Dol Clettwr Caeau Cymru

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-In this programme, we visit the area

-where my father was born.

-As summer turns into autumn...

-..I'll see through adult eyes

-what he saw as a child.

-The fields of north Ceredigion.

-Welcome to Caeau Cymru.

-In this series, we'll find

-the meanings and the stories...

-..behind our field names.

-So often, our rich language is the

-key to the history of our culture.

-In addition to farmers

-and experts...

-..Dr Rhian Parry, the historian, is

-by my side to help me on my journey.

-Our country's landscape offers so

-much more than breathtaking views.

-Our journey begins with a Tithe map

-in an ancient farmhouse.

-Here we are

-in north Ceredigion, Rhian.

-Where exactly are we?

-In the parish of Llangynfelyn,

-in a village called Tre'r Ddol...

-..on Dol Clettwr farm.

-I'm very familiar with this spot

-because my father was born nearby.

-Why are we here?

-Because it's a fascinating farm.

-It has a rich history and there are

-some interesting field names here.

-The farm is on the outskirts

-of the village...

-..and the farm's history is

-intertwined with that of Tre'r Ddol.

-Tre'r Ddol was self-sufficient

-in its day.

-Yes, there was a Petty Sessions

-court here and farms, of course.

-There were also mines

-and a hatmaking industry here.

-The field names reflect that.

-Rowland Davies's family has farmed

-Dol Clettwr for several generations.

-The house's history can be traced

-back to at least the 16th century.

-The farm's history is tied

-to the history of Tre'r Ddol.

-What are we looking at, Rowland?

-What are we looking at, Rowland?

-

-That's Borth Bog.

-All that lies between us and the sea

-is the village of Borth.

-It looks like

-just one street from here.

-Then we come around here

-to Ynys-las and Aberdyfi.

-I'm familiar with seeing Borth Bog

-from the road...

-..but from up here,

-we can see the land is raised.

-When I was little,

-I heard a story about it.

-People said

-that a frog lived on the bog...

-..and he'd come up here to do his

-business in the same spot every day.

-His droppings

-raised the level of the land...

-..and that's why the land slopes.

-All the other land is flat.

-It's easy to forget that this is,

-in fact, an industrial scene.

-Industries other than agriculture

-have thrived here.

-Yes. Tre'r Ddol was famous

-for hatmaking, clogmaking...

-..and for mining,

-which took over everything.

-People from across Wales

-moved here as a result of it.

-There are some cockle beds

-down on the Dyfi estuary.

-The locals flocked down there

-to fetch their cockles.

-When you plough this land,

-you find cockle shells everywhere.

-Once people had boiled them

-and removed the cockles...

-..they threw the shells

-on the fields.

-Farmers used them on the fields

-to improve the soil.

-Someone who's born and bred

-in Tre'r Ddol is a Cockletonian.

-There aren't many of us left.

-You must know all these field names.

-You must know all these field names.

-

-Yes.

-The road splits the farm.

-The lower fields are at sea level,

-then we climb up here...

-..to what we call Cae Uchaf -

-Highest Field...

-..because it's the highest field

-on the farm.

-Cae Llygod - Mice Field - is its

-old name but I call it Cae Uchaf.

-My mother called it Cae Llygod.

-During the War,

-they ploughed all the fields.

-But they kept crops in bundles here

-and came here to do the threshing.

-It was easier to store crops here

-than try to get a horse up the road.

-Mice then came in from the woods

-to eat the haystack.

-That was my mother's theory

-about Cae Llygod.

-We can see the farmhouse from here.

-What's the name of the field

-between us and the house?

-That's Cae Cwrt. It stands

-between us and the village.

-Mam told me they held court sessions

-in the Halfway pub in the village.

-Magistrates got changed and powdered

-their wigs at Dol Clettwr...

-..before the court session.

-They walked through Cae Cwrt -

-Court Field - to get there.

-The name's stuck.

-The name's stuck.

-

-Yes.

