Y Llew Coch, Dinas Mawddwy Straeon Tafarn


Y Llew Coch, Dinas Mawddwy

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-Hello and welcome

-to Straeon Tafarn...

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-..with me, the bald-headed bandit,

-Dewi Pws Morris.

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-I enjoy travelling Wales, performing

-gigs and hearing exciting stories.

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-Where are we going this time?

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-George Borrow called it...

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-.."a dirty, squalid place."

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-By George, George!

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-According to OM Edwards,

-it's home to the best Welsh hymn...

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-..O! Tyn Y Gorchudd.

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-Where am I? I'm in Dinas Mawddwy,

-between Machynlleth and Dolgellau.

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-The pub in question

-is the Red Lion - grrr!

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-This place is remote

-and unfamiliar to me.

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-Believe it or not, I do know

-something about Dinas Mawddwy.

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-It was home to the notorious

-Red Bandits of Mawddwy.

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-They were evil men with red hair

-and no manners.

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-Don't take my word for it.

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-Gwawr joined me at the Red Lion

-to tell me all about them.

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-There are a number of ideas

-about their origin.

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-Some suggest they were linked

-with Glyndwr's revolt.

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-Officially, the revolt

-of Owain Glyndwr ended in 1421.

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-Many people from Mawddwy fought

-for his cause and lost their land.

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-Some believe the bandits

-were scions of Glyndwr's army...

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-..who were still passionate

-about their loss.

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-Did they rob from one specific area

-or did they move around?

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-They moved around a lot

-in the Mawddwy and Dugoed areas.

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-It's mountainous and remote today,

-so it was even worse 500 years ago.

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-Mawddwy became part of Merioneth

-as part of the Act of Union...

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-..so it has always been

-a bit here and there.

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-They took advantage of this

-to get away with their attacks.

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-They could escape across the border

-to Powys...

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-..and return via other borders.

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-They took advantage

-of their surroundings.

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-There are tales of them stealing and

-driving cattle from vale to vale.

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-They didn't live in caves

-or forests.

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-They were yeomen

-who owned some property.

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-They weren't the dregs of society.

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-Where would they hide?

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-They tended to hide out

-in areas near the county border...

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-..such as Bwlch yr Oerddrws

-and Bwlch y Groes.

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-We have sites

-such as Ffynnon y Gwylliaid...

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-..where the bandits

-washed their hands...

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-..and Pyllau'r Glwferiaid.

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-A number of local names

-reflect the history.

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-These names paint a picture

-of history.

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-The place names

-are proof of their existence.

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-The general belief is that

-the Red Bandits were most active...

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-..in the early 16th century.

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-Baron Owen was an officer

-of the new Tudor regime.

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-He had a high opinion of himself.

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-He used his connections

-to scale the social ladder.

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-He was commissioned

-to capture the bandits.

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-It was Christmas Eve.

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-Baron Owen and his men

-had decided...

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-..that the bandits

-wouldn't have a merry Christmas.

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-They decided to attack.

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-Their aim was to kill

-as many bandits as possible...

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-..and they weren't disappointed!

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-Some 80 bandits

-were captured and hanged.

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-Their bodies were found dangling

-in the wind on Christmas morning.

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-Among them was a young boy

-called John Goch.

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-His mother pleaded with the Baron

-to spare her son...

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-..but he showed no mercy.

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-As John breathed his last...

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-..his mother bared her breasts

-and shouted...

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-.."These breasts have raised

-John's brothers.

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-"They will take revenge

-on the Baron...

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-"..and wash their hands

-in the blood of his heart."

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-Ten months later, as the Baron

-went home over Bwlch y Fedwen...

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-..he was caught in a classic trap.

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-Two oak trees fell to the ground...

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-..one behind him,

-one in front of him...

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-..and the sky filled with arrows.

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-It's said that the Baron

-was struck 30 times...

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-..and his corpse fell at the feet

-of John Goch's brothers.

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-As their mother had promised...

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-..the boys washed their hands

-in the blood of Baron Owen's heart.

