Pennod 6 Darn Bach o Hanes

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-This week, Rhys Mwyn

-follows Darwin to Denbigh.

-Lisa Gwilym

-burrows in a badge collection.

-And Abergavenny Castle's link

-with a stone in the Black Mountains.

-What were the big stories of 2011?

-The fate of the Eurozone?

-The Arab Spring?

-Legislative powers

-for the Welsh Assembly?

-What was the big story in 1607?

-Here in Cardiff,

-a devastating event occurred...

-..that reinforced

-the ordinary man's belief...

-..in the destructive

-and inexorable power of God.

-In the Middle Ages,

-Cardiff was a town of note.

-In 1580, Rhys Meurig praised

-its wide streets and fine buildings.

-He also cited a lack of space

-to build within the town walls.

-But John Speed's 1610 map suggests

-the town had shrunk a great deal.

-It shows most of the land

-as gardens or vineyards.

-Three years before,

-they had been inundated by seawater.

-That's what happened in 1607.

-Cardiff was struck

-by what we now call a tsunami.

-Today, there's a modern barrage

-in the Bay.

-It wasn't there 400 years ago.

-Imagine a wave coming upriver...

-..overflowing the banks

-and sweeping through the town.

-The town wall

-used to follow the riverbank.

-But on Speed's map,

-the wall has disappeared...

-..possibly because of the wave.

-Written accounts of the disaster

-are scarce.

-But things like this did exist.

-This is a 1607 pamphlet,

-giving an account of the disaster.

-It has pictures too.

-Were these the forerunners

-of the popular press?

-That's the question

-I'll try to answer.

-In the pamphlet, it mentions

-that 26 parishes were flooded.

-"All spoiled by the greevous

-and lamentable furie of the waters."

-It then compares the disaster

-to the Flood.

-"We see that Almighty God

-being mooved unto wrath...

-"..by their enormous vices,

-sent a flood upon them...

-"..and swept them away

-from the face of the earth...

-"..like dung and excrements."

-Not much mercy there.

-The SCOLAR section

-of Cardiff University Library...

-..houses special collections.

-With rare travel books,

-maps and religious prints...

-..it's heaven

-for a bibliophile like me.

-Another bibliophile

-is Dr Wyn James.

-I'm here today to see this pamphlet

-about the tsunami.

-How popular were these pamphlets?

-They were quite popular.

-Thousands were produced in England,

-especially in London.

-Printing wasn't legally permitted

-in Wales at this time.

-Were they all about topical events?

-No, although many were

-about unusual events.

-For example, there's a ballad

-in Welsh from Monmouthshire...

-..about a woman giving birth

-through her navel.

-So very unusual events

-did attract attention.

-But there were other themes,

-some of them educational.

-Many pamphlets and books

-were religious.

-That's true of this one.

-Half the pamphlet describes

-how God created the world...

-..and how mankind's sins were then

-punished by the Flood and so on.

-When were pamphlets first produced

-in Welsh for the market in Wales?

-That began in the second half

-of the 17th century...

-..in the 1680s.

-A certain Thomas Jones of Corwen...

-..moved to London

-at a very eventful time.

-It was the time of the Great Plague

-and the Great Fire.

-He established

-his own printing press...

-..and started to produce almanacs,

-as they're called.

-This is an example

-of his work from 1699.

-It lists such things

-as sunset times...

-..and the location of fairs

-during the year.

-He even lists 30 illnesses

-that he had contracted.

-He was quite a hypochondriac.

-He was.

-These pamphlets were very useful

-if you wanted to check...

-..when the next fair

-was in a certain place.

-In subsequent years...

-..balladeers sold ballads at fairs

-in the industrial valleys.

-Did that begin

-in the wake of these almanacs?

-In effect, yes.

-By 1695, the laws on printing

-had been relaxed.

-It was permitted in other places.

-Balladeers sold thousands of copies

-of their works.

-They took copies with them.

-They kept them in their hatbands

-or in their pockets.

-Some pegged their ballads on ropes.

-They used all sorts of ways

-to display and sell their work.

-It gave them a good income.

-These pamphlets came first,

-with their striking pictures...

-..and gripping stories,

-then almanacs, then ballads.

-Is it fair to say these are

-the origin of today's popular press?

-Definitely.

-In the 19th century...

-..as newspapers proliferated...

-..pamphlets like these,

-almanacs and ballads disappeared.

-They were usurped by newspapers.

-You're quite right.

-These are the Sun and Mirror

-of the 17th century.

-On that sensationalist note,

-rather aptly, we'll end our chat.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

-

-Thank you.

-You'll often find that

-when someone wears a badge...

-..they're making a statement.

-It can be a way of telling everyone,

-not too stridently...

-..about your political affiliation

-or your social tribe.

-They can reflect who exactly we are.

-I'm in Aberystwyth

-to meet Rhodri ap Dyfrig.

-He has collected badges

-since he was a boy.

-Hi, Rhodri.

-Hi, Rhodri.

-

-Hi. How are you?

-Come in.

-I can't wait

-to see your badge collection.

-I'm glad to see you're wearing one.