-We're doing work to the house

-at Dol Clettwr...

-..but the current bathroom

-was a box room when I was a child...

-..and it was known as

-the powder room back then.

-I only found out why they called it

-the powder room a few years ago.

-It's because the judges

-powdered their wigs in there.

-I can't help but notice that

-we're surrounded by oak trees...

-..but there's a weeping willow

-by the house.

-Yes. My parents went to garden party

-at Buckingham Palace years ago.

-They sheltered from the sun

-under a weeping willow.

-My dad being the man he was...

-..he took a cutting, put it in

-his waistcoat and brought it home.

-He put it in water

-and that big tree grew from it.

-That's a Buckingham Palace

-weeping willow!

-I was up there with Rowland earlier,

-taking in the glorious views.

-We talked about this field -

-Cae Cwrt.

-Is it a recent name?

-Cae'r Pentre is the name

-on the Tithe map...

-..but Rowland's family has

-called it Cae Cwrt for generations.

-The court in question here

-is the Petty Sessions...

-..where the cases

-of local petty crime were heard.

-In one case, a sailor fell off his

-sloop in the estuary and drowned...

-..as the sloop ran aground.

-The inquest into his death was held

-in the farmhouse at Dol Clettwr...

-..as part of a Petty Session.

-Tre'r Ddol is small but it must have

-been lively if they needed a court!

-Well, they had busy periods here.

-The development of new industry

-saw the population change.

-That's very much reflected

-in the nature of the cases...

-..which were heard

-at the Petty Sessions.

-The more serious cases...

-..were sent to be heard

-at the Great Sessions in Cardigan.

-There are some fascinating examples

-among them.

-Around a dozen of Tre'r Ddol

-villagers were called there.

-They were accused

-of assault and riots.

-They'd attacked someone

-from this village.

-Interestingly, three women and

-their husbands were among them...

-..as were a hatmaker, a miner

-and the local blacksmith.

-Things have calmed down a bit here!

-Things have calmed down a bit here!

-

-Absolutely.

-Next, to part of the farm which

-reflects the area's industrial past.

-We're in the woods above

-Cae Hirfaen - Long Stone Field.

-The land bears some scars

-and the two things are linked.

-Yes. This field is called Llain Hir.

-Llain Hir means Long Quillet,

-or a rectangular piece of land.

-Quillets are quite common

-and this really is a long one.

-It's mentioned in documents

-going back one or two centuries.

-Llain Hir is by no means a new name.

-Interestingly, the mining industry

-took over the field name.

-It's known as Mwynglawdd Y Llain Hir

-- Long Quillet Mine.

-Lead, copper and zinc

-were mined here, but mostly lead.

-A man who has family connections

-with mining in this area...

-..is the shepherd, Erwyd Howells.

-Erwyd, explain your link

-with the mining industry here.

-My great-grandfather

-lived in the Tre'r Ddol area...

-..for a few years

-after he got married...

-..on a farm called Ynys Tudur,

-about a mile and a half from here.

-He worked for the mining works

-as a carrier.

-Horses and carts were used

-to carry minerals...

-..especially from Cwmystwyth.

-People said that this area

-had hidden riches.

-The minerals were our great wealth.

-Working underground

-was very tough indeed...

-..but it paid better than farm work.

-These are some of the tools

-which were used by miners.

-This is a chisel

-which they used to split the stone.

-They'd hit it with a hammer?

-Yes, they'd use a lump hammer,

-like this one...

-..and hit the small chisels

-to start the hole.

-They also used long chisels...

-..to bore into areas

-which were difficult to access.

-It beggars belief, but children as

-young as nine or ten worked here...

-..and it was their job to stand

-with the chisel on one shoulder.

-Then tap, half a turn.

-Tap, half a turn.

-They kept doing that

-to get a hole started.

-Do we know

-how much minerals they carried?

-Yes. There are details

-written in this notebook.

-It belonged to

-my great-grandfather...

