll is the oral form

-of bleiddbwll - wolf pit.

-If you look back

-at the old documents...

-..you'll see the term bleiddbwll

-is used every time.

-The wolf pit was quite a deep pit

-which was dug in the ground...

-..with the aim of catching wolves.

-It was by no means easy to catch

-a wolf, not even with a deep pit.

-The mouth of the pit was concealed

-with twigs and leaves...

-..in the hope that the wolf

-would wander across it...

-..and fall into the pit.

-Something you did have in those

-days were tree-covered gorges.

-But the higher ground such as this

-was more open...

-..and hunters

-would stay on areas like this...

-..watching the movements

-of all their pray.

-Animals such as deer and so on.

-That's why they dug wolf pits

-in places like this.

-Were wolves such a problem for

-humans that we had to kill them?

-The indigenous Welsh people weren't

-concerned about the wolf.

-They were quite tolerant of them,

-as we now are of foxes.

-They did no more than

-keep their numbers under control.

-The Normans enjoyed hunting,

-so they wanted to protect deer.

-They were responsible for making

-the wolf extinct within our shores.

-The only time the wolf was really

-dangerous was when it had rabies.

-A wolf with rabies

-lost its fear of humans completely.

-In the year 1166, a wolf suffering

-from rabies entered Carmarthen.

-It bit 18 people,

-most of whom later died.

-Why is the wolf a creature

-which captures the imagination?

-It's a very noble creature.

-In ancient times...

-..when the old Welsh people

-described princes and heroes...

-..they'd compare them

-to the fearless wolf.

-Children were named after the wolf.

-For example, the name Bleddyn means

-a member of the wolf's family.

-Arwyn's grandson

-was raised near Cae'r Bribwll.

-Daniel Williams is part of

-a new generation of Welsh farmers.

-He understands the value

-of field names and heritage.

-Are you familiar with the names

-of the fields on the farm?

-Yes. I know them all.

-Does it mean more than

-just a practical tool to you?

-Yes. There's a story

-behind many of the names.

-It's interesting to know

-why they were given their names.

-Are these names valuable...

-..or should we let them go

-and forget all about them?

-No, we mustn't forget them.

-If we don't use these names,

-no-one will know the history.

-Cae Lilley is my favourite because

-I've heard so many stories about it.

-What sort of worker is he?

-What sort of worker is he?

-

-A hard worker, like his grandmother.

-Does he know all the names?

-Yes. He's a good boy.

-We've almost seen the whole farm.

-Yes. Most of it.

-What fields do we have here?

-Cae Bach Yr Arad and Fron Newydd.

-Cae Bach Yr Arad and Fron Newydd.

-

-Is there a story behind the names?

-Cae Bach Yr Arad -

-small field of the plough...

-..isn't the correct name,

-according to the Tithe Maps.

-David Thorne said

-it's the shape of a plough.

-It's the same shape

-as the ploughshare.

-Yes - that's right.

-The ploughshare

-is the cutting blade.

-I'll change the names of the other

-fields back to their original names.

-Cae Bola Haul, Cae Rhiw

-and Cae'r Banc.

-Cae Bola Haul is beautiful.

-Do these fields mean more to you

-than a way to make a living?

-Yes, they certainly do.

-They mean the world to me.

-That may sound strange

-but they're important to me.

-Rhian, we've seen

-many interesting things at Penlan.

-Yes, it's truly fascinating.

-There's a wealth of history

-and stories here.

-The family

-is passionate about the names.

-Arwyn went to see the Tithe Maps,

-he researched the old names...

-..and he came home

-and reinstated the old names.

-It's great that someone has a keen

-interest in the names of his fields.

-The whole family

-has embraced the names.

-The important thing is

-they've passed on the information...

-..to the next generation.

-S4C subtitles by Eirlys A Jones

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