Dihirod ac Arwyr Hanes Cymru a'r Mor

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-VILLAINS AND HEROES

-The sea has played a crucial role

-in Welsh history for centuries.

-It's provided us with food...

-..enabled us

-to travel far and wide...

-..and allowed us to trade,

-by importing and exporting goods.

-People in coastal areas are aware

-that the sea can claim lives...

-..as well as provide employment.

-In 1859...

-..this church, Cwm yr Eglwys,

-Pembrokeshire...

-..lost three of its four walls

-in a violent storm.

-The fourth wall still stands...

-..a lonely witness

-to the sea's destructive powers.

-Over the years, the wild waves

-that surround the Welsh coastline...

-..have attracted wild souls.

-Pirates, smugglers

-and shipwreckers...

-..have been romantic figures

-in our seafaring legends.

-Junior school children know about

-the infamous Bartholomew Roberts.

-Our poets and authors have

-immortalized these villains.

-But what's the real story

-lurking in the background?

-Pirates are the sea's most famous

-villains.

-Since we learnt how to sail, people

-have roamed the ocean waves...

-..murdering and plundering.

-Although Britain abolished

-the death sentence in 1965...

-..piracy was a capital offence

-until 1998.

-Perhaps it's inevitable

-that a seafaring nation...

-..would breed some wild men...

-..including some world famous

-pirates.

-Author Dafydd Meirion studied

-the history of Welsh pirates.

-I met him in Angle,

-near Milford Haven.

-The small village once

-attracted its share of pirates.

-The British fleet

-wasn't particularly strong...

-..before the days

-of the Spanish Armada.

-Pirates had free rein

-to attack ships.

-This changed

-after Spain attacked England.

-More ships were built, making

-them more difficult to attack.

-But the government

-actively encouraged pirates...

-..to sail to West Africa

-and the Caribbean...

-..to attack the Spanish,

-French and Dutch.

-The incentive to travel

-was to make more money.

-It was further away

-and there were far more treasures.

-Spanish ships

-were full of gold and silver.

-It was an opportunity

-to get rich quick.

-It was a dangerous profession.

-Yes. The average lifespan of

-a pirate's career was 3 to 4 years.

-Very few lived to old age -

-Henry Morgan was an exception.

-Although they stole treasures

-worth millions of pounds...

-..very few managed to hang on to it.

-They died young, frittering

-their money on drink and women...

-..or burying it. Many were

-unable to return and retrieve it.

-Bartholomew Roberts, or Black Bart,

-wanted to live fast and die young.

-He wasn't interested

-in a long, boring life.

-Was adventure the appeal?

-Times were hard,

-whatever your profession.

-Life was hard

-for farmers and sailors alike.

-Keeping on the right side of the law

-wasn't a profitable business.

-But pirates acquired wealth

-beyond their wildest dreams...

-..compared to a lifetime

-of working the land.

-A pirate's life could be lonely,

-despite the creature comforts.

-They'd be at sea

-for months at a time.

-They would plunder wine or rum

-from merchant ships.

-It was tempting to savour

-their spoils before selling it on!

-In this way,

-pirates and sailors differed.

-Only officers

-drank on the merchant ships.

-But on pirate ships,

-everyone drank...

-..apart from Black Bart,

-who was teetotal.

-That's why he was so successful!

-He was the most sober on board

-and knew what he was doing!

-The pirates that sailed

-from Wales to the Caribbean...

-..are still familiar to us today.

-But not every pirate sailed

-to the ends of the earth.

-Harri Morgan belonged to

-a latter period of Caribbean piracy.

-Long before that, piracy was common

-along the Welsh coast.

-Piracy was practised

-even before Roman times.

-In later centuries,

-it was rife during Edward I's reign.

-During

-the 13th and 14th centuries...

-..when coastal trade increased...

-..ship owners became pirates!

-They made lots of money

-with little effort.

-What sort of goods

-are we talking about?

