Tremarchog Sir Benfro Caeau Cymru


Tremarchog Sir Benfro

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-I'm in a part of the country

-where the land meets the sea.

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-Where the Welsh word for gate

-is iet, yesterday is dwe...

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-..and a field is parc.

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-Welcome to Caeau Cymru,

-or Perci Cymru!

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-I'm in St Nicholas, Pembrokeshire.

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-This area

-is steeped in agricultural history.

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-Rhian Parry again

-accompanies me on my journey...

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-..to unlock

-the history of the landscape.

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-First, we study the Tithe Map, which

-is stored in The National Library.

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-Rhian, we won't see many fields

-in this programme...

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-..but we'll see lots of perci!

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-Perci is an unfamiliar term for me

-but I know it means fields!

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-We'll visit Llys Yr Onnen,

-known today as Ynys Deullyn...

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-..in Pembrokeshire.

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-What about the names of the fields?

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-There are plenty of them,

-including Parc Castell...

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-..and Parc Dendy Isaf.

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-Some more unfamiliar words.

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-Are there new influences here?

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-Are there new influences here?

-

-Yes, I think so.

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-We can see an Irish Gaelic influence

-plus an industrial influence.

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-There are stones and

-ancient monuments in this area...

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-..and on the farm.

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-We focus on the land of

-Llys Yr Onnen, the original farm.

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-Dafydd Williams was raised here.

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-The farm has been in his family

-for generations.

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-Dafydd built a house here and named

-it Ynys Deullyn - Two Lake Island...

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-..a name inspired

-by the view out to sea.

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-It's incredible to see a

-Tithe Map schedule in the open air.

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-Here it is, on your lap.

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-How did you come across it?

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-How did you come across it?

-

-It was among my father's papers.

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-He inherited it from his father

-or from his great-uncle...

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-..who lived at Llys Yr Onnen,

-his birthplace.

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-It must have been left in the house

-after his days.

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-Have you read this book extensively?

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-Yes. It's fascinating.

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-It includes the names of the fields

-in several farms.

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-It also details

-the sizes of the fields...

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-..and it names

-landowners and tenants.

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-Which names catch your eye?

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-Cnwc Y Llygod Bach is interesting.

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-Parc Pistyll,

-where we're sitting at the moment...

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-..and Cnwc Y Fran,

-across the village.

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-Can you put your finger on why

-you're interested in field names?

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-These names are old.

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-Whoever named the fields

-had good reason for doing so.

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-The names refer to

-the quality of the land...

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-..and whether or not it's wet.

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-We must keep those reasons in mind

-when we use the land today.

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-It can be important.

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-I think it's a vital part

-of our Welshness.

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-I agree.

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-A piece of land is so important

-to us, we give it a name.

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-The land was important to families

-and to every community.

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-They relied upon

-what they could get out of the land.

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-They also considered what the land

-could do for the next generation.

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-It wasn't a short-term plan.

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-They had to take care of the land.

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-The root of the word perci

-is a mystery.

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-It's a familiar term

-on the west coast...

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-..from Pembrokeshire to Ceredigion.

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-The word 'parc' means

-poor-quality land in Flintshire.

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-Sadly, the term parc

-is in decline today...

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-..even among the older generation.

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-There's an interesting stone

-in the first field we'll visit.

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-It's a field with a colourful name.

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-Dafydd, we're north of the house.

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-What's the name of this field?

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-What's the name of this field?

-

-This is Parc Carreg Carian.

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-It was a field in its own right...

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-..but it's now

-part of a larger field.

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-The hedge which separated it

-from Parc Castell...

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-..has now disappeared.

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-It has become one field...

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-..the whole of which

-is now known as Parc Carreg Carian.

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-A neighbour of mine...

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-..who was interested

-in ley lines...

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-..came up here to take a look.

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-He found some energy lines here,

-one of which points south-east...

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-..towards that hedge.

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-He'd been in contact

-with the National Library...

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-..and discovered where there's a

-standing stone in the south-east...

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-..there's often

-a square stone nearby.

