Llwyngwern Caeau Cymru

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-We're in the Llanuwchllyn area

-in search of old field names...

-..between a disused railway track

-and the shadow of a forest.

-Some things change

-but others stay the same.

-Welcome to Caeau Cymru.

-On this series, we unlock

-the history behind field names.

-I travel across Wales in the company

-of the expert, Rhian Parry...

-..in search of myths, legends

-and missing pieces of our history.

-The history of the countryside

-is often buried deep in the soil...

-..and we aim to uncover it.

-This Tithe map seems a bit

-lacking in detail to me...

-..but I can see we're going to

-the Llanuwchllyn area.

-It's a story of land being divided

-and then joined together again.

-Yes, we're going to Penllyn

-and the township of Penaran.

-There's a fascinating estate here.

-We've traced its history

-from 1515 to the present day.

-There's real continuity here.

-The same family

-has owned this estate for centuries.

-The most recent tenants

-farmed that land for 300 years.

-That family then had the opportunity

-to purchase the estate in the 1960s.

-These estate documents

-list the field names.

-Do they show us that those names

-have changed over the years?

-Remarkably few names have changed.

-It's all because of continuity.

-The tenants passed the tenancy down

-to their children...

-..and that process

-safeguarded the names.

-Before the 16th century, a Welsh

-noble family lived in Llwyngwern...

-..and kept a herd

-of Welsh Black cattle.

-Since then, two powerful estates

-have owned the land.

-The Plas Gwyn Estate of Anglesey

-and then Glanllyn Estate.

-Over the centuries, the tenants have

-seen good times and hard times...

-..but the vital thing is the

-continuation of Welsh culture...

-..and that's what keeps

-field names alive.

-Hywel Jones's family has farmed the

-land of Llwyngwern for 300 years.

-Hywel's father succeeded in

-purchasing the farm in the 1960s.

-Hywel knows at least 90

-of the field names by heart.

-Hywel, Bala Lake is behind us

-and your farm is ahead of us.

-You know the fields by names,

-not numbers.

-Yes. The names are very important.

-We're standing in Cae Gwyn.

-Cae Glas, Pant Glas and Cae Pistyll

-are over here.

-Cae Crwn, Gwaith Gwr and Mur Llwyd

-are over there.

-Have some of them changed

-over the years?

-Yes, and some of them have changed

-within living memory for me.

-Two fields were joined together

-and Dol Ganol took over.

-We don't use Clwt Coch now.

-It's part of Dol Ganol.

-There's an interesting story

-about the field behind you.

-Yes. That field

-was part of Eithin Fynydd.

-It was called Penrhos Wen back then.

-During the War,

-a plane flew over here...

-..and they must have seen a light in

-Llwyn Cadi, which is now a ruin...

-..and they dropped a bomb

-right here, in the hollow.

-Where the rushes now grow?

-Where the rushes now grow?

-

-Yes.

-That field then became Cae Bomb.

-Are we safe up here today?

-We're safe from planes

-but not from the rain!

-Our digital map gives you an idea

-of the sight Hywel and I saw...

-..as we looked across

-the land of Llwyngwern.

-Since the 1960s, Hywel's family has

-also bought Maes Gwyn...

-..Hendre Fawr and Eithin Fynydd.

-The farm's fields...

-..are divided between flat land near

-River Dee and the old railway...

-..and steep land

-which rises to the mountain.

-We'll take a close look

-at Drylliau'r Tarw...

-..Ffynnon Madyn, Pwll Cywarch

-and Moel Y Caws.

-Next, we head to Bryn Eurych, where

-the landscape is full of history.

-Rhian, here we are

-in the shadow of Moel Y Caws...

-..on the boundary of Llwyngwern.

-We're standing next to some ruins

-belonging to an ancient community.

-Yes. This cairn dates back

-to the Bronze Age.

-This mountain pasture

-is called Bryn Eurych.

-Eurych means goldsmith.

-That's striking in itself, isn't it?

-We're standing

-on one of three mounds.

-They're part of a rich historical

-and archaeological landscape...

-..which is of great interest to me.

-It gives you

-a real feel of the place.

-There's more than one

-piece of evidence here.

-This is an archaeological landscape.

-What we have here is a cairn.

-There has been

-no archaeological dig here...

-..but it's surrounded

-by a circle of stones.

-If we did dig here, we would

-in all probability find a chest...

-..which would contain a vessel

-similar to an urn.

-In that urn there would be bones

-which were probably charred.

-People in ancient times

-carried their ancestors with them...

-..to bury again

-as they settled in a new area.

-This is a very important site.

-It's steeped in ceremony,

-religion and burial.

-It's believed there was a village

-in the hollow behind me.

-Yes, and the village may date back

-to the same period as the cairn.

-The remains on that site have been

-reused down the generations.

-There are remains

-from the Middle Ages....

-..in the form of small round houses.

-These yard walls are known here as

-waliau da i ddim - useless walls!

-They're not there to enclose

-in the way a field is enclosed.

