Wales - Genealogy Help Pages - Welsh History Books 2

1. Romilly's Visits to Wales 1827-1854

Extracts from the Diaries of the Reverend Joseph Romilly.

By M G R Morris. ISBN 1-85902-454-8 . Published 1998 by Gomer Press in Llandysul

To quote from the back cover;

"The Rev Joseph Romilly [1791-1864] was a bachelor don at Cambridge University, he recorded 10 visits to Wales in his diaries. He held the family living at Porthkerry church, Gla., spent 4 weeks there, and stayed with relations in Pembrokeshire, and on the Hereford border. Few parts of Wales went without at least a passing visit. The life of the Welsh gentry, travel by coach, paddle steamer or the early railways, landscape, buildings and industry are all vividly described. Romilly portrayed people with a witty and critical pen . He attended the Eisteddfod and learnt Welsh. "

My abiding  impression is that his observations are a little superficial and hyper critical in style and concentrate on "the gentry" more than lesser mortals. The present author's historical background notes are good value however.
Despite the glossy paper and a sprinkling of diagrams and photographs it might  by some be thought a tad expensive at £18.95 for 120 or so pages, has a good index though !
The contents page headings for The Visits are ; The Menai Bridge[1827]; Milford to Hereford [1827]; The Rector of Porthkerry [ 1830]; Unchronicled visit [1831] Swansea Copper and Cardiff Eisteddfod[1834]; Glamorgan Calls [1836]; Grand Tour from Bristol [1837] South Wales Circuit [1838]; Presteigne to Pembrokeshire [1840]; A Sunshine Holiday [1854].

2.The People of Wales

Ed. Gareth Elwyn Jones and Dai Smith, 1999. BBC Radio Wales , A Millennium History. Gomer ISBN 1-85902-743-1

Contents

Introduction, the people's nation by Gareth Elwyn Jones

Chapter 1, Medieval experiences: Wales 1000-1415, by Huw Pryce

Chapter 2, Land, life and belief : Wales 1415-1642, by Mathew Griffiths

Chapter 3, Between two revolutions: Wales 1642-1780, by Philip Jenkins

Chapter 4, 'As rich as California....': Opening and Closing the Frontier: Wales 1780-1870, by Neil Evans

Chapter 5, Banqueting at a movable feast : Wales 1870-1914, by Bill Jones

Chapter 6, 'In the Wars' : Wales 1914-1945, by Mari A Williams

Chapter 7, On a border in history ? Wales, 1945-85, by Chris Williams

Conclusion, The Nation's People, by Dai Smith

Apart from one BBC man, all the contributors are academics at Welsh Institutions of Learning

Although the breadth of coverage in terms of the whole millennium is initially off putting , I  actually found the mixture of selected fact and personal opinion to be stimulating and enlightening, not your average "dry as dust" history book by any means, an useful addition to any  bookshelf I think.

3. People, Protest and Politics Case studies in C19 Wales

By David Egan, Gomer 1987.  Welsh Teaching History Materials Project. ISBN  0-86383-350-0

Contents

Case study 1; The Merthyr Rising 1831.

Case study 2; The Rebecca Riots

Case study 3; Chartism in Wales

Case study 4; The Tithe War in north east Wales.

Written in a straightforward style for students, good general coverage of the individual case studies, an useful introduction . Plenty of historic quotes and pictures. 117 pages, good value at £6.95

4. Coal Society. A History of the South Wales Mining Valleys 1840-1980.

By David Egan, Gomer 1987.  Welsh Teaching History Materials Project. ISBN  0-86383-239-3

Contents

Timeline

Section 1, Introduction

Section 2, The Industry---Geography & Geology of the South Wales Coalfield; The History of the Industry to 1840 ; The History of the Industry 1840-1920 ; Coalmining Techniques.

Section 3, The Coalowners---Landlords & Coalowners; Ownership and Management; The Lifestyle, Attitudes & Reputation of the Coalowners.

Section 4, The Miners --- The Collier Boy; Mineworkers ; The Collier ; Miners' Unions.

Section 5, Coalfield Society 1---The Creation of Coal Society ; The Nature of Coal Society ; Homes & Family Life; Poverty & Public Health.

Section 6, Coalfield Society 2---Popular Culture & Pastimes; Religion ; Education ; Politics.

Section 7, Coal Society in Crisis---Introduction ; The 1914-18 War and After; The Coal Industry in the Inter-War Years ; The Depression -Effects ; The Depression-Resistance, Protest and Despair ; The South Wales Coalfield since 1945; Conclusion.

Appendices---Glossary; Conversion Tables ; Places to visit.

Written in a straightforward style for students, good coverage of the subject, a very useful introduction . Plenty of historic quotes , maps and pictures. 150 pages, very good value at £7.50

5. Crime and Punishment in England & Wales- an Outline History

By Eldon Smith, Gomer, 1986

Contents

What are crimes ?

Early Law Systems

The Anglo-Saxon period

The Norman Period

The Late Medieval period

Welsh Law

The Period of Tudors & Stuarts

Is Being Poor or Strangely Dressed a Crime ?

Piracy

Early Prisons

Changes in the C18

Some of the Worst C18 Offenders

C18 Prisons

John Howard

Smugglers

The Fielding Brothers

Elizabeth Fry

Poaching

Transportation

Some Circumstances Seem to Produce More Crimes

C19 Prisons

The Classification of crimes

Development of The Modern Police Force

Reforms in the Law Courts

Two very Modern crimes

C20 Prisons and Punishments

Why Have Crimes been Committed ?

A good outline introduction to a big subject, geared to students , useful to have on one's book shelf .56 pages, £3.25.

6. The Rebecca Riots- A Study in Agrarian Discontent.

By David Williams, 1986 , UWP,Cardiff. ISBN 0-7083-0933-X

Contents

The Gentry of West Wales

Local Government and Administration

The Economic Background

Social Conditions

The Growth of Opinion

The Roads of West Wales

The Outbreak of Rioting

Midsummer madness

Smoulderimg Embers

Rebecca Triumphans

Introduction from cover of the book

"The Rebecca Riots in West Wales began in the summer of 1839. They ceased as suddenly as they had started, and for three and a half years the countryside was undisturbed. Then, in the winter of 1842, they broke out again with greater violence, and this time continued throughout the following year. By day the countryside seemed quiet, but at night fantastically disguised horsemen , many dressed as women, careered along highways and through narrow lanes on their mysterious errands. They developed uncanny skill in evading the police and the infantry, and although their mounts were unwieldy farm horses, they also succeeded in outwitting the dragoons.

