Category: Legend and folklore

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Today’s the day for love -spells

Peasant lovers

Most people would associate the feast day of St Andrew (30th November) with Scotland. There is an old legend that this disciple from Galilee who ended up being crucified on an X-shaped cross appeared in a vision before a battle which the Scottish won. He has ever since been their patron saint . Here in Wales however, ancient folklore has a very different interpretation of where the saint’s true power and magic lies.

The Welsh have a host of superstitions and rituals associated with St Andrew’s feast day. Most are concerned with a maiden wanting to discover who her future husband would be. Here are a few, captured in the writings of Marie Trevelyan from 1908

The first was that if a maiden went to bed naked on the night of St Andrew’s feast day she would see a vision of her future intended in a dream. Another was a belief that clues to his whereabouts could be deduced from a barking dog. On the night of St Andrews day, maidens were to “take notice from which quarter of the compass” the dog was facing when barking, as that would be the direction their future love would arrive from.

It was also customary for girls to melt lead on the night of St Andrew’s feast, and pour it backwards through a key that had a cross on it, into water which had been drawn between eleven and twelve that day. As the molten metal hit the water and cooled, it would make the shape of the tools her future betrothed would use in his trade. So an axe for a woodman, a horseshoe or anvil for a blacksmith or a plough for a farmer and so on.

There is a very similar tradition associated with Halloween in Wales, so it possibly originated from the pagan festival of Nos Galan Gaeaf. This was the ancient Celtic fire festival in Wales which ushered in the Winter months. Very similar to Samhain in Ireland.

But it wasn’t all about marriage. One more general portent of the future could be derived from pouring a frothy pint of ale in a pewter tankard, on the saint’s day. If the froth ran over it was a predictor that the year ahead would have more dry days than wet ones.

I doubt if this has ever happened in Wales. As Rhod Gilbert put it “I was 9 before I realised you could take a cagoule off”.

Welsh peasants and lovers
Welsh peasants and lovers

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Glamorgan Heritage: Unique T-Shirts Celebrating Local Legends

Legends T shirts montage

As you know, I am something of a nerd when it comes to Glamorgan legends and folklore. I make no apologise for that. Glamorgan can boast some absolutely incredible and fantastic stories and we have all come to love them over the years.

Here is a new way you can enjoy them and celebrate them. I have launched a new clothing brand called “Glamorgan Heritage”, and hot off the press comes this new range. A series of beautifully designed and quality made T shirts, commemorating those great stories and the people at the centre of them.

Some of them comic, some them artistic. All of them unique.

Local legends with a twist

As much as you may be familiar with the subjects and stories, you might like a couple of special new twists I have added.

First of all, each one has been designed in the style of a famous art movement. Everything from classic baroque masterpieces to pop art and comic strip. So there should be a style to appeal to everybody.

Secondly, they are also a little bit “tongue-in-cheek”. Not meant to be taken too seriously.

Here are the ones you can enjoy.

King Iestyn ap Gwrgant of Morgannwg

Iestyn ap Gwrgant was the Welsh king who lost his kingdom of Morgannwg to the invading Norman army of Robert Fitzhamon, Duke of Gloucester in 1090.

As much as he was a real person from history, there are many embellished stories and legends about him. Most from Sir Edward Stradlings “The taking of Glamorgans lands out of Welsh mens’ hands”.

On this T Shirt he has been drawn in the style of an action comic super hero. Based on his language we also catch him on a bit of an off day in his campaign against the Norman invaders.

View Iestyn Ap Cwrgant

I am sure King Iestyn would be very proud of the fact that he is available in a range of different colours, and of course, in the language of heaven. Although some poetic license is needed. Like I say, these T Shirts are just intended to be a bit of fun. I am fully aware that the words spoken by Iestyn are not what would have been used in the 11th Century.

The Coronation of King Arthur at Llandaff

Coronation of Arthur T shirt front

According to Geoffrey of Monmouth, author of “History of the Kings of Britain”, Arthur was crowned King of the Britions by St Dyfrig at Llandaff.

