Trawsfynydd Caeau Cymru

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-The aim of this unique series is

-to explore our landscape's history.

-These fields guard many secrets

-and we want to reveal the truth.

-Welcome to Caeau Cymru.

-During the series, we travel across

-Wales to visit numerous farms.

-We discover how the landscape

-unlocks our history...

-..and I'll talk to a host of experts

-about subjects which vary...

-..from the Welsh wool industry

-to the history of Welsh wolves.

-We hear fascinating stories,

-meet colourful characters...

-..follow a collection of maps and

-marvel at our beautiful landscape.

-We see how some things have changed

-yet others remain the same.

-History is essential to our story...

-..but names are our starting point.

-The names of our fields and the use

-made of the land are very important.

-Old names like Cae Crwm and Cae Erw.

-New names like Cae Jim John

-and Cae Pickup.

-Each has its own story

-and its own history.

-It's vital

-that all these names are recorded.

-If we lose them,

-we lose a piece of our history.

-Accompanying me on my journey

-across the Welsh landscape...

-..is the expert, Rhian Parry.

-Rhian has researched the subject...

-..and she's a leading member

-of the Welsh Place-Name Society.

-Rhian, what's so exciting

-about the fields of Wales?

-For me, it's their names.

-They're interesting

-and they're beautiful.

-They can unlock history

-and they can be ancient.

-Some names date back

-to the Age Of Princes.

-If you place the names on a map

-and look at an area...

-..at more than one farm,

-in other words...

-..it reveals a great deal

-about that parish.

-It's possible to trace the names

-of fields back hundreds of years...

-..by referring to ancient documents.

-When we do that, we realize

-just how old they really are...

-..and how important it is

-to record them and protect them.

-We're in

-the National Library Of Wales...

-..to trace the history

-of field names.

-Should we start by asking farmers?

-No, start by checking

-the Tithe Maps Of Wales.

-What are they?

-Maps which were drawn as a result

-of a review commissioned in 1836.

-Tithes were a form of tax

-on possessions and produce.

-Things such as crops and animals

-which were reared on the land.

-A sum of 10% of annual profits

-was made by parishioners...

-..to support the parish church

-and its clergy.

-I can see farm names

-and a sequence of numbers.

-I can see no field names.

-I can see no field names.

-

-That's true.

-Every field is allocated a number...

-..which corresponds

-to a number in the lists.

-These lists

-make fascinating reading.

-They contain some ancient names

-dating back 600 to 700 years.

-Is this where we'll go this week?

-Yes. This is Plas Capten farm,

-Trawsfynydd.

-This farm

-has a fascinating history...

-..which dates back some 400 years.

-Gelli Iorwerth, the original name

-of this farm, was a large estate.

-In the mid-18th century,

-it was renamed Plas Capten...

-..after Captain John Morgan, who was

-born here in the 17th century.

-He lost his land

-to the Roundheads...

-..having fought for King Charles I

-during the Civil War.

-Nest Williams and her husband

-now live here.

-Some fields carry ancient names

-and others modern ones.

-Nest, are you interested

-in field names?

-Yes, I have a keen interest

-in field names.

-When I moved here...

-..I was curious about the captain

-after whom Plas Capten was named.

-When I found out that Gelli Iorwerth

-was its original name...

-..I wanted to delve deeper

-into its history.

-Is this part of the original

-Gelli Iorwerth?

-Yes, this wall is part of

-the old Gelli Iorwerth gentry house.

-What about the fields?

-Do you use their names

-or do you use numbers?

-We always use names.

-There are

-some interesting names here.

-This field was known as Cae Cefn Ty

-- Field Behind The House...

-..which makes perfect sense.

-We've always called it Cae Stalwyn -

-Stallion's Field.

-One of the fields

-registered on the Tithe Maps...

-..has a historical connection

-which dates back almost 2,000 years.

-We walked up here

-to see a special field.

-This is Cae Penstryd -

-Field At The Top Of The Street.

-It's an ancient name.

-Street refers to the street,

-or the Roman road, Sarn Helen.

-It leads across the sheep walks

-to the old Coed Y Brenin road.

-It was the main road to Dolgellau

-in Roman times.

-Do you still use the name?

-Yes. We call it Cae Penstryd.

-Let's hope the name is used forever.

-Yes. If these walls could talk,

-they'd have a tale to tell!

-South of Plas Capten,

-there was a village in Penstryd.

-It was a blacksmith's village,

-serving drovers and local farmers.

-Crossing Pen Stryd heading south

-is the Roman road, Sarn Helen.

-If we look at the map, we see

-the road's path across the valley.

-It runs along Ffridd Wen, Cae Gwyn,

-Cae Pen Stryd...

-..and past the Myddyrion fields.

-In a spot called Gilfachwen,

-which is part of Plas Capten...

-..Sarn Helen can be seen clearly.

-What we have here

-is a shelf cut into the slope.

-Nest, what is this wonder?