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-This is a legend of Dinas Mawddwy.

-Everyone knows about the bandits.

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-I spoke to Tegwyn Jones,

-who elaborated on their story.

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-He's also a proper poet,

-which really makes me feel nervous!

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-How many did the Baron execute?

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-The court records state

-that eight were executed...

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-..namely John Goch

-and his brothers...

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-..as well as people

-from Cemaes, Llanwddyn and Mawddwy.

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-There was also a pregnant woman.

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-She wasn't hanged

-until after the birth of her child.

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-There's a story of one attack

-near my home.

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-During harvest,

-a truckle of cheese was taken out.

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-The bandits shot an arrow

-from one side of the valley...

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-..and hit the truckle.

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-At one time, scythes were placed

-in chimneys...

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-..to stop the bandits

-climbing down them at night.

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-Goodness me!

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-Everyone in Dinas Mawddwy filled

-their chimneys to stop the bandits.

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-Fortunately, my little green van

-hasn't got a chimney!

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-Gwawr was enjoying herself so much

-that she wanted to tell me more.

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-Are there any literary references

-to the bandits?

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-When Baron Owen was murdered,

-five poets composed elegies to him.

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-Thomas Pennant in 1778

-first wrote about them in print.

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-He stated

-that there were 80 bandits...

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-..but he was writing

-200 years after the event.

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-It's possible the oral tradition

-had embellished the story!

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-When did the bandits disappear?

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-When did the bandits disappear?

-

-It's difficult to say.

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-However, I know of one incident

-that happened following the murder.

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-Gwanas farm,

-over Bwlch yr Oerddrws...

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-..belonged to a Catholic guild,

-the Order of St John.

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-They gave outlaws

-refuge from the law.

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-Sion Rhydderch,

-who farmed Gwanas at that time...

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-..offered refuge to some

-of the last remaining bandits.

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-Unfortunately,

-he betrayed the bandits...

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-..and revealed their location

-to the local authorities.

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-There is a saying in the area.

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-If someone goes back

-on their word...

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-..they are said to be

-as deceitful as Sion Rhydderch!

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-These were wicked men.

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-These were wicked men.

-

-Yes, they were wicked.

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-However, the oral tradition

-has transformed them into heroes.

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-The locals are proud of them.

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-What are the locals like now?

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-What are the locals like now?

-

-I wouldn't like to say!

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-I love real-life Welsh tales

-about the likes of the bandits.

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-It makes me long for the past.

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-I'm an old romantic fool,

-but then again, why not?

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-.

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-888

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-888

-

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-I love visiting Welsh pubs,

-holding gigs and meeting the locals.

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-Dinas Mawddwy is very beautiful.

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-It appears tranquil these days...

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-..but it once attracted people

-from far and wide.

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-Tegwyn Jones

-explains the area's history.

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-Who was this man Buckley?

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-Edmund Buckley

-was a wealthy man from Manchester.

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-He spent extensively in the area.

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-He built a mansion with a window

-for each day of the year...

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-..and a chimney

-for every week of the year.

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-It was a huge Gothic mansion.

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-He also built the Buckley Arms...

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-..one of Europe's earliest

-concrete buildings.

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-Dr John Davies, who translated

-the New Testament, lived here.

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-While he was rector here,

-he built many bridges...

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-..one at Mallwyd

-and one in Dinas itself.

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-The earliest dates back to 1610.

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-Why did he build them?

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-To cross the valley, of course.

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-To cross the valley, of course.

-

-Thanks, Tegwyn!

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-Let's have something

-to soothe the soul.

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-# Let the bright sun

-of righteousness shine... #

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-Ah... lovely.

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-Did you know that a local boy

-wrote that hymn?

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-Angharad Price called by

-to tell the story.

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-Hugh Jones was a famous hymn writer.

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-He published two volumes

-of poems and hymns.

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-One of the most famous hymns

-of its day was O! Tyn Y Gorchudd.

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-OM Edwards called it the best hymn

-in the Welsh language.

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-In the 1770s, he published

-a very important book...