-Not gold, silver,

-treasures or rum even in this case!

-They stole claret,

-expensive wines and clothes.

-They mainly stole fairly

-commonplace goods - wool and grain.

-Those were in demand

-and therefore easy to sell.

-To understand Wales's appeal

-to pirates...

-..we should take into account

-the nature of the Welsh coast...

-..in the 13th and 14th centuries.

-From Chester to Chepstow, the coast

-was bustling with activity.

-Hundreds of small boats

-sailed from harbour to harbour.

-One area of Wales

-was particularly busy.

-By the 19th century, next to London,

-and York in the north of England...

-..Bristol

-was England's largest city.

-The appeal of Bristol's busy harbour

-was great.

-Ships sailed in

-from Ireland, Iceland and Europe.

-The Bristol Channel was one of

-the busiest waterways in the world.

-Evidence of this activity

-is still visible.

-There is a location of interest

-on the outskirts of Magor...

-..not far from the new bridge

-over the Bristol Channel.

-Archaeologist Paul Sambrook

-explained its significance.

-How was life here

-in the Middle Ages?

-It was very unlike

-what we see today.

-The marsh reached out

-considerably more.

-The sea hadn't claimed

-as much of it then.

-A degree of erosion has happened

-since the Middle Ages.

-Some of the land has been lost.

-There was a harbour

-somewhere under the waves.

-It has been completely lost.

-The sea wasn't as close

-to this point as it is today.

-There must have been

-a community here, too.

-Of course. People lived here.

-There were women and children

-and the men worked on river boats.

-They traded here, too.

-In 1994, a team of archaeologists

-discovered one of the boats...

-..that contributed

-to the hustle and bustle.

-Although it sank 600 years earlier,

-it was in a remarkable condition.

-Moisture preserves wood -

-whether it's water or peat.

-The boat was abandoned in mud

-on the shores of the estuary.

-It was hidden

-and kept moist over the centuries.

-More than half the boat

-was preserved for over 600 years.

-But it was tricky

-to retrieve the boat!

-It was a dangerous operation.

-The site was quite far out to sea.

-The boat could only be reached

-at low tide.

-The archaeologists worked

-a maximum of two hours a day.

-The tide comes in very quickly here.

-It was hard and dangerous work.

-They decided to raise the boat...

-..before the sea

-caused further damage.

-What does the boat tell us

-about the period?

-The boat clarifies

-a number of issues.

-It proves that trade existed between

-south Wales, Devon and Cornwall...

-..and even further afield.

-This type of boat was mainly used to

-sail from minor Gwent estuaries...

-..and cross the Bristol Channel

-with iron and other produce.

-They returned with goods

-from the opposite bank.

-Pottery was found here, too.

-Pottery was found here, too.

-

-That was an exciting discovery.

-Fragments of pottery have been

-found in the riverbed mud.

-It creates a picture

-of life as it was here.

-Such pieces of evidence are rare.

-It's unusual for something

-as large as a boat to survive...

-..with part of its cargo

-still aboard.

-We can see how the boat was built,

-how it was used...

-..where they sailed

-and what they imported.

-This simple little boat

-has quite a tale to tell.

-The Magor boat wasn't full

-of priceless treasures...

-..as it crossed the Bristol Channel.

-But that doesn't mean

-the pirates would have ignored it.

-Perhaps the iron ore would not have

-been of much interest to them...

-..but anything that could be sold

-to the people of south Wales...

-..would be a target for pirates.

-As Bristol harbour grew...

-..so did the types of ships

-that sailed the Bristol Channel.

-The cargo of the new,

-substantial ships...

-..was more attractive

-than the modest little Magor boat.

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-A coastal vessel was discovered

-in the Bristol Channel, near Magor.

-But another important discovery

-was made nearby.

-While digging the foundations of

-Newport's new art centre in 2002...

-..workers found

-a number of wooden rafters.