The movement has unusually been represented as the uprising of an oppressed peasantry, particularly against the burden of the toll gates. Its causes, however, were far more deep seated than that; the gates were only tangible objects which could be destroyed. The early C19 saw a breakdown in the social structure of rural Wales, with its outmoded systems of government and administration, when the pressure of a greatly increased population upon a backward economy produced disturbances. The early chapters of this book are therefore devoted to an analysis of the social structure and to an examination of the underlying factors which brought about its collapse.  In the last four chapters , a narrative account is given of the rioting and many strange characters are introduced to the reader."

I can do no more than quote verbatim  one of the credits from the book's cover.

"It is a model of its kind, compact and readable , yet based on deep understanding and meticulous research" Journal of Modern History.

7. Secret Sins . Sex, Violence & Society in Carmarthenshire 1870-1920.

By Russell Davies 1996, UWP, Cardiff. ISBN 0-7083-1367-1

A contents listing/introduction and index  to the names and places contained in it is available online on    INDEX

8.The Welsh Cattle Drovers

By Richard J Colyer, 1976 ,UWP,Cardiff.

There is a contents listing/introduction and an online  index compiled by Catherine Davies-Shiel available on    INDEX

9.Land and People in C19 Wales

By David W Howell, London, 1977.

Contents

The Historical Perspective

The Structure and Distribution of Landownership

Landowners and Agriculture

Land Occupancy and Size of Holdings

Tenurial Relations

The Agricultural Labourer

Marketing

Farming Practice

Conclusion

Introduction from the book's dust jacket.

"This study will be of central importance to students of the history of Wales. It should appeal equally to those interested in the economic history of late modern Britain.; students of C19 British Agriculture and the rural community ; historical geographers ; and all those concerned with peasants and peasant societies. Essentially an economic history with strong emphasis on human factors, it examines the reasons for the backwardness of much of the farming of the region and discusses in detail how agricultural resources and organisation directly affected the nature of social relationships within the community.

The traditional view that the political, religious and cultural division between landowners and tenants produced mutual distrust and so deterred tenants from improving the land , is re-examined. The conclusion reached is that the Land Question was a figment of the political imagination so far as it applied to the sizable estates and that the lag on improvement stemmed basically from the distinctly peasant attitudes of the Welsh tenant.

The author demonstrates how the close intimacy of personal relationships sprang fundementally from the economic interdependence of farm and cottage , which was imposed in turn by the isolation, backwardness and relative poverty of the region. Such close knit communities , he contends, were to have an important bearing on the extent of labour organisation and protest."

10. The Revolt of Owain Glyn Dwr  [ 1400-1409 ]

By R R Davies 1995 , Oxford.

Contents

Part 1---Portrait of a Society : Wales in the 1390s

The Country; A Tale of Two Travellers

Peoples and Power

Tensions and Aspirations

Part 2---Revolt

Introduction

Revolt in Wales 1400-1409

Part 3---The Anatomy of Revolt

Owain Glyn Dwr

The Programme: National Salvation

Allies

Friends and Foes

Guerrillas and Garrisons

Survival and Recrimination

Submission and Aftermath

Epilogue, the Making of a Hero

Introduction from book's dust jacket

"Owain Glyn Dwr is arguably the most famous figure in the history of Wales.  His revolt of 1400-1409 was the last major Welsh rebellion against English rule. It established a measure of unity such as Wales had never previously experienced and generated a remarkable vision of Wales as an independent country with its own native prince , its own church, and its own universities.

In the event, Owain's rebellion was defeated, or perhaps more correctly , burnt itself out . But Owain himself was not captured ; and soon after his death he became a legendary hero among the Welsh people.  In more recent times he has come to be regarded as the father of modern Welsh nationalism.

Written by one of Britain's leading medieval historians, this book will appeal to those who are fascinated by national heros in all periods. It is also of particular interest to those who are intriguesd by this most famous movement in the history of Wales, and by the remarkable man who led the rebellion."

11. A History of Carmarthenshire

Edited by Sir John E. Lloyd M.A., D.Litt., F.B.A. [Emeritus Professor of History at  the University College of North Wales] for the London Carmarthenshire Society. Cardiff, 1935.

The book is in two volumes.

Contents

Volume 1---From Prehistoric Times to the Act of Union [1536]

List of Subscribers

Introduction

Physiographical Background [ E G Bowen M.A. of UCW, Aberystwyth]

Boundaries and Local Divisions [ Editor]

Dialects [T Gwynn Jones B.A. Ammanford]

Chapter I

Carmarthenshire in Prehistoric and Roman Times  [Sir Cyril Fox Ph.D, FSA., Director of the National Museum of Wales ; and E G Bowen assisted by L F Cowley M.Sc., W F Grimes M.A, FSA., and R E Mortimer Wheeler M.A., D.Lit.,FSA., Director of the London Museum]

Carmarthenshire in the Old and Middle Stone Age

Carmarthenshire in the New Stone Age

Carmarthenshire in the Bronze Age

Carmarthenshire in the Early Iron Age

Carmarthenshire in the Roman Age

Chapter II

The Age of the Native Princes [ 400-1282 A.D] [Editor]

The Early Church: Rise of the Kingdom of Deheubarth

Hywel the Good: Gruffydd ap Llywelyn:Rhys ap Tewdwr

The Norman Conquest of the Towy Valley

Carmarthenshire under Henry I

Recovery of the Welsh under Stephen

The Lord Rhys--Early Struggles

The Ascendancy of the Lord Rhys

Family Feuds

The Intervention of Llywelyn ap Iorwerth

Revival of the English Power

The Death of Llywelyn and its results

The Rise of Llywelyn ap Gruffydd

Llywelyn and the Barons

The Last Years of Independence

Chapter III

The Later Middle Ages [ 1282-1536] [D L Evans B.A., B.Litt., Assistant Keeper of the Public Records]

Rhys ap Maredydd

The Government of the County : the Sheriff : the Welshry.

