Category: History

A tradition which is over 1,000 years old was resurrected in the Vale of Glamorgan and used as an opportunity to raise awareness and funds for the Vale Foodbank.

The 27^th September is the feast day of St Baruc, the patron saint of Barry. In centuries past, this date would have been marked by a pilgrimage from the monastery he belonged to at Llancarfan to his chapel on Barry Island. Money would have been given to the support of alms houses to feed and clothe the poor. Followed by a week of merry making, known as the “gŵyl mabsant”.

Over 30 ‘pilgrims’ took part in the event which saw a cornucopia of well-known history experts bring to life the stories of all the places the pilgrims passed through.

At Llancarfan church Ian Fell showed off the incredible, mediaeval murals on the church walls. Vivid in colour and capturing St George slaying the dragon, a dandy marrying a skeleton and a beast with multiple heads devouring those indulging in the seven deadly sins. All dating back to around 1450. Then at Penn Onn, Gareth Thomas, author of ‘I Iolo’ was standing outside the birthplace of the sometimes controversial but always interesting; Iolo Morgannwg and told the pilgrims all about his contributions to Welsh culture including the Gorsedd of the bards at the Eisteddfod festival. Outside Penmark church, Dr Andy Seaman from the Archaeology Department of Cardiff University told everyone about the amazing finds at the 6^th century cemetery at Fonmon. Then Nick Hodges of the Victorian Barry Experience talked about the boom years of Barry as the walkers passed through the town.

The pilgrimage ended at the remains of the 13^th Century chapel of St Baruc on Barry Island. Then everyone popped across the road to the Barry Island Community Centre where foodbank volunteers had prepared teas, coffees, refreshments and some home-made Welsh cakes and brownies.

As with any true pilgrimage, there was more to it than a leisurely walk and some talk. The event had two important aims to fulfil.

First of all, it was a fundraiser. Vale foodbank has been put under increased strain in the past 12 months as the cost-of-living crisis has bitten hard. The result has been a perfect storm as demand for emergency food parcels for people in the county has increased by 29% from 2023-2024, whilst donations of food at the supermarket collection boxes has dropped by 15%. To help plug some of that gap, all the pilgrims paid a fee. Over £600 was raised on the day and foodbank are hoping that by running the event and raising awareness of the situation they are facing; more donations will be forth coming in future weeks as a result.

The second goal is part of something much bigger being run by foodbanks up and down the UK who are part of Trussel. To listen to the people who need to use foodbank and uncover the drivers of poverty locally. Then to take action to get those things changed. The long-term vision; to remove the need for foodbanks all together.

MP for the Vale of Glamorgan; Kanishka Narayan who attended the event spoke in support of what Vale Foodbank are trying to achieve with this campaign. He said, “I have volunteered at foodbanks, and I have seen the current need for the work they do” he went on to say “I share their vision and I am committed to work towards the phasing out and eventual removal of the need for food banks locally and across the UK.”

If you would like more information about Vale Foodbank visit their website at www.vale.foodbank.org.uk or if would like to donate or contribute to the work they do, please call 07581 398446.

As a small boy, I used to live a stones trow away from the picture postcard village of Merthyr Mawr and I used to walk my dog across the sand dunes of Candleston on pretty much a daily basis. I always knew there was a settlement buried under the sand but knew very little about it. So I decided the time had come for a thorough investigation and you will be amazed by the stories that uncovered. It was so good I had to make a film about it.

candleston is part of the second largest dune system in Europe, but that’s not all there is to it. In the medieval period it was buzzing.

In 1320 it was described as a farming village surrounded by 200 acres of prime agricultural land. It was also on a major pilgrimage route with a unique connection to a miracle that put it on the map. The De Cantaloupe family owned Candleston and lived in Candleston Court. In fact the village was named after them.

When a member of the family was made a saint for the miracle of the resurrection of William Cragh it put the place on the map. The story of Candleston is an incredible one. It is a story of a lost village, featuring a saint, a miracle, a freedom fighter, a wizard and a wayward inn keepers wife. To say nothing of melons, the Le Mans 24hr and a castle that isn’t a castle. And lots and lots of sand.

Hope you enjoy the film. Just click the image below to watch in full.

These stories and countless others like them, all from Glamorgan, are captured in my book “More Legends and Folklore from Barry, Bridgend and the Vale. Just click to buy your copy or buy from Amazon on this link.

In tonight’s episode of HISTORY ON YOUR DOORSTEP on Bro Radio, I interview history film maker; Chris Lloyd and we discuss the contribution of the Welsh to the building of the most powerful nation on earth. Everything from claims that Prince Madoc Ap Owain Gwynedd discovered and colonised it in the 12th century through to Tom Cruise saying his grandfather was from Flint.