-It became apparent that the rafters

-belonged to an ancient ship.

-The discovery caught

-the imagination of local people.

-The rafters are being examined

-and treated in a city warehouse.

-Hefin Meara is a full-time member

-of the restoration team.

-He started

-as one of the volunteers...

-..who lifted the rafters

-out of the mud.

-What happened

-after you got hold of the rafters?

-They were transported to this

-warehouse and placed in water tanks.

-They must be kept wet at all times.

-Once they dry out,

-they crumble and lose their shape.

-Any information would be lost.

-Are they brought here one by one?

-They're cleaned one at a time...

-..so that we can

-glean information from them.

-A layer of mud covers everything.

-Iron nails rust quickly.

-The dirt must be removed before

-we can see the detail on the timber.

-There's a stark contrast between

-the treated and untreated wood.

-It's a tricky, time-consuming

-process.

-We can see the detail on the timber.

-What next?

-We carry the rafters

-to the documentation table.

-A computer programme enables us

-to create a 3-D image of the timber.

-We can see how they lost

-their original shape in the ground.

-They're folded digitally

-to their former shape.

-It helps us recreate

-the actual shape of the boat.

-The computer records

-every single detail on the wood.

-What are these pieces?

-Wooden nails that held

-the frames of the boat in place.

-This strengthened the boat.

-Iron nails held the exterior planks

-in place.

-We record the nails, to work out

-how each rafter was put together.

-From that point,

-we can recreate the boat.

-From what you already know,

-when was the boat built?

-From the work we've already done...

-..we know that a section used to

-repair the boat dates back to 1465.

-We've dated the wood on the hull

-to 1469.

-We haven't been able to determine

-when the boat was built.

-That will happen

-over the coming years.

-After that, we can determine

-the origin of the wood.

-We'll be able to tell

-whether it's a Welsh boat...

-..or whether it came from abroad.

-Wood used to repair the boat comes

-from the Forest of Dean, Gloucester.

-But we've more work to do...

-..before we can determine

-where the original wood comes from.

-You've an idea

-of the boat's sailing routes.

-From relics discovered onboard...

-..we know

-there's a Portuguese connection.

-We found 15th century

-silver Portuguese coins.

-We found Portuguese pottery, too.

-We knew it sailed

-between Portugal and Wales.

-If it sailed to Portugal,

-it might have sailed to France...

-..Gascony and the Bay of Biscay.

-We also found pieces

-of leather from a shoe...

-.and sailors jerkins.

-We know what sort of clothes

-they wore on board.

-We're working out the material's

-country of origin.

-There's a gap in our knowledge

-of the history of boats.

-Hopefully, this will fill that gap.

-Exactly.

-It's a perfect 15th century model.

-'The Mary Rose' in Portsmouth,

-dates back to the 16th century.

-The German Bremen Cog

-dates back to the 14th century.

-This is a perfect example

-from the 15th century.

-It's important to the history

-of European sailing and exploration.

-Portuguese sailors

-sailed around Africa.

-They were setting their sights

-on America.

-Everything was changing.

-Once the world seemed small.

-Suddenly, there was

-a big wide world out there.

-Through studying

-the Magor and Newport remains...

-..we can paint a vivid picture

-of life on the Bristol Channel...

-..more than 500 years ago.

-Places that are insignificant today

-were important harbours.

-Ships laden with goods

-sailed back and forth...

-..to provide

-for the local population.

-Bigger ships imported and exported

-goods from Europe.

-It's hardly surprising

-that so many pirates...

-..lived on the shores of the Severn.

-Here was the best booty

-in the world!

-International pirates

-were drawn to the Bristol Channel.

-But they weren't all foreigners.

-The majority of them were raised

-in Wales and England.

-The pirates

-weren't necessarily working class.

-The aristocracy

-and governing classes...

-..played a key role

-in the history of Welsh piracy.

-I returned to Pembrokeshire,

-to Carew Castle...