The " English County" of Carmarthen : the English County Court

The Lordships

The Reign of Edward II

Carmarthenshire under Edward III and the Black Prince

Glyn Dwr and After

The Wars of the Roses ; Gruffydd ap Nicholas ; Rhys ap Thomas

Chapter IV

Castles, Boroughs and Religious Houses [A J Richard M.A., of the County School. Port Talbot]

Castles---The Stone Castles, Parts of the Castle, Material and Garniture

Boroughs

Religious Houses[Supplementary note re The Tiles of Whitland and Talley Abbeys]

Appendices

Pedigree of the Princes of Deheubarth

Pedigree of the Lords of Kidwelly

Archdeacons of Carmarthen

Constables and Keepers of Carmarthen

Volume 2--- From the Act of Union [1536] to 1900

Supplementary List of Subscribers 

Chapter I

Political Affairs from 1536 to 1900 [Glyn Roberts M.A., Lecturer in History at the University College of Swansea ]

Political Organisation

Political Institutions

Political Life

1536-1688

1688-1764

1764-1832

1832-1900

Chapter II

History of the Church in the County [Rev Canon David Ambrose Jones M.A., sometime Vicar of Kidwelly]

The Reformation ; The Early Stuarts

Puritan Domination ; a Period of Depression

A Religious and Educational Movement

Renewal and Growth

Chapter III

Nonconformity and Methodism

Nonconformity from 1620 to 1715 [Thomas Richards M.A., D.Litt.,, Librarian at UC of NW, Bangor]

1620-1660 ; Early Puritanism ; "The Propagation of the Gospel" ; Baptists

1660-87 ; Independents ; Baptists ; Quakers ; The Census of 1676

1687-1715 ; Independents ; The Henllan Secessions ; Baptists ; The Lists of Dr John Evans

Note; The Gouge Movement

Nonconformity after 1715 : Methodism [Robert Thomas Jenkins M.A., LL.B., Head of Dept of Welsh History, UC of NW, Bangor]

The Society of Friends

Methodism and Associated Movements---Calvinistic Methodism ; Moravians and Sandemanians ; Wesleyan Methodism.

The Older Dissent ; Expansion and Organisation ; Church Life ; Carmarthen Academy and Dissenting Education ; Arminianism.Ariansism.Unitarianism ; Concluding Remarks.

Chapter IV

Economic and Social Life [E G Bowen M.A., Lecturer in Geography at UCW, Aberystwyth, assisted by B Lewis Davies M.A., Leslie Wynne Evans M.A., Annie B Jones M.A., T H Lewis M.A.,HMIS., and G Dynfallt Owen, Ph.D.]

Introduction [E G Bowen]

Agriculture [G Dynfallt Owen] ; The Sixteenth Century ; The Seventeenth Century ; The Eighteenth and Early Nineteenth  Centuries

The Woollen Industry [A B Jones and B L Davies]

The Early Iron and Coal Industries [ L W Evans] ; Iron ; Coal

The Development of Communications; Highways [G D Owen] ; Bridges [G D Owen];  Tramroads and Canals [ L W Evans]

The Non-Ferrous metal Industries [ L W Evans] ; The Copper Industry ; Lead and Silver Industries ; Yellow Metal and Brass Industries

The Tinplate, Steel and Coal Industries [ L W Evans ] ; The Iron and Early Tinplate Industry ;  The Tinplate and Steel Industries ; The Anthracite Coal-Mining Industry ; Minor Industries, Railways, Docks and Shipping

Public Elementary and Secondary Education

Epilogue [ E G Bowen]

Chapter V

Literature and Literary Associations [ Rev .Howell Elvet Lewis M.A., D.D.]

Legendary Lore

Ancient Literature

The Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries

Hymnody and Sacred Poetry

General Literature [ Welsh]

English Literature

Literary Guests

Appendices

Archdeacons of Carmarthen

High Sheriffs of the County

Members of Parliament

Mayors of Carmarthen

Genealogies

Campbell of Stackpole Court and Golden Grove

Jones of Abermarlais

Philipps of Cwmgwili

Philipps of Picton

Rice of Newton and Dynevor

Vaughan of Golden grove

Williams of Edwinsford

12. The Story of Carmarthen

By Malcolm and Edith Lodwick, 1953

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

FOREWORD [ By Professor E G Bowen MA, FSA.]

PRICELESS THINGS [Introduction by Malcolm Lodwick]

CARMARTHEN[Poem by Malcolm Lodwick]

CHAPTER ONE

HISTORICAL SUMMARY

CHAPTER TWO

ROMAN CARMARTHEN. What's in a Name ?

CHAPTER THREE

AN ACRE OF HISTORY. The Castle.

CHAPTER FOUR

EARLY RELIGIOUS HOUSES

The Priory. The Black Book of Carmarthen. The Friary. The First Grammar School.

CHAPTER FIVE

TOWNS AND CHARTERS

Old Carmarthen's Charters. New Carmarthen's Charters. The Amalgamation. The Town Walls.

CHAPTER SIX

THE "EAGLE OF CARMARTHEN"-

Sir Rhys ap Thomas. Rice Griffith Fitzurien.

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHURCHES AND CHAPELS

St. Peter's Church. Water Street Chapel. Tabernacle Welsh Baptist Chapel. Penuel Baptist Chapel. Lammas Street Chapel. Wesleyan Chapel. St. John's Church. St. David's Church. Christ Church. Union Street Chapel. Lammas Street Baptist Chapel. Parc-y-Velvet Chapel. Priordy Chapel. Zion Chapel. Bethania Chapel. Lammas Street Congregational Chapel. St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church.

CHURCHES WHICH DISAPPEARED

St. John's Chapel. St. Catherine's Chapel. St. Barbara'sChapel. Prince Edward's Chapel.

TWO OLD MEETING HOUSES

CHAPTER EIGHT

AN EARLY SEAT OF LEARNING

The Queen Elizabeth Grammar School. Sir Thomas Powell's Grammar School. The Presbyterian College. Trinity College. Meyrick's Library and School. School of Art. Pibwrlwyd Farm Institute.

EDUCATIONAL CONDITIONS IN 1846

Public and Church Schools. Private Schools. Sunday Schools. Ashbridge's School. "At Reasonable Terms."

CHAPTER NINE

FOLK LORE

The Old Oak and Merlin. Love Spoons. The Bidding Letter.

CHAPTER TEN

POLITICAL STRIFE

Whig and Tory Riots. Lost Inheritance. Sea Serjeants' Club. The Cheese Riots. The Rebecca Riots.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

The Port of Carmarthen. Tin and Iron Works. Lead and Silver Works. Printing Pioneers [ including a list of local printers with some history  for each one]. Early Banks. The Welsh Hat.