On this T shirt the moment has been captured in the style of a Baroque master such as Carrivagio.

Arthurian symbols such as the red dragon and the three crowns are on show. Along with the famous Epstein statue “Christ in his majesty” which was installed at Llandaff in 1954. Just in time then!

View The Coronation T Shirt

The Maid of Cefn Ydfa

One of the most enduring romantic tales ever recorded is that of Ann Maddox (nee. Thomas), the Maid of Cefn Ydfa in Llangynwyd.

In the story, when her romance with pennyless bard and thatcher Wil Hopkyn is discovered, she is imprisoned in her own bedroom with all writing materials confiscated. But so determined was she to communicate with her lover, she plucked leaves from the tree outside her bedroom window and wrote him love letters in her own blood.

Here she is captured writing the final verse of the love song “Bugeilio’r gwenith gwyn” on a leaf big enough to accomodate it. It is drawn in the style of Charles Robert Lesley’s portrait of Juliette contemplating.

View Maid of Cefn Ydfa

Caradog tribal chief of the Silures

Caradog T shirt front

In the First Century, south Wales bravely fought off the invading Romans under the leadership of a charismatic warrior king. Caradog. Known in Latin as Caracticus.

Their defence of their lands was resolute. The most mighty empire on the face of the earth was held at bay for over a decade.

In the midst of the real history there are many legends and stories about Caradog and his brave defence of his country.

This T shirt shows Caradog in mid fight with some invading Romans. It is drawn in the style of one of my favourite comic strip characters. The cartoons of Asterix the Gaul. A fictional character with a similar CV.

View Caradog T Shirt

The Highwayman Cap Coch

Cap Coch was a terrifying character from Glamorgan folklore.

He ran the New Inn near the Dipping Bridge in Merthyr Mawr. In the dead of night he would creep around the rooms of his guests, slitting their throats and robbing them. He would dispose of their bodies by throwing them into the river Ogmore next to the inn.

In this T shirt we have Cap Coch depicted in the Manga comic strip style. Chillingly offering someone a room facing the river.

We also have a representation of the Dipping Bridge in the background.

Cap Coch T-Shirt front
View Cap Coch T-Shirt

Kenfig is lost

Kenfig is lost t shirt front

The loss of a thriving community and town to nature is always the stuff of legends. And here in Glamorgan we have the incredible tale of how the once great city of Kenfig was devoured by a tidal wave and hidden forever in a watery grave beneath Kenfig Pool. All in recompense for the actions of a love sick boy who commits murder in order to make himself the suitor of the woman he loves.

The scene is captured here as the town is all but lost, in the style of the Romantic artistic movement associated with the likes of Turner and Constable.

View Kenfig is Lost

Ifor Bach kidnaps the Earl of Gloucester from Cardiff Castle

In the 12th Century, Ifor Bach, the Welsh lord of Sengenydd was so furious with William Fitz Robert, the Earl of Gloucester for stealing his land, that one night, he and his soldiers rode up to Cardiff Castle, broke in and kidnapped the Earl.

Ifor Bach held him captive in the dungeons of Castell Coch until the Earl agreed to give back all the land he had taken plus a bit more for good measure.

Here we see the daring raid captured in the ‘Pop Art’ style made famous by the likes of Andy Warhol and David Hockney.

Ifor Bach T shirt Front
View Ifor Bach T Shirt

The Wreckers of Dunraven

Wreckers of Dunraven T shirt front

Walter Vaughan of Dunraven Castle, Southerndown lost his fortune at the gaming tables.

To refill the coffers he joined forces with a local pirate and cut throat called Matt o’ the Iron Hand. Together they reeked havoc on shipping trying to navigate the Bristol Channel.

Through a combination of burning a bright beacon at the castle and tying lanterns to the tails of sheep grazing on the cliff tops, they lured countless ships on to the rocks. Then they plundered what they could from the spoils that washed up on the beach.