-..David Mason,

-Llanfedw, Devil's Bridge.

-Is that his handwriting?

-Is that his handwriting?

-

-Yes.

-It's in Welsh too.

-It's in Welsh too.

-

-Yes. That's important.

-He carried minerals from Cwmystwyth

-to Devil's Bridge to meet the train.

-He was a busy man.

-He carried tons of minerals.

-Yes - on average,

-he carried 2.5 tons.

-You must treasure that notebook.

-You must treasure that notebook.

-

-Yes. It's a real gem.

-A HAMMER HITS A CHISEL REPEATEDLY

-This is an old poem

-about the lead mine.

-We don't know who wrote it.

-Tref Y Ddol and Talybont

-And Sian Morgan's beer

-Work is scarce in the lead mine

-Leaving me short of money.

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-In Caeau Cymru, we dig for

-the stories behind field names.

-This digital map shows us the fields

-we've already seen in Dol Clettwr.

-Cae Cwrt, Llain Hir and Cae Llygod.

-The village of Tre'r Ddol

-is very close to the farm...

-..and the A487 road

-goes straight through the land.

-In the second half

-of the programme...

-..we visit Cae Briws,

-Cae Ger Yr Afon and Cae Glas...

-..before reaching our journey's end

-in Cae Tu Ol I'r Ysgol.

-This is Cae Briws - Briws Field.

-English people or Scottish people

-say Bruce but it's Briws.

-Briws comes from brewhouse.

-Ah! Not Bruce, then.

-No - they brewed beer here.

-They brewed here?

-Yes - there was a brewhouse

-in Cae Cornel over there.

-If you'd come here

-a fortnight ago, before we cut it...

-..you'd have seen that these hops

-still grow in the hedgerows.

-It's been an exceptionally dry year

-and these hops smell smoky.

-They used these hope for brewing?

-They used these hope for brewing?

-

-Yes.

-During the heyday of mining,

-so many people moved here...

-..they needed more beer.

-That's why

-they had to brew more beer.

-There were two or three pubs

-in the village...

-..so they needed beer.

-Dol Clettwr Ale?

-There's a ring to it.

-You should market it.

-This is Cae Briws and next to it is

-Penygraig, where your father lived.

-There it is - right next door.

-I think your father played a lot

-in this field, next to the river.

-Yes.

-Next, historian, Gwyn Jenkins

-joins me in Cae'r Afon...

-..to tell me about another industry

-which left its mark on this area.

-This is Cae'r Afon - River Field.

-What's its story?

-Mules were kept here.

-These mules were used to carry hats

-to markets and fairs...

-..across the whole of North Wales.

-Hats which were made locally?

-Yes, Tre'r Ddol was the main centre

-for making felt hats...

-..in the late 18th century

-and the early 19th century.

-Nowhere in Wales

-had so many hatmakers.

-Around 50 of them worked here.

-Why? It seems to be

-a strange industry.

-Yes, and I have several theories

-about why they chose this location.

-No other Welsh parish

-had so many hatmakers living there.

-I think it has something to do with

-Borth Bog, which is over there.

-The felt hats

-which they created here...

-..were made of wool

-and rabbit hair or hare hair.

-In order to shape the hats, they

-needed a pan of boiling water...

-..some vitriol and beer residue.

-They then shaped the hats

-in the pan.

-The heat had to be maintained...

-..and the fact that peat was in

-plentiful supply from Borth Bog...

-..made this an ideal location.

-How would you describe

-the style of these hats?

-They varied but generally,

-they were black, felt hats.

-Some were made for miners...

-..and those were covered in wax and

-resin to form a waterproof coating.

-They also made hats for women.

-It's believed these were the basis

-for the tall hats...

-..developed by Lady Llanover as part

-of the traditional Welsh dress...

-..in the 1830s.

-That's the historical background

-of it.

-Just like the men, women wore hats.

-David Davies was one of the last

-great hatmakers from this area.