CHAPTER TWELVE

SOCIAL CONDITIONS

"Sons of the Soil" (Agricultural Conditions, 1776). The Best English. Pirouetting Periwigs. The People "Under the Bank". The Infirmary.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CULTURAL LIFE

The Eisteddfod. Carmarthen Literary and Scientific Institute. Carmarthen County Museum.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

INNS AND TAVERNS [including a historic list of inns in each street]

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CIVIC DIGNITY

The State Sword. Borough Coat of Arms. The Guildhall.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

SPORT.

Early Sportsmen.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

BUILDERS OF HISTORY AND DESIGNERS OF DREAMS

Sir Richard Steele.John Dyer. John Nash. General Sir Thomas Picton. General Sir William Nott. Sir Lewis Morris.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

HIGHWAYS AND BYWAYS [including a list of streets with historic reasons for their names]

Bridging the Centuries. Civil War Defences. The Market. Milestones. Red Lion Yard. Job's Well. Monuments. Llangunnor Hill.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

DATED HISTORY

CHAPTER TWENTY

POT POURRI

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

BIOGRAPHIES

Tudor Aled. Lewis Glyn Cothi. Bishop Ferrar. Humphrey and Robert Toy. Rhys Pritchard. Stephen Hughes. Dr. Lewis Bayly. Griffith Jones. William Williams. Peter Williams. Thomas Charles. David Charles. David Peter. Thomos Glyn Cothi. Connop Thirlwall.

THE VISIONARIES

William Spurrell. Alcwyn C. Evans. George Eyre Evans. Ernest Vale Collier.

APPENDIX I

MAYORS 1400-1953.

APPENDIX II

MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT 1536-1951.

APPENDIX III

ROLL OF HONORARY FREEMEN OF CARMARTHEN

APPENDIX IV

POPULATION FIGURES

APPENDIX V

INDEX

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

BOROUGH COAT OF ARMS

CIVIC CENTRE AND BRIDGE, CARMARTHEN

CORACLE FISHERMEN, RIVER TOWY

RIVER TOWY, CARMARTHEN .

BEFORE THE NORMAN CONQUEST

QUAY BUILDINGS

ISLAND WHARF

ROMAN DOMESTIC ALTAR

CASTLE GATEWAY

CARMARTHEN CASTLE (PLAN)

OLD CARMARTHEN (PLAN)

PRIORY RUINS 1875

PLAN OF CARMARTHEN, JOHN SPEED

POSITION OF PRIORY (PLAN)

DARK GATE, CARMARTHEN

TOMB OF SIR RHYS AP THOMAS

THE GUILDHALL

ENGLISH WESLEYAN CHAPEL

ST. PETER'S CHURCH .

ST. PETER'S CHURCH, 1862

WATER STREET CHAPEL, 1813

LAMMAS STREET AND DARK GATE

ST. MARY STREET

QUEEN ELIZABETH GRAMMAR SCHOOL

THE PRESBYTERIAN COLLEGE

TRINITY COLLEGE

WOODS ROW

THE OLD OAK

LOVE SPOONS

VALE OF TOWY FROM PENLAN

QUAYSIDE

THE CORACLE FISHERMAN

LOWER QUAY STREET

OLD CASTLE WALLS

WELSH COSTUME

VOTEPORE STONE

THE THREE TUNS INN

THE STATE SWORD

THE GUILDHALL

BULL LANE

CARMARTHEN CASTLE AND TOWN, 1740

CARMARTHEN IN 1748

NOTT SQUARE

VALE OF TOWY

CONDUIT LANE

LOVE LANE

THE NEW BRIDGE

THE OLD BRIDGE

MARKET GATES

CHURCH STREET CORNER

OLD MARKET PLACE

RED LION YARD

MARKET PLACE, 1850

THE MARKET, 1850

THE ASSEMBLY ROOMS, 1860

THE PARADE 1860

BISHOP FERRAR .               

13. The Story of Carmarthenshire

Volume 2, From the C16 to 1832

By A G Prys-Jones. Llandybie, 1972

CONTENTS

1. Henry Tudor, Son of Prophecy.

2. The Union of England and Wales. (New Shires. Parliamentary Representation. The Great Sessions.)

3. The Reformation. (The Breach with Rome. Dissolution of the Monasteries.)

4. Bishop William Barlow of St. David's. (Disposal of Monastic estates. Church tithes become lay property.)

5. Changes in Religion. (Advanced Protestantism. Return of Roman Catholicism. Martyrdom of Bishop Robert Ferrar.)

6. The Elizabethan Religious Settlement. (Conditions in St. David's diocese. The Well-cult.The recusants.)

7. The Welsh Prayer Book, New Testament and Bible. (William Salesbury. Bishop Richard Davies. Bishop William Morgan.)

8. Carmarthenshire and Jesus College, Oxford. (Seven Principals from the County. Edmund Meyrick.)

9. The Tudor Grammar Schools. (Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Carmarthen. Later amalgamation with Sir Thomas Powell's Charity School.)

10. The Vaughans of Golden Grove. (1485-1804)

11. "Poor Cambriol's Lord". (Sir William Vaughan, Colonial pioneer, writer and agricultural reformer.)