-..to meet up with Dafydd Meirion.

-What was the connection between

-the pirates and the aristocracy?

-The pirate leaders

-were of noble birth.

-Sons decided

-that adventure at sea...

-..was better than staying at home.

-It worked in a variety of ways.

-They knew influential people.

-This gave them free rein

-to steal from coastal areas.

-They were also responsible

-for the markets.

-They could sell the stolen goods.

-They were often local magistrates.

-They were responsible

-for law and order!

-But they turned

-a blind eye to piracy.

-Pirates sailed around the coast,

-attacking and plundering ships.

-Did anyone challenge

-these aristocratic families?

-The London authorities were unhappy.

-Ship owners were up in arms.

-But the Welsh coast was very far

-from London in those days.

-Every now and then,

-an order came from London...

-..demanding to know why the pirates

-weren't being reprimanded.

-A few were caught -

-not the captains or close family...

-..but minor pirates

-were thrown into prison.

-But the pirates made them wealthy.

-They didn't go out of their way

-to catch the pirates.

-Where were the goods sold

-once they were brought ashore?

-Aristocratic families ruled

-the markets in strategic places...

-..Cardiff, Milford Haven

-and Cardigan.

-..Pwllheli in Lleyn,

-and Beaumaris on Anglesey.

-The Bulkeley family were in charge

-of trade in Beaumaris.

-They even supplied

-a relative of theirs...

-..a London lawyer,

-with stolen goods.

-He collected orders for the goods.

-Did people realise

-they were stolen goods?

-The aristocracy certainly knew.

-Compared to legal merchandise,

-the pirated wines were very cheap.

-The working class

-was excluded from this trade.

-They bought cheap grain, rather

-than the more luxurious items.

-The aristocracy knew they were

-stolen and took advantage of it.

-There was big money to be made.

-Certainly. Big money - millions

-of pounds by today's standards.

-The money enabled them

-to live lives of luxury.

-They built huge coastal mansions.

-They restored castles -

-like Carew Castle behind us.

-Piracy money built many minor

-mansions in Anglesey and Lleyn.

-Sir John Pero owned Carew Castle,

-in Pembrokeshire.

-He was the illegitimate son

-of Henry VIII.

-He was one of the most powerful

-aristocrats in south Wales.

-There's a suggestion

-that he was a pirate...

-..plundering fishing boats

-off the Canada coast.

-He certainly used his influence

-to protect Welsh pirates.

-He also took his share of the booty.

-According to history, he sheltered

-the Welshman, once described...

-.."as the empire's most

-dangerous pirate" - John Callis.

-He was from Monmouthshire...

-..and belonged to the Herbert family

-of Glamorganshire.

-He had a good start in life.

-He was a tailor's apprentice

-in London before turning to piracy.

-He took advantage

-of his family connections.

-He could attack ships along

-the coast of Wales and England...

-..and even further afield. His

-family controlled several markets.

-They kept his activities hidden

-from the London authorities.

-Like many other pirates,

-it was extremely useful...

-..to belong

-to these powerful families.

-Was it the norm

-to keep it in the family?

-They were all related.

-It was one big family, with

-close ties to English royalty.

-Elizabeth I's

-relations lived in south Wales.

-Her attempts to stop piracy

-off the British coast failed...

-..because the aristocracy

-profited from piracy.

-Piracy in the British Isles was

-at its peak in the Elizabethan Age.

-But towards the end

-of the 16th century...

-..the government started

-to invest in the Royal Navy.

-Soon, the crown ruled

-the British coast.

-Pirates decided there were

-richer pickings in the Caribbean...

-..with the Sovereign's blessing.

-Plenty of ships transported

-South American gold back to Europe.

-The pirates didn't disappear

-from Wales overnight.

-But they were less of a threat

-to the honest seamen...

-..who sailed the Welsh coast.

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-The pirates were

-attention-seeking villains.

-Having a bad reputation

-was an advantage.