This one done in the style of an impressionist painting.

View Wreckers T Shirt

Good aren’t they?

All of these garments are designed and distributed by the “Glamorgan Heritage” brand.

We will also be shortly announcing a range of heritage Glamorgan sporting memorabilia. Celebrating great names and teams of the past and their incredible achievements. Again, there will be a twist so watch this space.

All of these T Shirts are custom made so please read the full descriptions for an idea of turn around time. It is normally 5-7 days.

So get your orders in early for Father’s Day on 15th June 2025! Just saying!

More information on the entire range available at www.glamorganheritage.co.uk.

Glamorgan Heritage Clothing
Legends T shirts montage
Legends T shirts montage

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The legends of King Arthur’s Stone on Gower

Arthurs stone Reynoldston

King Arthur’s Stone near Reynoldston on the Gower peninsular is only a few miles from the city of Swansea but it feels like a world and several millennia away. It sits on a peak towering above the north Gower coastline with commanding views. There is something deeply etherial about the area. I know nothing about things like ley lines but if someone were to tell me this place was riddled with them I wouldn’t doubt it. 

We have many sites in South Wales associated with Arthurian legend but this place is one of the most picturesque and dramatic.

It got its name as the result of an old legend. It was said that on his way to the Battle of Camlan, Arthur felt a stone in his shoe. He removed it and threw it to one side, but such was the magic he possessed that as it travelled through the air it grew and grew until it became this vast boulder.

King Artrhur

In reality, this is the cap stone of a collapsed Bronze Age burial chamber. There are loads of them dotted around the area suggesting that to the ancient Welsh, this was a place of spiritual importance.

There is also a wonderful custom or tradition associated with the stone according to Marie Trevelyan. It was believed that if a maiden wanted to know if her betrothed would be faithful to her, she should crawl on her hands and knees around the rock three times. If he then appeared to her he would always be true. If not he’d be off tomming at the drop of a hat. Just like the rest of them!

I have made a video on this very subject. The legends of the stone, not male infidelity. Please excuse the buffering sound but it is a very windy place.

If you enjoy stories on Welsh folklore you will love this book called “Legends and Folklore of Bridgend and the Vale“.

Map showing Cairns around King Arthur's Stone

Plenty more videos full of nonsense on my YouTube channel.

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The demon of Crack Hill

South Wales folklore is full of stories about lone travellers encountering super natural beings at night on a dark, empty highway. They are usually spectres, ghosts, goblins or beasts. But rather more unusual are sightings of something as demonic as in this story. 

Back in 1909, Marie Trevelyan published two testimonies given by two travellers independently of one another. In both their accounts, these two strangers claimed that they had been the victims of attack from the Devil himself. Or at least if not Old Nick, then at the very least one of his demons. 

In both their statements, the place where this attack took place was on Crack Hill. A steep hill on a rural stretch of the Via Julia Maritima; the Roman road that cuts across South Wales from east to west. It was later known as the Glamorgan Turnpike, and now is known as the A48. 

Both swore on oath that their rather chilling accounts were true. Both incidents were claimed to have occurred on Crack Hill at night when travelling from Bridgend to Cowbridge. Enough to put locals off making that same journey in the dark in the future if they could help it.

In the run up to Halloween it’s a great story to share. Especially if you know the place where these events are purported to have taken place. And especially if you can shed any light on what it was these men claim to have encountered.

If you would like to read more about it, I covered this old story in my book Legends & Folklore of Bridgend and the Vale. Or watch the video version below.

Video of the demon of Crack Hill
Crack Hill today (well, last week)
The demon of Crack Hill is a perplexing story from the late 1800s
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St Baruc Pilgrimage Fundraiser

📅 27th September 2024

📍 Barry Island Railway Station 

⏰ 9.30am (Bus leaves for Llancarfan) 

10am walk sets off from Llancarfan church 

Distance: 6.2 miles

Finish 1.30-2.00pm (depending on pace) on Barry Island

☕️🍰 Drinks & refreshments at end of walk.