12. Carmarthenshire during the Civil Wars.(1642-1648)

13. Bishop Lewis Bayly: Vicar Prichard. ("The Practice of Piety: " "Canwyll y Cymry")

14. Carmarthenshire during the Commonwealth and the Protectorate. (The Early Puritans.)

15. Stephen Hughes, Nonconformist "apostle" of Carmarthenshire. (Thomas Gouge-the WelshTrust.)

16. Carmarthenshire Dissenters under the last Stuarts. (Persecution. The Penal Code. The Toleration Act.)

17. The Pattern of Carmarthenshire Politics in the 17 century.

19. Carmarthenshire and S.P.C.K. (Sir John Philipps and John Vaughan.)

19. Griffith Jones, Llanddowror. (The Circulating Schools. Madam Bevan.)

20. The Welsh Academy. (The Presbyterian College, Carmarthen.)

21. Carmarthenshire and the Drovers. (Dafydd Jones of Caeo. Banc yr Eidion Du.)

22. Carmarthen Borough Politics, 1700 - 1764 (Riots. The Sea Serjeants. The New Charter.)

23. Carmarthenshire Politics in the 18th and early 19th centuries. "Blues"and "Reds" Y Lecsiwn Fawr)

24. Carmarthen Borough Politics, 1768-1832.

25. The Methodist Revival.

26. Carmarthenshire Leaders of the Revival

27. The Carmarthenshire Rural Structure in the 18th century

29. The Carmarthenshire Rural Scene in the 18th century

29. Welsh Radicalism in the late 18th century

30. Carmarthenshire Turnpike Trusts

31. Interesting Personalities of the Period

ILLUSTRATIONS

1. Madam Bevan (from portrait by Allen Ramsay at Derwydd).

2. John Dyer (from a line engraving by J. Bater in the National Museum of Wales.)

3. Sea Serjeants' badge and Wine Glasses.

4. Lord Carbery (second Earl).

5. Vicar Prichard's House, Llandovery.

6. William Williams, Pantycelyn.

7. Pantycelyn (Tal Jones).

9. Griffith Jones, Llanddowror.

9. Llanddowror (Map).

10. Efail Fach. Birthplace of Morgan Rhys.

11. Sir Richard Steele.

12. Grongar Hill.

13. Carmarthen and Cwmdwyfran Ironworks, 1790.

14. Title Page of the First Welsh Bible 1588.

15. Dynevor Castle 1822.

16. Thomas Charles of Bala.

17. Car Llusg

18-19. Map. Carmarthenshire Relief and Drainage (marking land over 600 ft.)

20. Old Welsh Plough.

14. Chapels in the Valley

A Study in the Sociology of Welsh Nonconformity

Fieldwork in the Aberdare Valley, Glamorgan

By D. Ben Rees. Merseyside 1975

There are many  extracts from the book on Not Everyone knows this under Aberdare Valley

CONTENTS

SOME LITERATURE ON THE SOCIOLOGY OF RELIGION

LIFE IN THE VALLEY

THE INVESTIGATION IN THE LIGHT OF OTHER SURVEYS

CHAPELS IN THE VALLEY

THE DEVELOPMENT OF INDUSTRY

INDUSTRY AND RELIGION

CONCLUSIONS AND THE WAY AHEAD

I L L U S T R A T 1 0 N S

1. Aerial view of Aberdare.

2. David Alfred Thomas (1856 - 1918).

3. Calfaria Welsh Baptist Chapel.

4. Mountain Ash.

5. J. Keir Hardie.

6. Dr. Thomas Price (1820 - 1888).

7. Victoria Square, Aberdare.

8. Co-operative Store, Aberdare.

9. Penrhiwceibr Workmen's Hall and Institute.

10. Bryn Seion Welsh Congregationalist Chapel, Cwmbach

11. Abercynon Welfare Hall.

12. Aberdare from Graig Mountain.

13. Hen-dy-Cwrdd Unitarian Chapel, Trecynon.

14. View of Mountain Ash and Abercwmboi.

15. Hermon Presbyterian Church of Wales, Penrhiwceibr

16. Mountain Ash from the Perthcelyn Road.

17. Ynysboeth Industrial Estate.

18. Penrhiwceibr Colliery.

19. Mountain Ash from Newtown Quarry.

20. Aberaman Public Hall and Grand Social Club.

21. A modern Social Club.

22. Hirwaun Trading Estate.

Introduction from the dust jacket of the book;

"The need to look at Welsh Nonconformity from the standpoint of sociology is an urgent field of research which has largely been neglected. That is why this book is a valuable introduction to Welsh Nonconformity, a phenomenon, which, with the Industrial Revolution, changed the whole fabric of Welsh Society. D. Ben Rees puts forward the original thesis that the decline in Nonconformist Chapels in mining areas can be attributed to industrial as well as economic, social and historical factors. He gives the results of fieldwork carried out in the Aberdare Valley as evidence.

The old method of mining by hand at the coal face was founded on a small team of miners which was not only conducive to the maintenance of a community-based Nonconformity, but also exhibited similar characteristics; the responsible autonomy of the miner being reflected in the role of the elder or deacon. However, the advent of mechanisation meant the disappearance of this method of mining so conducive to the structure of Welsh Nonconformity. A 'small team' in a single tradition could maintain a 'Chapel culture' intact and in isolation from others, within a particular community setting. When the 'small team' was swept away with the coming of mechanisation Nonconformity lost a base and a support.

This book deals with all aspects of the structure of a Chapel, from the Sunday School to the Seiat (a group controlled meeting), from the Sisterhood to Youth Clubs; to the image of Nonconformity in a permissive society, and the role of the Social Clubs in ousting the Chapels from their central position in the life of the community. The semi-peasant culture of Welsh Nonconformity depended to a large extent on the charismatic figures of extraordinary, powerful preachers and pastors. Charisma is a term introduced into the language of the sociologist to mean the power given to influence others. There is no doubt after reading this study that charismatic ministers like Dr. Thornas Price dominated Nonconformity in its heyday, and that politics in the form of Liberalism had a great deal of influence on the growth of the Chapel Movement. The coming of the Scotsman, Keir Hardie, into the valley, and the gospel of Socialism, is also well documented as an important factor in the decline of Welsh Nonconformity.

Nonconformity is challenged through this book and the possibility is spelt out of the imminent danger of the disappearance of the whole witness of Nonconformity as a religious tradition in the next decade in many a valley if the constructive suggestions spelt out are not met. The process of secularisation is removing from Welsh society one of its central supports, and the only solution is immediate action. This is why this sociological analysis must be taken seriously by leaders of Welsh society, and will be a useful addition as an essential introduction to the sociology of Welsh Nonconformity.

Written in an easy interesting manner this book will be a delight to academics and to ordinary readers on a subject which is so vital for the well-being of Nonconformist Wales."

15. The Cambrian Journal

Volume I, 1854

Published under the auspices of the Cambrian Institute. London, Longmans & Co; Tenby, R Mason

There is a part Introduction and a Contents index from the book on the Wales pages of Genuki, also some other extractions of articles.

16. Collieries of Wales [Engineering and Architecture]

There is an online index of the names of collieries which have diagrams or photographs in the book on INDEX

Edited for the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales by Stephen Hughes, Brian Malaws, Medwyn Parry and Peter Wakelin

Published 1994? ISBN 1-871184-11-8

An edited Introduction based on the Preface to the book itself.