-We think what we have here are

-the remains of a harvest house.

-This is Cae Tai Cynhaeaf -

-Harvest Houses Field.

-That's been its name

-since ancient times.

-Apparently, this is the footprint

-of one of those houses.

-People would have sheltered from

-the elements in this tiny building.

-They did little more

-than sleep here.

-The field was their piece of land.

-How did you find these remains?

-How did you find these remains?

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-There was a stone cairn here.

-My husband was repairing these walls

-around six years ago...

-..and he cleared the cairn

-to use the stones in the walls.

-That's what he found beneath them.

-He thought it was very revealing.

-There remains of some sort of house

-at the bottom of the field...

-..but there's no slate there.

-Cae Tai Cynhaeaf

-is the ancient name.

-Yes, and we still use it today.

-On the Tithe Map,

-near Cae Tai Cynhaeaf...

-..there are several fields

-called Myddyrion, or Myfyrion.

-You use Cae Tai Cynhaeaf, but you

-don't use Myddyrion. Why not?

-Myddyrion Bach is now Cae Dan Beudy

-- Field Below The Cowshed.

-That's because cowshed and the barn

-are above this field.

-Myddyrion Ganol is now called

-Cae Mownti - Show Field.

-When my father-in-law was a boy...

-..a ploughing contest

-was held in that field.

-I also read Blas Ar Iaith Llyn

-Ac Eifionydd by Bedwyr Lewis Jones.

-In it, he lists the word 'mownti'

-and he says it means 'a show'.

-My understanding is Nefyn Show

-is known as a 'mownti' by some.

-According to Bedwyr Lewis Jones,

-if you were well turned out...

-..you were as grand

-as a mownti horse.

-There's a story and a reason

-behind every name...

-..and it's fascinating

-to unearth the facts.

-I head to Bod Y Fuddai,

-above Plas Capten....

-..to discuss prehistoric agriculture

-with John Robert, the archaeologist.

-John, you've brought me

-to Ffridd Y Siglan.

-Is this really agricultural land?

-It certainly is rough land...

-..but we know the land

-was cultivated in the past.

-It was dual-purpose land.

-The high ground

-was used as grazing land...

-..and crops were grown

-on that plateau.

-Things like oats and barley.

-In the winter, it's impossible

-to imagine people living here...

-..but many people lived

-at this high altitude in the past.

-We know this because many Iron Age

-and Roman dwellings have been found.

-Describe the remains.

-What do we have here?

-An Iron Age homestead.

-There's a cluster

-of hut circles here...

-..and there are many more remains.

-We're standing on an oval yard.

-If you look across the slopes,

-you see evidence of cultivation.

-What sort of cultivation?

-What sort of cultivation?

-

-Ridge and furrow.

-It gives us an idea

-of the way people grew crops.

-Here, we see evidence of ploughing,

-or digging perhaps.

-This site was discovered

-by the Royal Commission.

-The design of the hut group is far

-clearer in an aerial photograph.

-The round huts and the oval yard

-can be seen clearly.

-You can even see the ancient ridges.

-These sheepwalks are important.

-Yes, and they've been important

-right across the centuries.

-Man has always ploughed the land...

-..even where there's only

-a thin layer of soil.

-The ridges are very important.

-Through them, we see

-the development of agriculture...

-..through the ages.

-The experience of being up here,

-seeing this old hut group...

-..has been a real eye-opener for me.

-All I could see

-was a pile of stones...

-..but John

-unlocked the mystery for me.

-He helped me see

-the secrets behind it.

-People farmed here back then,

-as they do now...

-..and they'll continue to do so

-until the end of time.

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-Next, I'll visit Yr Ysgwrn,

-the home of the poet, Hedd Wyn.

-This farm was once part

-of the Gelli Iorwerth estate.

-I'm here to learn about field names

-rather than poetry...

-..and to have a chat

-with Gerald Williams.

-Gerald, there are some

-interesting fields at Yr Ysgwrn...

-..in terms of their names

-and in terms of what you see there.

-Yes.

-Cae Moch - Pigs Field,

-has always been pastureland.

-There ridges made by spades there.

-Before the age

-of the working shire horse...

-..people had to use spades

-to plough the land.

-The top of the field

-is so elevated...

-..you can see the ridges

-they created with their spades.

-That's how people in the olden days

-cultivated the land.

-There's also a small section of

-cultivated land in Rhos Y Groom...

-..but there are only

-five ridges there.

-They're around five yards wide.

-Are they quite high?

-Yes, the ones on lower ground

-are quite high.

-They're in a wet area,

-so they had to stack up the soil...

-..so water would drain away

-and keep it dry.

-The remains of ridges and furrows

-on the fields of Yr Ysgwrn...

-..is further evidence of the

-area's rich agricultural history.

-These fields

-are lower than Ffridd Siglan.

-It's thought farmers

-moved down to the lowland...

-..as the weather worsened

-over the centuries.