When you scratch the surface it is amazing how big the Welsh contribution was:

• Richard Amerike (born Richard Ap Meurig) who just might be the man they named America after
• The legacy of Richard Price, an intellectual from the Garw valley and his inspiration in the constitution
• So many of the signatories to the declaration of independence were Welsh. They include
• William Williams – Harvard graduate and priest. Served as a congressman for 30 years. Biography says ‘from Wales’ but not where.
• Francis Lewis – Was a New York ‘Tory’. Signed the declaration anyway. When Brits invaded Long Island they destroyed his home and kidnapped his wife. Born in Llandaff
• Joseph Hewes – New England Quaker. British East India Co. Just says Welsh.
• George Read – Actually voted against independence but signed D of Indi anyway. Was locum state president of Delaware when the British captured the state in 1777. One of only 6 of the 56 who signed both the D of Indi and the constitution. Just says From Wales.
• John Penn – Lawyer from a very wealthy family. His grandfather, Sir William Penn was a Quaker. He founded Pensylvania (clue is in the name). Land given to him by James II to pay off debts he owed the family. Family from Bristol. Pensylvania near Bath. Possibility that further back (early 1500s) his family came from Pencarne which used to be near Newport.
• Button Gwinett – (Name anglicised from Gwynedd). Another priest. Born in Gloucestershire but to Welsh parents.
• William Floyd – Definitely Welsh and a very wealthy New Yorker. His home on Long Island was ransacked when the British used it as a barracks in 1777.
• Robert Morris – tobacco exporter born on the England Wales border near Deeside.
• Stephen Hopkins – Very early critic of British tyranny. Might have been Welsh. Can’t find any confirmation.
• Lewis Morris – Former judge. Elected to the New York Provincial Congress in 1774.
• On being warned of the potentially dire consequences of signing the document he boomed “damn the consequences. Give me the pen”. Family from Tintern
• Thomas Jefferson: Statesman, diplomat and lawyer. Signatory of Dec of Indi and
• 3^rd President of the USA from 1801 – 1809. Born on his family plantation called “Shadwell’ in Virginia. His father’s family were originally from Y’ryru.
• The Jones from the Dow Jones.
• Betsy Ross, the woman who created the US flag was from a Pembrokeshire family

Five of the first six presidents of USA and 12 out of the 46 we have had to date (26%) had Welsh Ancestry.

John Adams (2^nd President) Pembs & Carms

Thomas Jefferson (3^rd President) His father’s family were originally from Y’ryru.

James Madison (4^th President) Posh Welsh -Don’t know where exactly

James Monroe (5^th President)

John Quincy Adams (6^th President)

William Henry Harrison (9^th President) Died after 9 days. First to die in office

Abraham Lincoln (17^th President) his mother was from Ysbyty Ifan in North Wales

James Garfield (20^th President) Caerphilly

Benjamin Harrison (23^rd President)

Theodore Roosevelt (26^th President)

Calvin Coolidge (30^th president)

Richard Nixon (37^th president) Wrexham

Barrack O’Bama (44^th President) from Ynys Mon

Not a president of the USA but I thought I’d at least mention Jefferson Davis (president of the confederacy).

Then there’s Griffith J Griffith, the farmer from Bettws who built Hollywood. He’s the reason there is a Griffith Observatory and a Griffith Park in Los Angeles. And all the Hollywood gliteratzy with Welsh roots. We talk about them all.

We also tackle the thorny issue of why, despite all this input, most Americans have never heard of Wales and have no idea where it is.

If you missed it, you can catch up on YouTube, on the link below. Even if I say so myself, it’s quite interesting!

About five years ago, I started researching for a book I was writing at the time about old pubs. I was often flabbergasted by some of the wild stories told about some of these great old boozers, but none was more bizarre than the story told about an old inn in Tregaron called Y Talbot.

This charming hostelry situated in the centre of town is believed to date back to the seventeenth century. But it isn’t beams or log fires that make this place stand out in the memory. It is the quite spectacular story of the elephant buried in its beer garden. Perhaps the wildest thing about this story though, is that it is quite likely to be true.

The elephant, who is locally nicknamed Jwmbi, was part of a touring circus troupe, quite possibly Batty’s Travelling Menagerie, who entertained extensively in the area. According to an 1840 article the Cambrian News, the chapels of Tregaron were empty on the day the circus visited the town, with everyone lining up to see Batty’s exotic animals. Sadly, the young elephant became ill and died after drinking contaminated water at Bronmywn Farm. There was a lot of lead mining in the area at the time, and presumably this had something to do with it. Land belonging to Y Talbot Inn was made available for the burial of the creature, and there he has remained ever since.

Over time this story has passed into the realm of myth, with no one really quite certain if it is true or not. Accordingly, in 2011, an archaeological dig was commissioned to try and track down Jwmbi’s final resting place. Early attempts were confounded by the discovery of an 1840 title deed which revealed that, at the time of Jwmbi’s burial, Y Talbot had over 200 acres of land. You may well describe exploring such a vast area “a mammoth task” (I’m here all week).

Undeterred, project leader Dr Jemma Bezant led a team of volunteers, including children from the local primary school, to take a part in a series of small-scale excavations. However, after a five-day dig, the archaeologist from the University of Wales Trinity St David had to concede that they had found no signs of the elephant, and so the mystery continues.

Graham Loveluck-Edwards is an author and broadcaster specialising in Welsh history. His book “Historic Pubs of Wales” is available from Amazon, all good bookshops, or direct from the author on this link.