27th September is the feast day of St Baruc, a monk from Llancarfan who lived at the turning point of the sixth and seventh century. This year Vale Foodbank are marking his feast day with a special event. A pilgrimage and history walk that retraces his steps from Llancarfan to Barry Island. The reason we are celebrating him, is because he is the man that Barry is named after. His “miracles” also made Barry Island a place of pilgrimage for around 1,000 years.

When the father of British history; John Leland visited South Wales in the 1530s (around 1,000 years later) he described Barry Island as a place with no buildings other than the 13th Century chapel, the remains of which you can still see on Friars Walk. He said it was a very busy place, packed with pilgrims wanting to visit the chapel and holy well of St Baruc.

You can watch a more thorough account of his story on this video.

The story of St Baruc

Regardless of whether you believe in miracles, this was the town’s founding patron, and he deserves some recognition for that.

The event is being organised by a new kind of miracle worker. The Vale Foodbank. They badly need to raise much needed funds to help provide emergency food parcels for people in crisis in the Vale of Glamorgan. Year on year they have seen demand for food parcels rocket locally. They gave out 8,662 food parcels last year from their centres in Barry, Llantwit Major, Dinas Powys and Rhoose. An increase of 29% on the year before.

Meanwhile donations have reduced by 15% as people struggle with the increased cost of living. Walkers will be charged a small fee for taking part and all profits will go direct to the foodbank. So by taking part, you can help reverse this trend.

The walk itself will start at Llancarfan, in the church on the site of the 6th Century monastery where walkers will be shown the incredible mediaeval murals on the walls. Then onto Penmark and Porthkerry and all the way to Barry Island. History experts, authors, representatives of local churches and the odd celebrity will all add snippets of history and stories to add depth to the places we will pass through.


Buy your tickets via this sign up link.

Buy your ticket here

Here’s some of the places and history you can expect along the way.

St Baruc Chapel Barry Island
sixteenth century murals at Llancarfan church

These amazing murals are in Llancarfan, where our walk begins. This was the monastery established by the amazing St Cadoc. Baruc was one of his disciples. If you want more information on him, follow this link.

Map showing route of St Baruc Pilgrimage for Vale Foodbank
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The success story of the Glamorgan History Walks

The Glamorgan History Walks was a walking festival of immersive history and storytelling that took ramblers around places of historic interest throughout South Wales. Bringing the stories of those places to life.

Between May and July in the Summer of 2024, over 350 people joined us on 15 walks to over 50 sites of historic interest in various locations across the counties of Bridgend, Vale of Glamorgan and Rhondda Cynon Taff.

We took in many castles, hill forts, barracks, burial chambers and tombs, great houses, churches, the site of lost settlements, smugglers’ coves and pirates’ hideaways. Even the odd battlefield, Prisoner of War camp, windmill and lighthouse. And of course, some great old pubs.

The festival was a great success. But it is not without its legacy.

All of the walks we did are now available to download for free, so you can be guided around them using the GPS on your mobile phone. You can also read notes on the routes and places you visit, and see which periods of history are relevant to those places. You can even watch videos to bring their stories to life.

Start your journey by visiting the Glamorgan History Walks web page. Choose a walk from the list and click through to the relevant page. To use the maps you will need to download the OS Maps App (which is also free).

The places we went to included:

  • Dunraven and Ogmore Castles
  • Llantwit Major
  • Monknash and St Donats
  • Barry and Porthkerry
  • Llantrisant
  • St Athan and Gileston
  • Llangynwyd
  • Coity
  • Merthyr Mawr and Island Farm POW camp
  • Kenfig Pool and Castle and Sker House
  • Mynydd Y Gaer and Peterston Super Montum
  • Cefn Cribwr, Bedford Iron Works and Sturmi Castle
  • Newton and Candleston
  • Dinas Powys
  • Cowbridge and St Hilary

Get out into the great and beautiful scenery of South Wales and enjoy everything these walks have to offer.