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-..unique in the Welsh language,

-Cydymaith Yr Hwsmon.

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-It traced the changing seasons

-in the agricultural world.

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-Every description

-contained a religious reference.

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-In the preface to the book...

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-..he states that he thought

-of the tranquillity of Maesglasau...

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-..while living

-amid the chaos of London.

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-The homesickness that he felt

-also affected the book...

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-..because it is very passionate.

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-He funded the book by collecting

-a list of subscribers...

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-..mainly from Dinas Mawddwy,

-including many relatives.

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-He used that money

-to publish this book...

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-..and the other books

-that he published in his lifetime.

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-Unfortunately,

-this book has been forgotten.

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-Personally,

-I think it's a lost classic.

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-It could be compared with classic

-European books of the period.

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-Werther by Goethe

-in Germany springs to mind.

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-It was published in the same year

-as Cydymaith Yr Hwsmon.

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-One became a world-famous classic

-and made Goethe a wealthy man...

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-..while poor Hugh Jones died

-as an unknown pauper in Wales.

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-Was he bitter?

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-He faced tremendous debts

-due to the publications.

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-The Methodist chapel disowned him

-because of his debts.

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-He did his best for his country,

-literature and religion...

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-..and received no thanks for it.

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-My full name is Dewi Grey Morris.

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-Mam always claimed that my family

-were distant relatives of Earl Grey.

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-I believed her for years,

-but it was a joke.

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-Thanks, Mam!

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-This area is steeped

-in Wyn's family history.

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-He's related

-to a very special family.

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-Most of it was passed on

-via word of mouth...

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-..but records claim my family

-have been here for 1,000 years.

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-A thousand years?

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-A thousand years?

-

-Yes.

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-We plan to hold

-some sort of celebration next year.

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-We have made a few arrangements...

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-..but I suspect the family tree

-will be quite extensive.

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-Think about it.

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-One family farming the same land

-for over 1,000 years.

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-When Wyn was a child, a BBC crew

-made a film about the family.

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-They were a large family

-with five children.

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-They were Wyn's father, a sister

-and three blind brothers.

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-It saddens me

-to think of Nain and Taid.

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-They lost two children

-at a young age.

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-Their only daughter, Rebecca,

-died of diphtheria aged 11...

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-..and she had three blind brothers.

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-They said that the most

-difficult thing they ever did...

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-..was to bid farewell

-to their two children.

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-One was five

-and the other was three.

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-The children left Drws-y-Nant

-station, Rhydymain...

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-..to attend a school

-for the blind in Rhyl.

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-Lewis could see

-until he was 11 or 13 years old.

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-When he went to school,

-they took his glasses.

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-The glasses were pointless

-if he was going to learn Braille.

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-Was his sight deteriorating?

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-It was, but after they took

-his glasses, that was it!

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-There was another brother.

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-There was another brother.

-

-Yes, Dad.

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-Dad was the only one

-who could see to run the farm.

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-Dad's heart wasn't in farming.

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-He wanted to be a vet

-when he was young...

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-..but he was forced to come home

-in order to run the farm.

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-This story has given me an appetite

-to learn more.

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-Funnily enough, Angharad

-is also related to the family.

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-Wyn's sister is her mother.

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-The eldest brother, Griffith,

-became a vicar in England...

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-..and he studied

-at Oxford University.

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-"I saw also the Lord, sitting

-upon a throne, high and lifted up."

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-The middle brother, William,

-mastered a dozen languages.

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-He returned to Ty'n y Braich,

-where he edited texts into Braille.

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-The third brother, Lewis, was very

-talented in a number of ways.

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-Telephones are my world,

-but oddly enough, I don't own one.

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-When I want to call Ty'n y Braich,

-I have to use a telephone kiosk.

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-Good afternoon,

-I'd like a call to North Wales.

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-TELEPHONE

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-The family was relatively poor,

-but they had to care for the boys.

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-My grandfather,

-and his sister, Rebecca...

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-..left school at the age of 11

-against their wishes.

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-My grandfather's happiest day...