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-We searched the land...

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-..and found a square stone

-south-east of the standing stone.

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-It's in the hedge.

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-Experts are of the opinion...

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-..if you look

-across the pair of stones...

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-..on the shortest day of the year...

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-..you'll see on the horizon

-the place where the sun rises.

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-Apparently, many of the large stones

-you see near farm gates...

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-..and on roadsides...

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-..stand on lay lines.

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-All farmers look at stones in

-the middle of fields as a real pain!

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-Yes, but every animal

-likes to scratch their itches.

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-If you don't have a standing stone,

-they'll scratch against the fence.

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-We have no evidence

-about this stone's history...

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-..but archaeologist, Edward Davies,

-shared his theories with me.

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-Ed, why did people go to the trouble

-of putting a stone in a field?

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-It may have been placed here

-to mark a boundary...

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-..between different parts

-of the area.

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-People who lived to the north may

-not get on with those in the south.

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-This stone may have marked

-the boundary between them.

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-They may be linked to astronomy.

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-Some stones do mark burial places.

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-Some of the stones were erected

-in the Bronze Age...

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-..and some in the Iron Age.

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-Could it mark a burial place?

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-Could it mark a burial place?

-

-It's possible.

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-There are examples where standing

-stones mark burial chambers.

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-There's an example

-at nearby Rhos Y Clegyrn...

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-..and on sites across Pembrokeshire.

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-Farmers did erect standing stones

-purely as rubbing posts.

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-It's hard to tell unless you

-carry out the archaeological work.

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-It's believed that ley lines

-connect two geographical points...

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-..and that they have magnetic power.

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-According to BG Charles in

-The Place Names of Pembrokeshire...

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-..'carnan' means 'little rock'.

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-This is the second stone.

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-The lay lines man suggested there

-would be a pair of stones here.

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-This one was in the hedge.

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-Did you have trouble finding it?

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-We followed the lay line

-up the field from Carreg Carian...

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-..to the other side of the hedge.

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-We couldn't see anything, so we came

-around to this side and found this.

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-It's a large stone.

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-It's remarkable that someone

-made such a mammoth effort...

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-..of moving this white stone here

-and placing it there.

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-Is what you said about

-the shortest day of the year true?

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-Yes, and I erected a pole

-in the hedge one year...

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-..so I could see

-from the standing stone.

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-It was a clear morning...

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-..and on the horizon,

-looking south-east...

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-..the sun rose exactly on that line.

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-Our forefathers

-discovered all this themselves...

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-..and they went to the trouble

-of moving two stones here.

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-Yes, and they placed

-them right here.

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-I doubt we could do that today,

-without the aid of any machines.

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-Turning to our map, we can get

-a clearer picture of the geography.

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-Parc Castell and Parc Carreg Carian

-are now one field...

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-..but the boundary was once here.

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-There are no visible

-castle remains here...

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-..but a 20th century study...

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-..noted there was a hill fort

-in Parc Castell.

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-The white stone lies in the hedge...

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-..which forms the boundary between

-Parc Carreg Carian and Parc Y Rofft.

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-Rofft means cultivated land.

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-Next, we head to nearby Waun Cobler.

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-What does waun mean?

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-Waun is a poor, often wet

-area of land.

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-It's poor land,

-from a farmer's perspective.

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-In a historical context

-such as this...

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-..it's important and significant.

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-It was part of the pattern

-of the Welsh family farming method.

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-This method was used

-in north Pembrokeshire...

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-..where families had open strips

-of land divided by lines...

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-..and then shared between the sons

-and other relatives.

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-Occasionally, they had to turn to

-poor land such as moorland...

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-..and try to cultivate it.

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-They'd scrape away the top layer,

-burn it...

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-..and scatter the ashes on the soil.

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-Dafydd has tried to improve his land

-by planting trees.

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-Yes. It's excellent work.

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-He's created a habitat

-and shelter for wildlife.

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-It's wonderful use of moorland.

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-But we don't know what cobler means?

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-But we don't know what cobler means?

-

-I'm afraid not.