Walkers on their way to Kenfig CAstle on the Glamorgan History Walk
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The lost city of Kenfig

Kenfig Castle remains

Kenfig; on the Glamorgan coast line is a bank of sand dunes and an inky black lake. But history tells us this was the site of a major town and port. The seat of a Royal household. And a place fiercely contested by Welsh warriors, raiding Vikings and Norman invaders. It was possibly the most significant settlement for miles around. But now, just a handful of cottages.

What happened here? How did this important place just disappear? Is the old legend that it still lies at the bottom of the lake true? What was it like in its prime?

All these questioned are answered from the places where they happened.

This video is an episode in the Ghost towns of Britain series.

Click to watch the video in full

In this series of short videos, I uncover the hidden truth of towns, villages and cities that have been lost to the sands of time. Nothing but a few remains and historical documents to give you any clue that they ever existed. I hope you enjoy them. And if you do, please subscribe to this channel and share them on social media.

And if you want to read more about the legends of Kenfig and surrounding area, this is the book for you.

Also available from Amazon.

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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 devil.

His name was John Renie and he was born in Monmouth in 1799 and worked as a painter and decorator in the town until he died in 1832. He was known to be one of the town’s more eccentric characters and nothing exemplified this more than a plan he hatched to try and ease his own passage to heaven on the event of his inevitable death. The plan was simple. He wanted his gravestone to be so confusing to read, that if the devil were to ever come looking for his soul, he would not be able to work out where his body was buried. Thus allowing Renie’s soul to slip past the devil, straight to the gates of heaven.

He became concerned that he would not be able to trust any local stone mason with this job. Either because he considered them incapable of pulling off his complex instructions, or worse, that they may reveal the secret of it to Satan himself. So to make sure the job was done properly he did the engraving himself. He dedicated years to getting it right. The end result is this fascinating and intricate, stone engraved ‘acrostic puzzle’.

It contains 285 very delicately carved letters in rows and columns. To be able to read the inscription you need to begin at a letter ‘H’ in the centre of the puzzle and follow the letters in any direction. Mathematicians who have studied the stone report that there are 32,032 different ways to read the words “Here lies John Renie”. It is quite an incredible achievement.

If the devil were not yet confused enough by John Renie’s endeavours, there is one final obstacle he might encounter if he was sufficiently determined to find his soul. And It is one Renie himself could not have foreseen but would no doubt have been absolutely delighted with. Put simply, the chances are, he probably isn’t even buried here at all!

In 1851, there was a rash of unexplained deaths amongst the residents of Whitecross Street in Monmouth. The street which runs along the edge of the churchyard at St Mary’s Priory Church, where this tombstone can be found. There were also reports of a terrible stench emanating from the raised area of the churchyard. The bodies and bones of the people buried there had become exposed by ground movement and weathering. All the exposed bodies had to be reinterred else where in the graveyard, but it was an impossible job to know who was who so they just did the best they could.

If this story is not already weird enough, the church council at the time decided to wade in with their own contribution. They felt that the churchyard looked over cluttered with memorials and headstones so a decision was taken to clear them all away as part of this work, to create a park. Only a small handful of stones now remain which have been laid out in accordance with the paths rather than where people are actually buried.

The end result. John Renie’s body could be anywhere. As could his soul.

If you want to see more of this tombstone and the yard of St Mary’s Priory Church in Monmouth, as well as other stories concerning the Devil in Monmouthshire I have made this YouTube video on the subject. Just click on the link below to watch in full. And while you are there, please subscribe to my channel.

If you would like to read more Monmouthshire related folklore, you might enjoy the blog and video available on this link. It is all about the scars of the reformation to be seen to this day at The Robin Hood in Monmouth and the White Harte in Llangybi between Usk and Caerleon. And if you like ancient Welsh myths, folklore and legends in general, then you may also be interested in the books I have written on the subject available to buy on this link. or my YouTube channel which is packed with loads of videos on the subject. Just visit https://youtube.com/GrahamLoveluck.