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-..was when he was

-in the black in the bank.

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-As well as this film,

-the family also inspired a book.

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-O! Tyn Y Gorchudd shared its name

-with Hugh Jones's famous hymn.

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-Who was the author?

-None other than Angharad.

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-I felt the need

-to record two things.

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-The first was the history

-of a popular way of life...

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-..in rural Wales

-during the 20th century.

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-The second was the story of my

-grandfather's three blind brothers.

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-I wrote it

-from Rebecca's perspective.

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-Sadly, she died at the age of 11...

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-..but I wrote her story...

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-..and gave her the life

-that she didn't have.

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-The story is told

-at the end of her life...

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-..in the late 20th century

-as she looks back over the decades.

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-"Through the decades of my life,

-I've witnessed some amazing changes.

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-"The motorbike replaced the sledge.

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-"The shire horse

-was replaced by the tractor.

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-"The pony and trap

-were replaced by the car.

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-"Rush candles were replaced

-by wax candles...

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-"..then by paraffin lamps

-and then electric lighting.

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-"A machine replaced the body.

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-"A tool replaced the hand.

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-"The phone replaced the letter...

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-"..and I hear the phone was replaced

-by messages on a screen.

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-"Radio and television

-replaced newspapers.

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-"Books were replaced by film.

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-"The Sabbath

-was replaced by Sunday."

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-It's a great novel and an amazing

-story about three blind brothers.

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-To this day, the family is unsure

-of the cause of their blindness...

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-..but it didn't stop them

-from living life to the full.

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-Time has beaten me again

-and it's time for a song.

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-I'm joined by the king of the banjo

-and the master of the mandolin...

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-..Tudur Huws Jones.

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-The song for the Red Lion

-is Nwy Yn Y Nen.

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-# On the mountain summit

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-# Sits a white cloud

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-# And the sun dances

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-# On the ripples on the lake

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-# The rural school

-is robbed of its song

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-# Wooden toys smashed to smithereens

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-# The children

-are leaving for the towns

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-# The children

-are leaving for the towns

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-# And there's gas in the sky

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-# And the moon is white

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-# And there's something wrong

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-# In the town

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-# Yes, there's gas in the sky

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-# The moon is white

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-# And there's something wrong

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-# In the town

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-# When spring arrives

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-# To usher the summer

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-# In a lonely valley

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-# On a fine morning

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-# I hear their feet stampede

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-# They say farewell

-to the dirty city

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-# The children

-are returning to the country

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-# The children

-are running back to the county

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-# And there's gas in the sky

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-# And the moon is white

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-# And there's something wrong

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-# In the town

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-# Yes, there's gas in the sky

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-# And the moon is white

0:21:170:21:20

-# And there's something wrong

0:21:200:21:23

-# In the town

0:21:230:21:25

-# Yes, there's gas in the sky

0:21:260:21:30

-# And the moon is white

0:21:300:21:33

-# And there's something wrong

0:21:330:21:36

-# In the town

0:21:360:21:39

-# Yes, there's gas in the sky

0:21:400:21:43

-# And the moon is white

0:21:440:21:46

-# And there's something wrong

0:21:460:21:51

-# In the town #

0:21:530:21:56

-Thank you very much.

0:22:110:22:13

-Oh, I enjoyed that.

0:22:180:22:20

-"I had lots of fun in Dinas, where

-the people of Mawddwy are vigorous

0:22:210:22:27

-"After hearing the habits

-of Mawddwy's Red Bandits

0:22:270:22:32

-"I hid all night under the canvas!"

0:22:320:22:35

-Goodnight.

0:22:350:22:37

-# Lleucu Llwyd, you are beautiful

0:22:380:22:43

-# Lleucu Llwyd,

-you are worth the world to me

0:22:430:22:48

-# Lleucu Llwyd, you're an angel

0:22:490:22:53

-# Lleucu Llwyd,

-I love you, you, you #

0:22:540:23:00

-S4C subtitles by Tinopolis

0:23:070:23:09

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0:23:090:23:09

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