-I'm glad to see you're wearing one.

-

-I got this three weeks ago.

-I was taking part

-in a photo marathon in Aberystwyth.

-Everyone who took part got a badge.

-Everyone who took part got a badge.

-

-So that's a new badge.

-Where are the old ones?

-Where are the old ones?

-

-Here they are.

-The box is full of badges.

-The box is as old as the badges.

-May I sit?

-May I sit?

-

-Yes.

-Let's have a look.

-How many have you got?

-How many have you got?

-

-There must be about 100, I'd say.

-"Socialism to the left, peace."

-Were you a political child?

-We were a political family, really.

-I picked up badges wherever I went.

-I'm still quite proud of that.

-"Thatcher out of Wales."

-Sbondonics - oh!

-There's a real mix here.

-I picked up political ones...

-..and lots of childhood ones

-from events I attended.

-May I?

-May I?

-

-Go for it, that's the best part.

-No, you do it. They're yours!

-Wow!

-I'm so envious.

-These are some of my favourites.

-The Dolgellau

-Celtic Folk Festival.

-Dad was involved in it

-when I was very young.

-In 1980, I was three years old.

-I went to the caravan where they

-sold tickets on Eldon Square.

-They had these badges.

-I don't know

-if anyone else has these.

-They bring back memories.

-This one is from the 1985

-Lombard RAC Rally.

-The rally came to Dolgellau Mart,

-where Dad worked.

-I got up at 5.00am

-to see the rally cars.

-It brings back memories immediately.

-They tell us something

-about your family too.

-As a child, you go

-where your family take you.

-This USSR badge

-comes from East Germany.

-I picked it up

-on a school trip to Berlin.

-They begin to reflect my interests

-and places I went to on my own...

-..rather than with my family.

-There are musical badges here too.

-Guns N' Roses!

-That was one of my favourites

-when I was younger.

-It made holes in my school jumper

-because it was so heavy.

-I really liked Guns N' Roses and

-the skulls, silly things like that.

-Some of them are still relevant.

-"No Channel, No Licence."

-Yes, it's funny

-how things come back.

-If you saw that in the 1990s,

-you'd think it was old-fashioned.

-Now, it's relevant again.

-Has there been a revival recently?

-Like me, you have

-a Record Goch badge.

-It's odd.

-Maybe in the last decade,

-or the last five years...

-..there has been a revival

-in badge-wearing.

-You see more worn than in the 1990s,

-when it wasn't fashionable to do so.

-I've begun to pick up

-a few recently.

-People are handing them out

-to promote things again.

-Thanks for sharing your collection.

-I've really enjoyed it.

-I'm a little sad.

-I had a similar collection.

-I got rid of them two months ago.

-So, these aren't for sale, are they?

-So, these aren't for sale, are they?

-

-No, sorry.

-Clatter, Powys.

-At first, you might think

-it's an anglicized Welsh name.

-But it isn't.

-There's a record

-of the name Clatter-gate in 1836.

-It refers to the noise

-the toll gate made...

-..as it was opened and closed,

-and as it rattled in the wind.

-Clatter - there you have it.

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-In August 1831, a horse-drawn

-carriage travelled on the new A5...

-..from Shrewsbury

-towards North Wales.

-In it was Professor Adam Sedgwick

-of Cambridge University.

-With him was Charles Darwin,

-one of his most gifted students.

-Sedgwick coined the term Cambrian

-for the geological period.

-It's a tribute to the fact

-that it was here in North Wales...

-..that he made his discoveries.

-On 7 August, three days into the

-journey, they arrived in Denbigh.

-In the evenings...

-..they discussed the day's

-exciting geological finds.

-Sedgwick inspired the young

-Charles Darwin's enthusiasm...

-..in the geology of North Wales.

-On 8 August, they left Denbigh

-and headed for Abergele.

-Today, I'm following

-in their footsteps.

-It was mainly on foot,

-using a map and compass...

-..that Darwin and Sedgwick

-apparently travelled.

-It's hard to be certain

-that this was the path they took.

-There are many inconsistencies

-between the diaries' evidence...

-..and Darwin's autobiography,

-published 56 years later.

-Walking from Denbigh to Abergele

-in a day sounds quite a feat.

-But maybe the enthusiasm

-of two geologists in the field...

-..was enough to keep them going!

-To avoid getting lost,

-I've recruited a local historian...

-..Meirick Lloyd Davies,

-who knows the area well.

-When the geologists

-came to Cefn Meiriadog...

-..they were looking for caves.

-The caves would come to influence

-Darwin's new theories...

-..and distance him from the beliefs

-of creationists like Sedgwick.

-Here we are.

-Here's the cave in all its glory.

-I can imagine Sedgwick and Darwin

-arriving here.

-Isn't it marvellous?

-Isn't it marvellous?

-

-Yes.

-Thinking about what they would find

-in this ancient cave.

-Shall we go in

-to see what they found?

-During the 19th century...

-..scientists began to take

-more interest in caves.

-They searched for sources

-to find new evidence...

-..of the presence of animals

-and people in prehistoric times.