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-My heart tells me that Carreg Carian

-is more than a rubbing post.

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-I want to believe it was placed here

-to help us understand the stars...

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-..or that it marks

-Carian's burial place.

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-I'd love to believe a cobbler worked

-on Waun Cobler, sewing old leather.

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-These fields make me romanticize!

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-.

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-Subtitles

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-Subtitles

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-Subtitles

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-We've looked at words as we trace

-the history of our landscape...

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-..but what about oral tradition?

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-Local dialect has also shaped

-the names given to our fields.

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-Next, I head to Tresinwen...

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-..to meet Hedydd Hughes, who works

-for Menter Iaith Sir Benfro...

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-..researching local dialect.

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-Hedydd, is it important to record

-the names of the fields of Wales?

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-Yes, I think so.

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-They offer an insight

-into local history.

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-We'd be poorer without them.

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-Do you simply record the names

-on paper?

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-Yes, but it's even better

-to also record voices...

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-..to preserve pronunciations.

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-Does pronunciation vary widely?

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-Does pronunciation vary widely?

-

-Yes.

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-I've seen evidence of that

-in my current project.

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-Take a phrase like

-roedd hi'n oer yn y coed ddoe.

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-Near Llandoch, people say,

-"Ro'dd hi'n or yn y cwed dwe."

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-In Fishguard, they say,

-"Wedd hi'n wer yn y cwed dwe."

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-In St David's, it becomes,

-"Wedd i'n oer yn y coed dwe."

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-I say dwe too.

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-Let's go back to the fields

-and to words associated with them.

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-I say iet for gate.

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-I say iet for gate.

-

-Yes, we say iet too.

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-The gap between the hedges

-is called the claish.

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-The local word for stile is stigle.

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-Y feidir means a narrow lane.

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-Mwni, in the St David's area,

-means an open area of moorland.

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-It doesn't have to be on an incline.

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-It can mean an open piece of land.

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-Mwni doesn't mean mynydd - mountain,

-in the St David's area.

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-How do the farmers react when you

-go around collecting field names?

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-Are they interested in them?

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-Are they interested in them?

-

-Yes, most certainly.

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-They realize

-we're only here temporarily...

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-..and we can learn a great deal

-from old methods and old names.

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-They're enchanting.

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-Those words are real treasures.

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-Gate

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-Gatepost

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-Stile

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-Narrow lane

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-I'm here to meet

-Dyfed Elis Gruffydd...

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-..one of the founders

-of The National Wool Museum.

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-The name of this field

-was influenced by an industry.

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-Dafydd refers to this as Dindir.

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-The word dindir is something

-you often hear in this area.

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-What does it mean?

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-There are several similar words

-in use - dindir, deintir and dentir.

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-In simple terms,

-a dindir was a wooden frame...

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-..which measured

-somewhere around 50 feet in length.

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-This wooden frame was erected

-in the open air, on legs...

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-..and used to dry

-the wool cloth...

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-..which were usually

-woven in the home.

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-There were hooks on the frame.

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-These were positioned

-along the top of the frame...

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-..along the bottom of the frame

-and along the vertical posts.

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-The cloth was then

-hooked onto the frame...

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-..to make sure it

-dried thoroughly and evenly...

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-..without shrinking in the wind.

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-Why is this field

-named after the drying frame?

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-There's no obvious reason, other

-than it's probably a windy spot.

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-One would also assume

-there was a fulling mill nearby.

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-The cloth had to be fulled.

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-Fulling involved a process

-where cloth was washed and shrunk.

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-The cloth would have been woven

-on small looms...

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-..which were usually kept in homes

-in the local area.

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-Looms were also used on some of

-the large farms in this area.

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-It was traditional, of course,

-from Medieval times...

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-..until the small, rural woollen

-factories were established.

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-Woollen mills like Tregwynt,

-which is a stone's throw from here.

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-It's astonishing what

-you can discover from a field name.

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-Yes, that's true.

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-Research has been carried out

-across Wales to record these names.

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-There are references

-to Dol Y Deintir - Deintir Field.