-So frightened were

-the crews on board cargo ships...

-..that some surrendered

-without putting up a fight.

-But the smugglers

-depended on anonymity...

-..and on avoiding attention.

-Unlike the pirates, the names

-of smugglers are unfamiliar to us.

-But dramatic accounts

-of their adventures have survived.

-Smuggling is certainly part

-of the Welsh seafaring legends.

-Smuggling is remembered

-in some place names.

-There's Tobacco Cave, in Solva,

-Pembrokeshire.

-Behind me is The Toll Peninsula.

-It's a reference to the tax

-smugglers were keen to avoid.

-Tony Jones, from Rhiw in Lleyn...

-..divides his time between

-his work as a professional sailor...

-..and the pleasure he derives...

-..from researching

-Lleyn's seafaring history.

-Smugglers' exploits fill the stories

-that he's collected.

-From the middle of the 18th century,

-for 100 years...

-..the Lleyn Peninsula was

-an important place for smugglers.

-There are so many

-small beaches here.

-Almost no-one lived

-in these remote places.

-The small ships would come ashore

-in the early hours.

-They unloaded tea, brandy,

-rum and French lace.

-They smuggled anything

-that you couldn't buy locally...

-..or that was too expensive to buy.

-The government raised high taxes

-on imported goods.

-This made them impossibly expensive.

-They weren't always luxury items.

-In 1808, salt was four times more

-expensive in Lleyn than Ireland.

-Everything was salted

-in the pre-refrigerator days.

-Herring was the dominant catch

-in this area.

-It was distributed through Porth

-Ysgaden, Nefyn and Porthdinllaen.

-Cheap salt was crucial

-to the local economy.

-For the people of Lleyn...

-..clandestine Irish Sea crossings

-were a profitable business.

-Unlike pirates, smugglers didn't

-have aristocratic benefactors...

-..to protect them from the law,

-should something go wrong.

-Three local men sailed to Ireland.

-They loaded the boat with salt

-and sailed into Porth Colmon.

-They sold it. It was less

-than half the price of local salt.

-But someone identified them.

-The three were sent

-to Caernarfon prison.

-The fate of two of the three men

-is unknown.

-But the story of the third,

-William Williams, lives on.

-He lost so much weight in prison...

-..that he was able to squeeze

-through the bars of the window!

-He made a rope out of his bedding -

-just like in a cartoon!

-He came home.

-His mother dressed him as a girl.

-She took him to Liverpool

-and he crossed to America.

-He lived out his life in America.

-Anyone caught smuggling

-was severely punished.

-In the 18th and 19th centuries...

-..stealing was almost as bad

-as murder in the eyes of the law.

-Many an unfortunate soul

-was hanged for sheep stealing.

-Smugglers weren't common thieves.

-They avoided the high taxes.

-They stole

-from the government purse.

-It's little wonder smugglers stopped

-at nothing to avoid being caught.

-They always landed

-in the middle of the night.

-They must have been accomplished

-sailors to navigate these rocks.

-They landed as the tide was coming

-in - never when it was receding.

-They would unload their goods

-as the tide came in.

-Because the boat was lighter,

-it never got stuck.

-Despite the smugglers' cunning...

-..tax officers

-did occasionally catch them.

-After they were caught, their boats

-were confiscated and sold.

-But the only people who could afford

-the boats were other smugglers.

-One boat was sold back

-to smugglers four times.

-The government decided

-the boats should be destroyed...

-..if they were what was known

-as 'smuggler rigs'.

-The swift boats were destroyed

-and never set sail again!

-Thanks to their fast boats

-and seafaring skills...

-..many smugglers avoided

-the authorities.

-Although some smugglers were caught,

-smuggling still thrived...

-..providing an endless supply

-of commonplace and exotic goods...

-..even in places

-as remote as Aberdaron, in Lleyn.

-On the 5th of May, 1776,

-a French ship anchored in the bay.