The tombstone of John Rennie in Monmouth
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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 witch
stories 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 is quite unique to the counties of South Wales. She filled the hearts of all who saw her with fear. Another witchlike creature in Glamorgan folklore is the Gwrach- Y-Rhibin. Her phenomenon has been described by many sources across the centuries. My favourite,
a book entitled British Goblins, published in 1880. It has this to say:

“A monstrous Welsh spirit in the shape of a hideously ugly woman whose appearance is typically
with unkempt hair and wizened, withered arms with leathery wings, long black teeth, and pale
corpse-like features. She approaches the window of a person about to die by night and calls their
name or travels invisibly beside them and utters her cry when they approach a stream or crossroads.
She is sometimes depicted as washing her hands there”.


An altogether more conventional witch story though, concerns a lady who used to live at a cottage
which once stood in Cliff Wood on the edge what is today, Porthkerry Park. Its ruins are still there to
be seen. There is a fabulous old legend inspired by her. It involved a lovesick aristocrat and his manipulative servant.

The young man was naive in the ways of love. He wrote poems and letters to the object of his
desires, but she just rebuffed him. Sensing an opportunity, his servant told him of the famous witch
who lived in the woods in Porthkerry. And how she could make the young man a love potion to win
his girl over for a Guinea. Worth about £1.05 now but a lot of money back then. He agreed and followed him into the woods.


They met the witch of Porthkerry, and she made the potion and gave it to the gentleman. As
gentlemen of this era would never carry money, it was always left to the servant to pay for things
from his master’s coffers. But seeing how old and frail the witch was, this unscrupulous man thought
he’d pocket the money for himself and refused to pay her.


Angered by the deception she cast a spell over the two of them uttering ‘May these men never leave
these woods. The two men only got as far as the edge of the woods before turning into two trees.
The master tall and elegant turned into a yew tree. The servant became a twisted and gnarled
hornbeam tree. Both trees are still there and the path they took from the cottage to the edge of the
woods has ever since been known as Lovers Lane.


Now, as much as this story is more than likely absolute bunkum – Here’s the thing. There really was
a lady who lived at this cottage who was widely believed to be a witch. Her name was Ann Jenkins.
Also known as Ann Ddu and she was a provider of potions and remedies. There is written account
that she was inspected for witch marks by the Cowbridge magistrates. There is no record of the
outcome. Were they able to prove that she was in league with the devil? Probably not. Official
records register Ann Jenkins as being buried in the yard at the church of St Nicholas in Barry. If she
had been proven to be in league with the devil she would never have been allowed to be buried in
the yard of a Christian church.

If you want to know more about these stories, they are the subject of my latest YouTube video. Also, they are discussed in more detail in my books about Glamorgan folklore available to buy on this link.

You can also ‘listen again’ to my radio show on Bro Radio where I also interviewed a modern day witch for her take on them.

Watch my latest video about the Witches of Glamorgan
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The legend of the white lady of West Orchard

This is a really tragic, old legend from St Athan in the Vale of Glamorgan. The back story of an oft reported aparation of a white lady ghost in a field near West Orchard Castle. With a lot of historical context.

We hear about the second crusades, the De Clare family, the Berkerolles family, the Umphraville family, and of course the local castles at the heart of the drama.

The general gist of the story is Jasper Berkerolles of West Orchard Castle marries very well, but always harbours doubts that he is punching above his weight. And when he has to go to war he becomes consumed with jealously that she is having infidelities with his neighbour. When he returns home he is so tormented he condemns her to a gruesome death.

I wrote about this story in my second book on local legends: More legends and folklore from Barry, Bridgend and the Vale.

Telling the story at the place where it is set adds quite an element of drama. Enjoy. And please subscribe to my channel to enjoy more in the future.