From about the time of the 1984-5 miners strike it became obvious that the coal industry was in  a period of rapid contraction.........The Royal Commission instituted a programme of work in the complementary areas of field recording and the safeguarding of original architectural and engineering drawings......In the field the task was to photograph the collieries still operating, paying special attention to the installations highlighted as being of particular interest......Alongside this work on the ground the RC's aerial photographer was active in recording the large colliery complexes from the air.....A substantial part of the collection of John Cornwell, a freelance photographer, were purchased.... Two large sets of original Edwardian colliery drawings were loctaed and are now held by the Glamorgan Archives services.......The purpose of this publication is to portray the main surface elements of working Welsh collieries as they survived into the 1980s and 1990s, almost invariably multi-period complexes with structures adapted and re-adapted during successive rebuildings and enlargements.....Also to portray in simple terms the technology used in relation to theses structures and buildings, and also to place them in a historical context.

Contents

Introduction

The Planning and Design of Collieries

Collieries Underground

Colliery Headframes

Winding Coal

Water Pumping

Mine Ventilation

The Use of Compressed Air

Preparation of Coal for Sale

Workshops and Stores

Colliery Offices

Pithead Baths

Conclusion

Surviving Colliery Machinery

Gazetteer of Protected Colliery Sites

17.Accounting, Costing & Cost Estimation[ Welsh Industry : 1700-1830]

By Haydn Jones 1985. Published by University of Wales Press.  ISBN 0-7083-0882-1  

This is as unlikely a title for inclusion in a list of Welsh history books as you're ever likely to come across !

However, it contains many references to and examples of sources of industrial  records relating to the period 1700- 1830 in Wales. Some of the detailed  illustrations of accounting matters are of interest to genealogists simply because they often include the names of "ordinary workers", not just the iron and coal masters themselves.
Many examples of this have been extracted and are included in the relevant sections of the Not everyone knows this part of Wales - Genealogy Help Pages.

There is a comprehensive Bibliography.

The book's own introduction, edited by me, says;

"This work traces the development and use of accounting data in Welsh industrial concerns in the period c 1700- 1830, against a background of extensive economic change culminating in the industrial revolution. The material is gathered almost exclusively from original documents and industrial records stored in various archives and libraries in the Principality. The collected data are analysed under separate headings dealing with , inter alia, the evaluation of accounting techniques including double entry concepts of profits and costs, the use of accounting information in decision making, the evolution of accounting reporting and the role of auditors. Planning and budgeting  concepts particularly are reflected in the accounts of landed estates. There are extensive illustrations of the original documentation with appropriate references.

Industrial data sources range from single documents to small foundries and mines to complete ledgers and journals of large copper and iron works........................ In addition to meeting some of the great entrepreneurs of the period--the Mackworths and the Crawshays, the Guests, Thomas Williams, Anglesey [Lord Uxbridge] and many others-- we meet their agents and "accountants"..................."

There follows a list of Works, companies and places mentioned in the book

Abersychan Iron Works

Amlwch

British Iron Company

Brown Lenox [Pontypridd]

Cambrian Smelting and Coal Co

Cawdor Estates

Chirk Castle Estate

Clydach Iron Works

Cornish Metal Company

Cyfarthfa Iron Works

Dowlais and Iron Company

Llanelly copper works

Llangyfelach copper works

Mona and Parys mines

Neath

Redbrook

Risca Brickworks

Spitty Ban Works

Stanley Smelting Company 

Swansea

Tredegar and Machen forges

Vivian J. and Cornish Metal Company

18. Llandilo, Present & Past

An Illustrated Guide to the Ancient castles and Other Antiquities of the Neighbourhood.

A Sketch of the History and Annals of the Town, embracing that of the Kingdom of Dynevor.

By W Samuel, Carmarthen; "Welshman "Printing Office, 1868.

The contents of the book have now  largely been extracted and are to be found an    GENUKI 

19. Wales : Nation & Region

By Mervyn Phillips, Gomer 1997.

From the back cover;

" That Wales can operate effectively as a region within Europe will come as no surprise to those who, like the author, have worked in local government and have had access to wider visions and ideals than those to which Wales is subject in the British context. But to what extent can Wales consider itself a nation ? Thedevolution debate must take account not only of current politics but of the history, culture and self-identity of the Welsh people. Mervyn Phillips provides us with the means to understand these aspects more fully, democratically allowing space for readers, like voters, to come to their own decisions."

The Contents headings are as follows;

Introduction

The United Kingdom---a multi national state

National identity and community

Wales as a region

Welsh nationality

Territory

Historic foundations

The laws of Wales

Religion

Language

Modern Wales

Radical politics

Sport

Symbols

Nationality and Sovereignty---Wales in Britain

The historic sovereignty of Wales as a nation

Beginning of Parliamentary Sovereignty

The nineteenth century in Britain

Should sovereignty be shared ?

Wales in Europe

Europe and the end of the Nation State

Europe and regionalisation

Regional networks

Minority rights

Wales. A Nation State

Period of Liberal Ascendancy

Inter war years

Decentralisation and administrative devolution

1979 Referendum

New Centralism

Party Plans and the future

Appendix: Counties and County Boroughs ,1994

20. An Illustrated History of Cardiganshire.

By W J Lewis;Cymdeithas Lyfrau Ceredigion, 1970

For chapter heading list and index of photographs, see   INDEX

21. A Mirror of Medieval Wales

Gerald of Wales and his Journey of 1188

By Charles Kightly ; Cadw ,1988

Gerald of Wales ; Giraldus Cambrensis ; Gerald the Welshman ; Gerallt Gymro, he is called ; Master Gerald de Barry, Gerald the Marcher, Gerald the Archdeacon, Gerald Bishop-elect of St Davids..................

Overview from the front cover;

"Eight centuries ago, Archbishop Baldwin of Canterbury rode round the four corners of Wales, gathering recruits for the Third Crusade. Accompanying him through the disputed eastern borderlands, the Norman-dominated south and the mountainous native strongholds of the north and west was his friend Gerald the Archdeacon---better known as Gerald of Wales, one of the most fascinating characters of the Middle Ages. Scholar, churchman and courtier, descendant of Norman Marcher barons and Welsh princes, this tireless traveller, naturalist and gossip compiled an account of their eventful journey which remains as fresh today as when it was first written. It mirrors a land of quicksands and mountain passes; of demons and vengeful saints ; of Norman knights and feuding Welsh rulers ; of battles and kidnappings ; and shrines, monasteries and castles.

This publication sets the journey against a background of the still visible traces of Gerald's Wales--which include many monuments in the care of Cadw: Welsh Historic Monuments--and in the context of his long turbulent and varied career as reformer, royal agent and champion of the Welsh Church. Lavishly illustrated by photographs of the places Gerald knew and by revealing and colourful manuscript illuminations, it celebrates a man and a land long-vanished yet still vividly alive."