-Cefn Caves,

-above the glacial Elwy Valley...

-..were formed over 250,000 years ago

-and were a great attraction.

-Sedgwick and Darwin came here

-and made their discoveries.

-What bones did they find?

-Rhinoceros bones were the most

-important find, under their feet.

-We don't know where exactly

-because it was a while ago.

-They found human bones too.

-We're a long way into the cave.

-Humans probably lived

-near the cave's entrance.

-Yes.

-Why are there remains so far in?

-Why are there remains so far in?

-

-It's an interesting point.

-The glacier pushed everything in

-from the entrance.

-That's why things were found here.

-Most of them have gone now.

-So the finds

-weren't in their original location?

-Exactly.

-Exactly.

-

-People didn't live here.

-They had to work out

-where people lived.

-We're not sure

-what happened to Darwin's finds.

-Sadly, the artefacts have been lost.

-Maybe people thought

-they weren't important.

-Today, we know how important

-they would have been.

-The account of Darwin and Sedgwick's

-journey in North Wales is patchy.

-It's unclear if they worked together

-or just met in the evening.

-In Glascoed, a little up the road,

-some say they split up.

-Others say that both came here.

-It's very interesting.

-So it's unclear

-whether both were here.

-One of them must have been!

-One of them must have been!

-

-Yes.

-But what they found is what counts.

-But what they found is what counts.

-

-Exactly.

-"I have never ceased to be thankful

-for that short tour in Wales."

-So said Darwin.

-Although details about their visit

-are vague, one thing is certain.

-North Wales's geology

-influenced Darwin's exposition...

-..of South America's geology

-on his voyage on HMS Beagle...

-..that contributed so much...

-..to his groundbreaking work,

-On The Origin Of Species.

-It was derided at the time,

-but was so revolutionary.

-What about Professor Sedgwick?

-This is part of a letter

-he wrote to Darwin...

-..after the book was published.

-"I have read your book

-with more pain than pleasure.

-"Parts of it I admired greatly.

-"Parts I laughed at

-till my sides were almost sore.

-"Other parts

-I read with absolute sorrow...

-"..because I think them utterly

-false and grievously mischievous."

-Yes, history can be

-very cruel sometimes.

-I'm Frank Olding.

-I'm the Heritage Officer

-for Blaenau Gwent Council.

-This is Abergavenny Castle, one

-of Wales's most significant castles.

-The Normans' influence

-on Wales's landscape is great...

-..especially in Gwent, where there

-are more castles per square mile...

-..than anywhere else in Britain.

-By 1136, to all purposes,

-Wales had been conquered.

-But then,

-something revolutionary happened.

-The story begins

-with Richard de Clare...

-..one of the richest

-and most powerful Norman lords.

-He stayed here on his way back

-to his lands in Ceredigion.

-But his road home passed through

-the Black Mountains' wooded valleys.

-In the woods of Coed Grwyne...

-..de Clare sent his soldiers

-back to Abergavenny.

-He said he didn't need them.

-But Morgan and Iorwerth ab Owain,

-the princes of Gwent Uwch Coed...

-..had heard of de Clare's journey

-through the Black Mountains.

-They and their followers

-lay in wait in the woods.

-As the Normans travelled

-leisurely through the woods...

-..the Welsh rushed out of hiding

-and attacked their enemy fiercely.

-De Clare and his entourage

-were all killed.

-The Gwenhwys,

-the men of Gwent, had struck back.

-Within days, great tracts of Wales

-had risen against the Normans.

-Morgan and Iorwerth

-regained all their lands in Gwent.

-Similar revolts broke out

-across South Wales.

-Morgan and Iorwerth's local victory

-sparked a national uprising...

-..that destroyed the Normans' power

-in Wales for generations.

-This is Ffawyddog, above Coed Grwyne

-in the Black Mountains.

-This is where the story ends.

-To commemorate their sweeping

-victory over the Normans...

-..Morgan and Iorwerth

-erected a memorial.

-Here it is.

-Known locally as the Revenge Stone,

-it has stood here for 900 years.

-This isn't the best day to see it,

-but it's a worthy memorial...

-..to the bravery of the Gwenhwys,

-the men of Gwent, so long ago.

-It's truly

-a little piece of history.

-GALE BLOWS

-Last week, I asked you

-to name this artefact...

-..from St Fagans

-National History Museum.

-It's a swordstick.

-As you see, the sword

-is hidden in the stick.

-It was popular among the nobility

-in the 1880s...

-..to protect themselves from rogues,

-and as a walking stick, of course.

-This week's artefact

-looks very dangerous.

-I wouldn't like to see it

-in a dentist's hands.

-It has to do with animals,

-if you need a clue.

-It extends and has

-very painful-looking spikes.

-But what is it?

-Send your answers in on Facebook.

-The answer will be on the website.

-Thanks, Gareth.

-And thank you for watching

-because that's all for this series.

-We still want artefacts

-and stories.

-Send them to us

-via the Facebook page.

-I'll be blogging from time to time,

-just to keep things fresh.

-S4C Subtitles by Gwead

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