-Ten men came ashore.

-They had ten brandy barrels

-and a tea chest.

-They wanted the people of Aberdaron

-to pay 10 for the lot.

-They refused -

-not because they were mean...

-..but because they already

-had plenty of brandy and tea!

-In a society that wasn't overly

-worried about the crown's power...

-..or the Treasury's power

-to tax them...

-..the smugglers played a key role

-in the black economy of rural Wales.

-In addition

-to the smugglers and pirates...

-..there was another group

-of coastal villains.

-Shipwreckers are a part

-of Welsh seafaring mythology...

-..as well as that

-of Britain as a whole.

-If you travel around

-the Cornwall or Scottish coasts...

-..you'll hear tales

-about remote villages...

-..where evil residents

-lured boats onto rocks...

-..in order to steal their cargo.

-But there is little evidence

-to support their actual existence.

-There are several examples

-of people in coastal areas...

-..plundering

-the cargo of shipwrecked vessels.

-But yet...

-..there is very little evidence

-that people in coastal areas...

-..deliberately set out

-to lure ships onto rocks.

-There's even less evidence that

-sailors were murdered once ashore.

-Experts believe

-the shipwreckers are nothing more...

-..than imaginary characters...

-..dreamed up

-by authors like Daphne du Maurier.

-But one tale of shipwreckers

-is perfectly true.

-It happened in Wales, nowhere else.

-There is only one documented court

-case of people found guilty...

-..of deliberate shipwrecking.

-The group become known as

-'The Thieves of Crugyll'...

-..a reference to Crugyll Beach,

-in Rhosneigr, Anglesey.

-The case was held

-in Beaumaris Court.

-I went there to meet Gwawr Davies.

-She explained to me who

-'The Thieves of Crugyll' were.

-They were local Rhosneigr people

-in the 18th century.

-When a ship sailed close to shore,

-or a shipwreck occurred...

-..they rushed to see

-what they could take or steal.

-They were from all walks of life,

-from landowners to paupers.

-Women and children

-rushed to see what they could find.

-How often were they hauled

-in front of the court?

-Not many were caught.

-They were hard to catch,

-because they worked at night.

-Local people didn't want

-to report them to the authorities.

-There are two court cases

-in particular.

-The first involved

-'The Loveday and Betty' in 1740.

-A ship anchored close to the shore,

-seeking shelter from a storm.

-The locals raided the ship...

-..even though

-the crew was still onboard.

-Three men were arrested.

-The court case was held

-in Beaumaris.

-The judge was drunk for the three

-days that the court was in session.

-They were let off, although

-their guilt was obvious to all.

-What about the second case?

-What about the second case?

-

-The second case is much more famous.

-The second case is much more famous.

-It happened thirty years later,

-in 1773.

-'The Charming Jenny' was sailing

-from Dublin to southern Ireland.

-Its captain decided to seek shelter

-in Holyhead during a storm.

-Unfortunately, the ship

-struck the rocks at Crugyll.

-There were four people on board,

-including the captain and his wife.

-Three drowned.

-Only the captain survived.

-It is said that his wife

-managed to scramble ashore.

-No-one's sure what happened to her.

-Perhaps she was murdered

-in order to steal her belongings.

-A number of local people

-were tried at Beaumaris Court...

-..thanks

-to the captain's perseverance.

-The unhelpful magistrates

-couldn't agree what to do.

-The captain believed a Shrewsbury

-hearing would be more sympathetic...

-..because it was in England.

-Two people from Rhosneigr

-were tried.

-They were sentenced to death -

-but only Sion Parry was hanged.

-No-one's sure

-what happened to the other one.

-He was probably transported.

-As the only one of its kind,

-it was an important case.

-Was it a deterrent?

-I think people were shocked

-that someone was hanged.

-They realised the seriousness

-of the offence.

-It didn't happen so often

-in Anglesey after that.

