A tombstone to confound the devil.
In a churchyard in Monmouth stands one of the most curious tombstones in the county. And one so unique that it was given Grade II listed status in 2005. As you might expect with such a memorial, it and the man it commemorates, have quite a backstory. It concerns one man’s obsession with outsmarting the…
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A monument to unpopularity
Do you pay attention the opinion polls? The ones that tell us of the ebb and flow of popularity of our political leaders? If you do you may frequently find yourself scratching your head. Wondering why one politician can be a hero on a Monday and a villain by Tuesday. While another leaps from obscurity…
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The Glamorgan Witches
As we are in the shadow of Halloween, it seems only right that we should look at some famous witchstories from Glamorgan. Especially as we have some real belters. Arguably our most famous local Witch is the Mallt-y-Nos. She is described in some texts as a witch in others as a ghostly apparition but she…
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Unique perspective of World War II
A new book called Monica was launched on Saturday 7th October at Cowbridge Town Hall in South Wales. It tells the story of a family who fled grinding poverty and endless wars in 1920s Poland to start a new life in France. France had suffered heavy losses in World War I and needed immigrant labour…
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Stories from Dai Woodham’s locomotive scrap yard in Barry
You often hear people (of a certain age) reminiscing about lost institutions they used to know and love. Maybe it’s the chapel their nana used to go to that’s flats now. Or the local cinema that they used to queue up outside every Saturday that today is just a car park. However, it’s not very…
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The Glamorgan County Lunatic Asylum
In the 19th century a series of hospitals were built near Bridgend – specifically Glanrhyd, Parc and Penyfai. They were all part of the institution known as the Glamorgan Asylum. But what went on there? Is it the place of horrors so many of us imagine? We have probably all heard stories that these were…
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The dark truth behind nursery rhymes & lullabies.
We sing them to our children because they have jaunty little tunes, and seem to be full of fluffy imagery and childhood innocence. But a lot of them, on closer examination, are pretty dark. They are about some of the most brutal and unsavoury episodes in our history. Disease, death, religious intolerance, war and torture.…
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New book out in October | ‘Monica’
New book out in October 2023 tells the true story of a family trying to make their way in World War II
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The shared history of Wales and Brittany
Bonjour, good morning, bore da, and demat dit Over the past few weeks I have been researching the many historic and cultural links between Wales and Brittany. Its shown me that we have a shared history going back to the Stone Age. I find is staggering how little people seem to know about it. So…
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19th Century Welsh insurrection
Between 1830 and 1844 unrest amongst the industrial workers and farmers in Wales tipped over into riot and uprising. Nineteenth Century South Wales was a tinderbox of revolt. Industrialists were making fortunes in coal and steel but their workers were treated terribly. Living conditions were inhospitable and a breeding ground for cholera and other killer…
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