-They bridged the gaps with willow

-to complete the circle...

-..so these look like the remains

-of useless walls!

-This land is used

-as mountain pasture by Hywel.

-Yes, it's grazing land

-but not only for his land.

-Several nearby farms share

-the grazing rights for the estate.

-Hywel's grazing rights

-stretch north-west of there...

-..following the winding River Dee

-all the way to Y Dduallt.

-That's a mile or two from here.

-Traditionally, the farmers of Wales

-had grazing rights on the mountains.

-Things changed after World War II

-when land on the hills was sold...

-..impairing farming methods.

-Hywel's father didn't sell Bryn

-Eurych to the Forestry Commission...

-..but the forests have an impact

-on Llwyngwern.

-What's that building we can see

-by the river?

-That was the old sheep wash.

-The farmers brought sheep here to be

-washed before they were sheared.

-At that time, the Wool Board paid

-more for washed, grease-free wool...

-..than for unwashed wool.

-The sheep were herded

-into the pen.

-They were thrown into the water

-and they swam out again...

-..then we'd leave them here to dry

-for a few days.

-It was a big day and everyone

-brought a picnic with them.

-I remember enjoying that day.

-Do you graze your sheep up there?

-Do you graze your sheep up there?

-

-Yes.

-How do you get them up there?

-How do you get them up there?

-

-We use the Forestry Commission road.

-We walk them up there,

-and it's a five kilometre walk...

-..from the sheepwalk gate

-to the mountain gate.

-In the old days, we'd walk them

-through that iron gate...

-..over this bank

-and through the trees.

-You were up there in no time.

-The names live on, don't they?

-Yes, and this is Mynydd Ty Mawr,

-near Tref Eurych gold mine.

-Through those trees is Y Dduallt -

-the black hill.

-That name refers to

-the steep, black rock.

-There many other names

-like Bol Canol, Bwlch Yr Hwrdd...

-..Gwastad Mawr Dan Y Dduallt

-and Bryn Yr Wyn.

-Thousands of acres of land

-are now covered in trees.

-They were once farms.

-Mynydd Yr Hendre, Mynydd Caer Gai,

-Mynydd Tyddyn Felin...

-..and Mynydd Penbryn Coch.

-My father told me about them.

-All the field names on that land

-are buried beneath the trees.

-It's a crying shame.

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-This time, we study the history

-of the landscape of Llwyngwern...

-..near Llanuwchllyn.

-Next, we head to the slopes.

-Hywel, is what we see around us here

-a fair representation of your land?

-Yes, I think so.

-Around two thirds of the farm

-is made up of rocks...

-..rushes, heather and bracken.

-What names are there in this area?

-What names are there in this area?

-

-Pen Cae Lloeau.

-Pistyll Mardyn cascade

-is part of this field.

-That's Ffridd Fain -

-Narrow Sheepwalk.

-It was called Ffridd Fawr -

-Great Sheepwalk...

-..until the Forestry Commission

-planted those trees...

-..and left us

-with a narrow sheepwalk.

-These rocks have names too.

-These rocks have names too.

-

-Yes. Llechen Ddu.

-In the depths of winter,

-that rock freezes for days.

-When it turns white,

-I know a thaw is setting in.

-Y 'Stafell - The Room.

-There's a lush area there

-where sheep become trapped.

-That's Moel Y Caws - Cheese Hill.

-How did it get its name?

-How did it get its name?

-

-I'm not sure.

-Perhaps it's shaped

-like a piece of cheese?

-A wall runs down the middle of it.

-One side is covered in heather

-and the other side is grassy.

-The difference is probably down

-to the way it was grazed...

-..down the centuries.

-That explains the difference.

-This cascade is important too.

-This cascade is important too.

-

-Yes, it's very important.

-I drink from it

-every time I pass this way.

-You can taste the iron

-in that water.

-When my grandmother

-was in hospital in Wrexham...

-..their water

-wasn't good enough for her...

-..so we carried water

-from here to Wrexham for her!

-I can't leave Pistyll Mardyn

-without tasting the water.

-Mm! Yes, you can taste the iron

-in the water.

-Yes, you certainly can.

-It's cold too.

-Yes.

-Springs are another important

-element of our landscape.

-Mardyn spring flows here.

-What does mardyn mean?

-The name is recorded

-as Mardyn and Madyn.

-Madyn means fox.

-That would be a perfectly natural

-name to have here.

-There are many springs here.

-This is one of a dozen springs

-on the same level on these slopes.

-A farmhouse was built

-near each one of the dozen springs.

-That's because the spring met the

-needs of the family and the stock.

-There was no farmhouse here...

-..but what we have is the remains

-of some ancient round houses.

-They were known

-as cytiau Gwyddelod - Irish huts.

-This spring may have met their needs

-at some point in time too.

-Whenever I stand near a spring

-or a cascade...

-..I sense a special atmosphere.

-I think this is a special spot.

-You almost feel compelled

-to lower your voice.

-You feel

-you're in ancient surroundings.