-There's a reference to him

-in a ballad by Owain Meirion.

-I shall buy a new gown,

-An apron and a petticoat

-And laces and ribbons

-In English Billy's shop

-And socks and shoes

-I shan't be without

-I'll buy a new style of hat

-From Dafydd Tre'r Ddol.

-Rowland, I think I'm right to say

-this field is full of history.

-Yes, it's a historic field called

-Cae Halfway, or Cae Glas to us.

-It was part of The Halfway,

-the village pub.

-Canon Jack Hopkin Evans

-ran the place when I was a boy.

-He brought his cattle here

-from Oswestry to graze.

-The stagecoach horses

-would stay here overnight.

-They had stables at the Halfway...

-..which is halfway

-between Aberystwyth and Machynlleth.

-The horses were allowed to rest here

-and fresh horses took over.

-It's near the main road.

-Yes, and the drovers

-who stayed at the Halfway...

-..also brought the sheep or cattle

-they were driving here.

-My mother told me they sometimes

-also kept geese here overnight.

-They had to get them ready

-for the road.

-Yes, and my grandfather told me

-people put tar under geese's feet...

-..so they wouldn't get damaged

-on the road.

-Like a pair of pumps!

-Exactly.

-You've seen some living history

-as you've ploughed this field.

-Yes. Jack asked me if I'd be willing

-to plough the field in the 1960s.

-It needed to be ploughed,

-so I did the job...

-..alongside my father.

-For five yards of one furrow, all

-you could see were bits of china...

-..and lots of clay pipes.

-There was a market here, years ago,

-and that's why it was in the soil.

-This place has a long history.

-This place has a long history.

-

-Archaeological digging by plough!

-Yes.

-Rhian, this is Cae Tafarn Bach

-and it's quite a big field.

-It slopes

-and it runs down to Tre Taliesin.

-What's the story?

-Rowland calls this Cae Tu Ol

-I'r Ysgol - Field Behind The School.

-Field names are often adapted

-when circumstances change.

-Comins Dafarn Bach is the

-ancient name for Tre Taliesin.

-That explains the connection.

-I've seen the name Dafarn Fach

-on a map...

-..which dated back to 1827.

-The name was certainly in use

-at that time.

-The Wesleyans settled in Tre'r Ddol

-around 20 years later...

-..and it seems the name

-Dafarn Fach - Little Tavern...

-..wasn't respectable enough

-for them!

-The name was changed, in time,

-to Tref Taliesin...

-..to add a note of respectability

-to everything...

-..following the demise

-of the mining industry in this area.

-Has something similar

-happened elsewhere?

-Yes.

-Cwmrhydycwrw -

-valley of the ford of beer...

-..became Cwmrhydyceirw -

-valley of the ford of deer.

-Oh, that's nice!

-Also, legend has it that

-Ffynnongwrw - beer fountain...

-..was changed to Ffynnongroyw -

-clear fountain.

-Rowland, my first impression

-of you...

-..was that you're a traditional man

-who likes these old names.

-But you've modernized

-Cae Tafarn Bach...

-..and you call it

-Cae Tu Cefn I'r Ysgol.

-No - Cae Tu Ol I'r Ysgol.

-That's what I call it and

-that's what I'll always call it.

-Katie Isaac, your great-aunt,

-was a teacher.

-She was a true teacher.

-The Three Rs meant a lot to her.

-I met her when I was with my father

-when I was three and a half...

-..and she said, "Let him come over

-the wall to join these children."

-That was my first day at school,

-when I was three and a half.

-It will always be

-Cae Tu Ol I'r Ysgol to me.

-I was born here, I grew up here

-and I hope to die here.

-I'll be a Cockletonian for ever.

-What sort of person is that?

-A tough nut who looks after himself

-and his friends.

-A Cockletonian is emotional too.

-We can cry at anything.

-We're softies really...

-..but if we need to be tough

-and stubborn, that's what we'll be.

-S4C subtitles by Eirlys A Jones

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