Contents;

Introduction

Gerald of Wales--The Man

'The Little Bishop'--Gerald's Family, Childhood and Education

Gerald the Archdeacon

'Following the Court'--Gerald the Royal Servant and his Visit to Ireland

'This Man's Noble Deed'--Gerald and the Struggle for St Davids

The Journey Through Wales

The Travellers Set Out

The Journey through the Borderlands--New Radnor to Newport

The Journey through South Wales--Newport to St Davids

The Journey through West Wales--St Davids to the Dovey

The Journey through North Wales

Success and Failure--The Journey through Wales and the Third Crusade

Gerald and the Land of Wales

The Natural and Supernatural History of Wales

A Land of Wonders

The Creatures of Wales

Demons, Prophets and Fairies

Saints and Miracles

Gerald and the People of Wales

The Welsh at Home

The Welsh at War

Conquest or Resistance ?

Failure and Success--Gerald's Last Ten Years and Ultimate Achievement

Features ;

The Twelfth-Century Church in Wales [ Glanmor Williams]

Gerald and the Kings of the English [ Ralph A Griffiths]

Preaching the Cross [ Charles Kightly]

Gerald, King Arthur, and the Legendary History of Britain [ Huw Pryce]

The Hazards of Travel [ Charles Kightly]

St David and St Davids [ J Wyn Evans]

Gerald and the Princes of Wales [ R R Davies]

The Archaeology of Gerald's Wales [ David M Robinson]

Gerald the Writer [ Brynley F Roberts]

The Handlist of Exhibits at the Gerald of Wales Exhibition [ J M Lewis]. At National Museum of Wales in 1988.

22. Victorian and Edwardian Wales from old photographs

Introduction and commentary by E D Jones. Batsford 1972

There is an introduction and index of photographs on INDEX

23. A History of Cardigan, the Locality and its People Vol I

Edited and published  in 1991 by The Cardigan & Tivy-Side Advertiser from source material supplied by Donald Davies.

Compiled from the weekly series of articles  styled " Those Were The Days" column that appeared in the Cardigan & Tivy-Side Advertiser over the previous 9 years.

A contents listing and an online index is available on INDEX

24. A History of Cardigan, the Locality and its People Vol II

Edited and published in 1992 by The Cardigan & Tivy-Side Advertiser from source material supplied by Donald Davies.

Compiled from the weekly series of articles  styled " Those Were The Days" column that appeared in the Cardigan & Tivy-Side Advertiser over the previous 10 years.

This volume has not been indexed but a contents listing is available on INDEX

25. The History and Antiquities of the County of Cardiganshire

by Samuel Rush Meyrick , 1810

This 1907 re-print  has again been reprinted , in the COLLARD'S ANTIQUITIES OF WALES series. This is a brief extract from the publisher's web site which has now gone;

"His original book on Cardiganshire gives a parish by parish guide to the general, military, and ecclesiastical antiquities and following the same general layout as the History of Radnorshire it proved to be of as much  interest to the general reader as to the serious student. Illustrated with many drawings, sketches, and prints, as well including family pedigrees and detailed genealogical trees, it will not fail to nurture interest in this county. A vast 128 page introduction gives the reader a general background not only to the history of the county but also to Wales itself. Within the section directly relating to the parishes of Cardiganshire there are many topics of historical antiquity; the mansion houses of Hafod and Nanteos and large accounts of the principal towns of Aberystwyth and Cardigan. "

26. The History of the Parish of Llandybie

[Hanes Plwyf Llandybie] By Gomer M Roberts, 1939. Translated by Ivor Griffiths.

A contents listing and a name index compiled by Gareth Hicks available online at     Index

Copies of this book can be purchased from the translator, see Local History translations available

27. The History of the parish of Llannon

[Hanes Plwyf Llan-non] By Noel Gibbard 1984. Translated by Ivor Griffiths

A contents listing and a name index compiled by Peter Jones is available online at   Index

Copies of this book can be purchased from the translator, see Local History translations available

28.Old Characters of Bettws

By D Trumor Thomas  1894

Translated into English by Ivor Griffiths       

Name index compiled by Gareth Hicks available online at     Index

There is an extensive summary of the book on Genuki

Copies of this book can be purchased from the translator, see Local History translations available

29 The History of Brynamman

By Enoch Rees  1883/1896. Translated by Ivor Griffiths            

A list of section headings and a name index  to English version compiled by Anna Brueton available online at     Index
Name index  to Welsh version compiled by Anna Brueton  available online at     Index 2

Copies of this book can be purchased from the translator, see Local History translations available

30.  The History of Pontardawe

By John E Morgan[Hirfryn] 1911. Translated by Ivor Griffiths

An online index compiled by Gareth Hicks is available on     INDEX

Copies of this book can be purchased from the translator, see Local History translations available

Contents

Trade and Industry

A New Tinplate Works

Bryn Tinplate Works

The Coalfield

The Boundary Colliery

The Foundry

Breweries

The Gas Works

Acetylyne

Lime Kilns

Local Quarries

The Woollen Factory

The Swansea Valley Railway

History of the Post Office

The History of Education

Education in Trebanos

Rhydyfro

Education in Rhydyfro

Alltwen

Education in Cilybebyll

Bards and Rhymsters

Main Buildings in the District

Music in the District

Present Musicians on the District

Instrumental Music

Bands

Main Organists of the District

Choral Music

Male Voice Choirs

Winners in the National Eisteddfod

Religious History of the District

Peculiarities and Antiquities in the District

First Magistrates in Pontardawe Court

Various Councils and the School Board

Population of the Pontardawe Union

Important Moves by the District Council and the Guardians

Charities

Strange Characters of the District

Notables of the District

31. Pit Memories [ Up and Under]

By William John Evans 1989. Dinefwr Press, Llandybie.  ISBN 0-9521783 2 X

Or in Welsh "Atgofion y Pwll " [ Lan a Lawr]. The book is bi-lingual although the 2 sections are not identical.