-Springs can be

-very spiritual places.

-We see pure water emerge

-from the depths of the earth.

-Springs were very important

-to the Celts.

-They connected the earth itself

-to the outside world.

-They linked the supernatural world

-and the human world.

-The lowlands of Llwyngwern

-are on the banks of River Dee.

-Here we see the remains

-of the railway...

-..built here in the 19th century.

-This track

-left its mark on field names.

-Your cattle looks excellent.

-We're looking at the locations

-we've just left.

-Moel Y Caws

-and Mardyn spring among the trees.

-Yes - in that hollow.

-We're stood on an old railway.

-Yes. It was built here in the 1860s

-and it closed in 1963.

-When the great snow

-of 1963 thawed...

-..River Dee,

-which runs over here, overflowed.

-It broke a bridge

-in the Llandrillo area...

-..and that's all the excuse

-they needed to close the line.

-The railway must have sparked

-many changes in this area.

-Yes. We call the top field Dol Uchaf

-and this is Dol Isaf.

-According to the Tithe,

-Dol Uchaf was called Cyfer Cam...

-..and this was Pwll Cywarch.

-Cyfer Cam - Crooked Acre

-wouldn't make sense now.

-The railway straightened the fields,

-so they changed the names.

-It would have been a crooked field

-then because it followed the river.

-What about Pwll Cywarch?

-They grew cywarch - hemp here.

-They used hemp to weave ropes

-which they tied around haycocks...

-..to stop the hay blowing away.

-That tradition is dead

-but you weave ropes from rushes.

-Yes, I did it a lot as a child

-and I can still do it.

-I have a piece in my pocket.

-I made it recently.

-This sort of thing.

-That's very neat.

-It's too short

-to go around a haycock.

-Would it be strong enough?

-Would it be strong enough?

-

-Yes, I think so.

-You can use it to lead the bull.

-You can use it to lead the bull.

-

-No, I don't trust him!

-Local historian, Awel Jones,

-joins me...

-..to shed light on the name

-of a field called Drylliau'r Tarw.

-The name of this field

-conjures up all sorts of images.

-Am I being overly romantic?

-What's the theory behind the name?

-What's the theory behind the name?

-

-The name has baffled me.

-Dryll means a piece of land

-divided into sections.

-Dryll Tarw Mawr, Dryll Tarw Main

-and Dryll Tarw Wrth Yr Afon...

-..sounded strange to me.

-I noticed that the field behind us

-is called Clwt Garw - Rough Land...

-..and I think Tarw

-must come from Garw.

-Dryll Tarw must mean

-rough piece of land.

-It doesn't mean tarw - bull.

-I don't think Llwyngwern

-would have a tarw main - thin bull!

-No, it's not likely.

-Some other fields here

-are named after animals.

-Yes, Porfa'r Hen Fuwch -

-Old Cow's Pasture.

-It's part of the common land.

-Bryn Gaseg Goch - Red Mare's Hill.

-Bwlch Y Danasod

-and Cerrig Yr Ieirch.

-Danasod and ieirch

-were some sort of deer.

-There's also Rhyd Y Re.

-Gre is a collective noun for horses.

-Drylliau'r Tarw

-is an evocative name.

-It's a field

-which is just below us here.

-Cattle has played a huge part

-in this community.

-Yes, especially in Penaran.

-Cattle was more valuable than sheep.

-We know that from The Lay Tax

-of 1292...

-..which shows that local residents

-had to pay 17% tax on their animals.

-In fact, all their mobile assets

-were taxed at 17%...

-..and that, of course,

-included the animals.

-In those times, a cow was worth

-three shillings and four pence.

-A sheep was worth only six pence.

-We can see from this tax

-that Penaran...

-..which is a very small area

-of the county...

-..paid more tax

-than any other hamlet.

-That's remarkable.

-It's a strong indication that cattle

-created the area's wealth.

-It really was an affluent area.

-And we can see that the Welsh Black

-is still flourishing on this land.

-Yes, and seeing the Welsh Black here

-tugs at the heartstrings.

-Its feet are firmly rooted

-in this land.

-It takes us back

-hundreds of years in time.

-It looks at home here.

-It looks at home here.

-

-Very much so.

-We've seen fields which are named

-after faraway places.

-It's usually the field

-furthest away from the farmhouse.

-There's an example of that here.

-There's an example of that here.

-

-Yes - Cae Birkenhead.

-Birkenhead must have felt

-very far away in those days.

-Do you have a favourite name?

-Do you have a favourite name?

-

-I don't know.

-Maes Gwilym is a good name.

-I like the sound of Gwndwn Crach.

-It's a rough sound.

-It's a rough patch of land.

-Gwndwn Crach.

-Drylliau'r Tarw is my favourite.

-Yes, that's another good name.

-I like Bryn Eurych too.

-Every one of them rings like a bell.

-Yes - an ancient sound

-rings through them.

-The best way to preserve them

-is to use the names.

-Use the names.

-S4C subtitles by Eirlys A Jones

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