-Despite the importance

-of 'The Thieves of Crugyll'...

-..the case is an exception.

-Historians have tried in vain

-to prove...

-..that shipwrecking

-was a commonplace event.

-They're colourful stories

-but are they just stories?

-I wonder.

-Some say people waved lanterns and

-torches to lure the ships aground.

-Some claim they hung lanterns

-around the necks of cows...

-..to make them look like boats

-in the harbour. We don't know.

-These two cases

-occurred during a storm.

-Perhaps the elements

-were enough to bring them ashore.

-The Anglesey shipwreckers...

-..were the only ones

-who were brought to justice.

-But despite the lack of evidence,

-it seems unlikely that Anglesey...

-..was the only place

-in the British Isles...

-..where deliberate

-shipwrecking happened.

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-We've already mentioned pirates

-and shipwreckers.

-It's all too easy to forget the

-worst enemy of all - the weather.

-Storms and thick fog

-sent ships crashing against rocks...

-..in the days before radar

-and satellite navigation.

-Although it was impossible

-to calm the waves...

-..help was soon at hand

-for sailors in peril...

-..as Dafydd Williams explained.

-On a misty day, we sailed

-to The Skerries, north Anglesey.

-Some sort of lighthouse has always

-been on the main island since 1717.

-There have been shipwrecks

-on every corner of the island.

-There must have been

-close to a dozen.

-Perhaps there are many

-that we don't know about.

-These islands

-pose a serious threat to ships.

-The enterprising William Tench

-had a brilliant idea.

-He kept a bonfire alight on

-the island to warn passing ships.

-He taxed every ship

-that safely negotiated the rocks.

-He was convinced

-he'd make his fortune...

-..by charging one penny per ton

-on each passing ship.

-There wasn't a lighthouse on The

-Skerries in the early 18th-century.

-But the remains of a bonfire

-are visible to this day.

-This is the location

-of the first coal fire.

-There are still traces of coal here,

-after all these years.

-The scorch marks are still visible.

-The heat was intense.

-The coal came in boats from Cemlyn

-or Henborth on the mainland.

-Seven men once drowned...

-..carrying coal to The Skerries.

-There were several setbacks.

-In addition to seven men

-losing their lives...

-..William Tench's son drowned

-while working on the island.

-Although Tench invested heavily, he

-didn't profit from the enterprise.

-The right to operate a lighthouse

-was transferred to his descendants.

-His son-in-law, Rev Sutton Morgan,

-built a stone lighthouse here.

-He persuaded the authorities

-to allow him to increase the toll...

-..on passing ships.

-By the mid-19th century...

-..it was the last British lighthouse

-in private hands.

-Trinity House bought The Skerries

-for close to 500,000 in the 1850s.

-An enormous sum!

-I shudder to think how much

-that would be in today's terms.

-Hundreds of millions, most probably.

-Maritime technology

-has been transformed...

-..since the days

-of the original lighthouse...

-..the light and a foghorn

-still warn sailors of the perils.

-It is comforting to hear

-the foghorn on such a foggy day?

-When we approached The Skerries,

-although we knew where we were...

-..I opened the window on board

-to hear the foghorn...

-..in case the electronics

-were playing up.

-But I like to hear the noise.

-But I like to hear the noise.

-

-FOGHORN

-But I like to hear the noise.

-Lighthouses are still

-a comfort to sailors today...

-..but modern technology enables them

-to see obstacles and dangers...

-..even in the thickest fog.

-Technology has changed the nature

-of the lighthouses themselves.

-There are no lighthouse keepers

-in these automated times.

-Once again, technology ensures

-the light revolves...

-..day after day,

-year in, year out.

-But technology alone

-can't protect the Welsh coastline.

-Even today, hundreds of sailors get

-into difficulties at sea every year.

-Someone has to save them.

-The Coastguard

-is the official body in Britain...

-..responsible

-for defending the coast.

-But saving lives

-isn't their responsibility.

