St Dwynwen the Patron Saint of Lovers in Wales and Welsh bardic romance
The 25th January is the feast day of a 6th century Welsh saint called St Dwynwen. She is the patron saint of Welsh lovers and her own story is suitably romantic. But who was St Dwynwen? Why is she the patron saint of lovers in Wales? What is her story? Where did that story originate?…
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Old photos of the great houses, mansions and castles of the Vale of Glamorgan and Bridgend taken between 1890 and 1955
Here is my latest VLOG. It’s a compilation of vintage photographs of some of Glamorgan’s most significant residences. Taken before they got knocked down or converted into hotels, golf courses, flats or schools. Have you ever scrolled through Rightmove or Zoopla with the filters set at over a million pounds? Well if you were to…
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A traditional Welsh Christmas
Christmas and New Year celebrations have changed a lot in Wales down the centuries. In this video history blogger Claire Miles (who writes the Hisdoryan blog) and history author & broadcaster Graham Loveluck-Edwards talk about the sort of Christmases our ancestors would have recognised. We take a whistle stop tour of all things Christmassy from…
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The swan ladies of Glamorgan
In Welsh folklore, there is no shortage of people able to morph into other forms. A flick through the pages of The Mabinogion can confirm that. There’s the story of Bloden- wedd, who transformed into an owl; Delilah, who transformed into an eagle; and Gilvaethy, who first turned into a deer, then a hog, then…
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What happened to the lost regiments of the Vale of Glamorgan?
There used to be four Welsh regiments whose numbers included numerous volunteers from the Vale of Glamorgan. In the video below, I am joined by local military historian Mike Davies. In this month of remembrance (November 2022) we discuss the three local army regiments that carried the lions share of local volunteers. The Barry &…
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Barry Island – Land of myths and legends
If you have only ever briefly visited Barry Island or your only point of reference to it is Gavin and Stacy, this video might make your eyes pop out of your head. Barry Island in the Vale of Glamorgan may be famous for Butlins holiday camp, the beach, the funfair and the arcades. But did…
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The hanged man and the lady at Ogmore
We have some truly wild stories from our history here in South Wales. And this one is right up there. Arguably the most spectacular story from Welsh medieval history is that of William Cragh and Lady Mary de Brouize. It amazes me how few people seem to have heard of it. These people were superstars…
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The birth and boom of Barry Docks
Barry was a tiny hamlet of farms and cottages until 1886. Then in just 5 years it was turned into the biggest coal exporting port in the world and is now the biggest town in Wales. How did that happen? What drove that expansion? Who were the people behind it and what was their motivation?…
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The imposter of St Donats Castle
Regular readers of this blog may be interested to know that I have a new book out. As you would expect it is packed with fascinating exerts from our local history, as well as all the usual myths, legends, folklore, and ghost stories. Including the following episode. It concerns one of the most powerful dynasties…
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Discussing the ancient monasteries of the Vale of Glamorgan
Did you know that it is likely that Christianity in Wales started in Llantwit Major? That monks from institutions in the Vale of Glamorgan between the fifth and sixth centuries established ministries throughout Britain, Ireland and Northern France? In this video I discuss this fascinating history with author and historian Philip Morris. We look at…
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