-The remains at Yr Ysgwrn are thought

-to date back to Medieval times.

-Looking at the name Rhos Y Groom...

-..could make you think

-it's linked to a horse's groom...

-..but there's no

-equestrian tradition here.

-The name Rhos Y Groom was probably

-recorded by a non-Welsh speaker.

-That would explain

-the English word groom.

-That person must have misheard

-the name the farmer gave to him.

-He recorded Rhos Y Groom

-rather than Rhos Y Grwm.

-It should be grwm, as in

-rhych a chrwm - ridge and furrow.

-It's essential,

-when you analyze these names...

-..to gather local evidence.

-Yes, that's true.

-Who better to ask

-than the local farmer?

-Gerald showed the ridges to us

-and explained what they are.

-We can see for ourselves how

-important the written record is...

-..and also how vital

-oral testimony can be.

-The fertile land of the court

-in nearby Cwm Prysor...

-..was important

-during the Age Of Princes.

-The Meirionnydd Stent of 1284...

-..states that Ffridd Prysor

-sustained 120 cattle.

-Valuable land indeed.

-The land fell to the English crown

-and it was divided into four farms.

-On the Tithe Map...

-..one Yr Ysgwrn field

-is named as Fuches Las - Blue Cow.

-Gerald milked there.

-One field is called Fuches Las.

-Yes. We did the milking there.

-That's why

-it's named after blue cattle.

-It's three quarters of an acre,

-enclosed by high stone walls.

-We would herd the cattle there

-and milk them.

-You remember doing this?

-You remember doing this?

-

-Yes.

-Did you go up there with a bucket?

-Yes, I'd take a bucket

-and a three-legged milking stool.

-The cows were quite happy.

-Did you use a three-legged stool

-so it wouldn't wobble?

-No, on a three-legged stool you can

-lean forward towards the cow...

-..or lean back.

-In case it kicks you?

-Yes, or in case it whacks you

-with its dirty tail!

-We don't milk cows

-in the field today.

-When did the tradition end?

-I don't remember

-when or why it ended...

-..but it must have happened

-after the War.

-World War II?

-World War II?

-

-Yes.

-I don't remember World War I!

-Fair play!

-I do apologize!

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-Our journey takes us

-south of Yr Ysgwrn to Penstryd...

-..to meet local historian,

-Keith O'Brien.

-He knows a fascinating story

-about this field.

-This is unfamiliar,

-remote territory to me.

-This is Maes Y Bedd -

-The Field Of The Tomb.

-That tomb belongs to Porius.

-The Latin inscription reads...

-..Porius hic iacit in tumolo.

-Homo planus fuit.

-That means...

-..Porius lies in this tomb.

-He was a plain man.

-A plain man means 'an honest man'.

-It was thought Porius was a Roman

-due to the Sarn Helen link.

-Research suggests

-there may be more to it.

-There are no spaces between

-the words, as you'd expect...

-..but there is a gap

-between Homo and planus.

-If you look closely,

-you can see two dots in that gap.

-Those two dots

-may well be the top of a cross.

-That then changes the inscription to

-Homo X pianus fuit.

-The theory is someone added the foot

-of the L to create the word planus.

-Planus also makes sense

-because it's a Latin word.

-Homo X pianus fuit means

-'He was a Christian'.

-That makes more sense,

-with the Cymer Abbey links.

-Added to that, Maes Y Bedd is named

-in Llywelyn's charter...

-..as part of the land

-given to Cymer Abbey.

-It seems likely that Porius

-was a monk or a prior...

-..with ties to Cymer Abbey.

-Does its name, Maes Y Bedd -

-Field Of The Tomb...

-..mean it was agricultural land?

-Yes, this was a fertile valley...

-..much like Cwm Prysor, the valley

-on the other side of the hill.

-This was equally fertile.

-There's an example of a potato house

-further down the hill.

-It was similar to an igloo

-but built of stone.

-They grew potatoes

-and farmed the land.

-It was a fertile valley.

-The scars on these stones tell

-a story about the passing of time.

-This stone was once in the ground

-and the plough scraped across it...

-..over and over again,

-leaving these marks.

-It's now part of a wall.

-The secrets are there,

-if you know where to look.

-I was raised on a farm and I may

-over-romanticize these field names.

-It's in my blood. It's in my soul.

-We've seen a lot more

-than simply field names.

-Yes, and these names

-are certainly romantic...

-..but we've also seen

-that they can unlock history for us.

-They can tell us more...

-..about the people who cultivated

-this land 2,000 years ago.

-They left their mark

-on the agricultural land of today.

-We've also seen how names

-have been changed in recent times.

-The old ones haven't been lost,

-but they are given new names.

-That's what we found in Trawsfynydd.

-It may be different in other areas.

-It may be different in other areas.

-

-Yes, that's part of its fascination.

-We'll see differences

-from area to area.

-It's a positive thing.

-We'll learn as we go along.

-S4C subtitles by Eirlys A Jones

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