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-There are also some variations.

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-In Drefach Felindre,

-which isn't far from here...

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-..there's a Cae Reck.

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-Reck refers to the rack

-used to dry the wool cloth.

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-The same rack

-as the dindir referred to here.

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-I'm delighted to say we've reached

-the first cnwc of the series, Rhian.

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-This is Cnwc Y Llygod Bach.

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-I'm familiar with the word cnwc

-but I'm not sure what it means.

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-Cnwc is an Irish word

-which has crossed over to Wales.

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-In Ireland, cnwc means mound,

-protuberance or even a mountain.

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-It's a word which is commonly used

-in every part of Ireland...

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-..particularly in three counties

-on the west cost.

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-Mayo, Sligo and Galway.

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-Did the Irish came over to Wales

-and bring the word cnwc with them...

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-..or did Welsh people

-get it from Ireland?

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-There's evidence

-that the Irish came over here...

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-..and lived here

-for periods of time.

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-They certainly left the name behind.

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-Cnwc is a wonderful, evocative name

-for this field...

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-..which slopes up before us.

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-I've seen no llygod bach - mice.

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-I hope I don't see any either!

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-If we go back to our map...

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-..we see Cnwc Y Llygod Bach lies

-beyond the village of St Nicholas...

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-..and the main cluster of fields

-on which we're focused.

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-Back in Ynys Deullyn,

-on the final leg of this journey...

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-..we see Waun Cobler, which leads to

-Parc Yr Odyn Ddu and Dindir...

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-..and then Parc Llwyd,

-ending in Parc Y Ffynnon.

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-Parc Y Ffynnon - Well Field

-is nearby.

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-We're standing by the well itself.

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-We're standing by the well itself.

-

-Yes. This is St Nicholas Well.

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-This well has been here

-for thousands of years.

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-Local people relied on this well

-for their water.

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-It has never run dry.

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-There's little difference in

-the water flow in summer or winter.

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-Drought and wet periods

-hardly affect it.

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-The ladies in the village told me

-they came up here every day...

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-..to fetch water

-and to have a good natter.

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-As children,

-during playtime at school...

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-..if we were thirsty,

-we'd run up here...

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-..lie in front of the well

-and put our heads in the water.

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-Have you seen any wildlife here?

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-Yes, about 20 yards from here...

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-..I've found some young salmon

-on several occasions.

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-Adult salmon must swim upstream

-and lay eggs but I've never seen it.

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-They lay eggs in the gravel.

0:21:170:21:18

-There's always a special ambience

-by a well but this is very striking.

0:21:200:21:25

-When I need some peace...

0:21:280:21:30

-..I come up here to sit quietly

-and listen to birdsong.

0:21:300:21:34

-There's a special

-peace and tranquility here.

0:21:350:21:39

-The dappled light which comes

-through the trees is wonderful.

0:21:390:21:43

-I feel great contentment

-when I'm here.

0:21:440:21:46

-Do these field names mean more

-than a practical tool to you?

0:22:150:22:19

-Yes, certainly.

0:22:190:22:21

-They serve to remind me...

0:22:210:22:23

-..that people lived here hundreds

-and thousands of years before me.

0:22:230:22:29

-They relied on the land

-for their livelihood...

0:22:310:22:35

-..and for their food.

0:22:360:22:37

-It's important for us to remember

-that we're caretakers of this land.

0:22:370:22:42

-It's our duty to make sure

-there's land here...

0:22:430:22:46

-..on which the next generation

-can rely.

0:22:460:22:49

-Have you kept notes?

0:22:490:22:51

-Have you kept notes?

-

-Yes - maps and a diary.

0:22:510:22:52

-Whenever I write something

-for my grandchildren...

0:22:530:22:56

-..I mention the names of the fields.

0:22:570:22:59

-It means nothing to them now...

0:23:000:23:02

-..but that may change in the future.

0:23:040:23:06

-Who knows?

0:23:060:23:08

-S4C subtitles by Eirlys A Jones

0:23:490:23:51

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