-That's the role of the lifeboats.

-The service is financed

-through public generosity.

-It depends on the sacrifice

-of volunteers.

-Hugh Owen works for the Burry Port

-lifeboat in Carmarthen Bay...

-..although he wasn't

-brought up there.

-Originally, I'm from Cwm Twrch.

-I attended a dance in Llanelli

-one Saturday night.

-I met the woman

-I'd marry a year later.

-We moved to Burry Port

-when we married.

-You didn't have

-a sailing background.

-Not at all.

-The only background I had was

-a little canoeing on the Thames...

-..or sailing the lake in Swansea's

-Singleton Park.

-That was all.

-I saw an advertisement

-for volunteers in the local paper.

-I decided to join the lifeboat.

-I was one of the first to join.

-Hugh Owen belongs to the second

-phase of the lifeboat's history.

-The original Burry Port station

-was established in 1887.

-It serviced the merchant ships

-that sailed into Carmarthen Bay.

-But as the coal ports

-of south Wales became busier...

-..shipping in the Burry Port area

-became less frequent.

-The original station closed

-on the 2nd of April, 1914.

-By the latter part

-of the 20th century...

-..the seafaring habits

-of the Welsh had changed.

-The waters around Burry Port

-became busier once again.

-In the 1950s and 1960s, people

-had more time on their hands...

-..and more money to spend

-on leisure activities.

-They came here to fish or sail.

-More people used the harbour, too.

-We had a nasty accident a mile

-up the coast towards Llanelli.

-A father and son lost their lives

-in a little boat.

-The Burry Port lifeboat station

-reopened in 1973.

-The crew have been kept busy

-saving those in peril at sea.

-Since the station reopened

-32 years ago...

-..the crew have saved

-over 100 lives.

-Tourists walk on the sand.

-They don't realise

-the tide's coming in behind them.

-Because it follows the river...

-..the tide comes in

-from several directions.

-They often get caught out.

-They imagine they're quite safe...

-..but the tide can rapidly

-surround and maroon them.

-A couple decided

-to go skinny-dipping.

-They left their clothes on the sand.

-The incoming tide

-washed their clothes away.

-They were stranded

-and rather red-faced.

-But we went out and saved them.

-It was great fun for the crew

-but embarrassing for them!

-How many people get into

-difficulties in their boats?

-Boats can break down,

-or run out of fuel...

-..or sea water contaminates the

-diesel. That's normally the case.

-But a worse fate awaits some people.

-Several rivers

-flow into the estuary.

-The tide follows the course

-of the rivers and leaves sandbanks.

-The sandbanks cause trouble

-for incoming boats.

-If they don't know the area well -

-they see where they want to go...

-..and steer a course towards it,

-instead of following the river.

-Have you ever been frightened

-at sea?

-When I'm out on the lifeboat...

-..I'm not frightened at the time.

-I concentrate on the work in hand.

-But back on land,

-I lie in bed at night, and think...

-..'that was a rough night.'

-That's when I'm frightened -

-not while I'm actually there.

-Thank goodness for that -

-or I couldn't do the work.

-I've never refused to go out,

-none of the crew has refused.

-If we get a call, everyone

-wants to go out and do the job.

-If the weather isn't too rough,

-the station manager decides...

-..whether the boat is launched,

-or not.

-The crew always wants to go.

-The manager stands back

-and studies the weather.

-He makes sure it's safe

-for the lifeboat to be launched.

-It's not worth going out

-in atrocious weather...

-..and getting into danger ourselves.

-Welsh sailors have always

-had a healthy respect...

-..for the waves,

-the tides and the currents.

-That's the attitude

-of experienced sailors.

-But as sailing has become

-a more popular leisure activity...

-..not all weekend sailors understand

-the treacherous nature of the sea.

-They can be grateful that

-the lifeboat volunteers are there...

-..to lend a hand to those in danger.

-S4C Subtitles by GWEAD