There is a list of contents and an index of photographs in the book on Index

32. A History of the parish of Llandyssul  [in the county of Cardiganshire]  [Hanes Plwyf Llandyssul] 

By the Rev.W J Davies 1896 .  Translated by Ivor Griffiths

Copies of this book can be purchased from the translator, see Local History translations available

There is a list of contents and  an online index on INDEX

33. Llafur- Journal of Welsh Labour History, Vol 5/1 1988

Photographs

Glyn Lewis, Ifan Jones and Les Adlam looking over the Rhondda Valley, cover

Looking for coal on the slag heap, a classic image of Wales during the depression, 47

Glyn: 'We can make wireless sets, grow cabbages and do physical jerks, but it isn't paid work', 47

Les is passing his screen test having been asked to light a cigarette, 49

Glyn leaves the meeting: ' It's hard enough for us to live on 17 bob a week, let alone find £15 to build a blinking hut !'

Les makes his way to Joe's Bracchi Shop, 51

Glyn and Les are listening to a wireless talk in the Bracchi Shop

Glen Jordan with members of the Butetown Community History Project, outside the Peel Street Mosque, Butetown, Cardiff, 57

Detail from a much larger photograph taken at the wedding of Henrietta Louise Crawshay in 1871, 63

Contents

The Welsh Worker in the C14, an introduction to labour prehistory  ; by A D Carr

Police and Labour in the age of Lindsay, 1910-1936 ; by Jane Morgan

Nhw oedd y Chwarelwyr--Arwyr y Fro' : The Pembrokeshire Slate Quarrymen ; by Dafydd Roberts.

Mudiad y Di-waith Dyffryn Nantlle, 1956-1960 ; by Gwyn Edwards

'Kameradschaft' and after : The Miners and Film ; by Peter Stead

Today we live : The making of a documentary in a Welsh mining valley ; by Bert Hogenkamp

Images of Tiger Bay : Did Howard Spring tell the truth ? ; by Glenn H Jordan

The Virtuosi of Merthyr ; by Trevor Herbert

Bibliographical essay : 'How's the tenors in Dowlais ?' Hegenomy, Harmony and Popular Culture in England and Wales 1600-1900 ; by Gareth Williams

Essay in Methodology : Strikes in Wales 1888-1958 : A Case for Computing ; by Deian Hopkin.

34. Coal Dust & Dogma

By Glyn Anthony, 1987.

Review;

This is in fact a "fictional reconstruction" of the events in the period 1925-1931, the principal  fictional player being the "Rev Tom Parry" ; without such an approach it might have been rather "dry" but the author has managed to place the reader in the hearts and minds of people who might well resemble leading characters in this real life saga in the  Llannon/Carmarthenshire village of Tumble. The story revolves around the local Calvinistic Methodist chapel and brings in politics in the form of local members of the ILP[Independent Labour Party]. And a very readable story it turns out to be [Gareth]

From the book's back cover ;

"In 1925 the Rev Tom Nefyn Williams, a most unusual minister of religion, came to the village of Tumble, near Llanelli, to take over the pastorate of Ebenezer Presbyterian Church.

His ideas, style of preaching and conduct of church services and affairs became matters of interest and discussion in the village, the neighbourhood, and even nationally. His ideas and doctrines were considered by some to be modern and sensible, by others to be heretical, revolutionary and outrageous. The village divided for and against, and it is the story of this division and religious controversy that has inspired this book.

However, Coal Dust and Dogma does not merely retell the story of that old debate : Glyn Anthony, who was a young man at the time, recreates in loving detail the Tumble of his youth, with its vigourous ferment of ideas and the rich pattern of its social life."

Photographs;

'Bryngwanwyn' [actually Llain-y-Delyn] ; turning the first spadeful of ground for the new building

Outside Soar [actually Ebenezer Chapel, Tumble]. Mr Parry [ presumably the Rev Tom Nefyn Williams] is seventh from the left in the third row from the front.

Platform Pulpit 'Bryngwanwyn'

35. Before Rebecca, Popular Protests in Wales 1793-1835

By David Jones, published by Allen Lane 1973.

There are snippets  based on this book on Not everyone knows this..

From the dustjacket;

"With this rich and complex study of popular disturbances in Wales during the decades before the 1832 Reform, David Jones makes a contribution to social history, that is exciting not only in academic terms but for anyone interested in the history of ordinary people.

Emigration and attachment to religion were two traditional Welsh responses to the economic and social tension of the period. "Before Rebecca" examines a third response- violence. In this difficult period of change direct action was to be expected ; the police force was weak ; the governments showed little concern for social welfare, and the channels of constitutional protest were inadequate. The author, by an intensive search of legal and Home Office records , shows that disturbances occurred on a vast scale, though many of them have long disappeared from popular memory. The later Rebecca Riots were only the climax of a long series of 'reactionary' protests such as enclosure and attacks on officers of the law.

Political and industrial disputes are also considered, and here again the author reveals that violence was a common weapon. Defeat for the popular side led to bitterness, and in this atmosphere heroes like Dic Penderyn and Edward Morgan became martyrs. The reaction of the authorities was to strengthen the police force, and to promote enquiries into social conditions.

For many people, especially small farmers, squatters and weavers, the government's interest came too late, and this book is a testimony to their anger and frustration. Yet few of the rioters thought in terms of revolution; their demands were limited and immediate. "Bread or Blood" was their slogan, not their political gospel."

Contents

Pre-Industrial Unrest

Corn Riots in Wales, 1793-1801

The Resistance of Small Farmers and Squatters, 1793-1830

Industrial Unrest

The South Wales Strike of 1816

The Scotch Cattle and their Black Domain

Disturbances during the Reform Crisis

The Carmarthen Riots of 1831

The Merthyr Riots of 1831

Summary

Law Enforcement and Popular Disturbances in Wales, 1793-1835

Appendices

Food Riots in the Early C19

Pamphlets Associated with the Swansea Corn Riots of February 1793

A Paper Found near Penydarren on Monday 27 January 1817

Grievances of the Clydach Colliers, 1823

A Petition of 1826

Document Presented to Sir Watkin Williams Wynn on 30 December 1831

36. This Small Corner, a History of Pencader and District

By Steve  Dubé. 266 pages, 62 illustrations, 6 maps, published by Carmarthenshire County Council, 2000

I don't have this book personally.

A review (by Steve Dubé);

"This Small Corner is a history of the north Carmarthenshire village of Pencader which focusses particularly on the people who have lived in the district from the earliest times.

It explores well-known stories, such as Gerald of Wales's Old Man of Pencader; the 17th century Apostle of Carmarthenshire Stephen Hughes, who made the village a stronghold of Nonconformity; and the tragic story of Sarah Jacob, the Fasting Girl of Pencader, who died of starvation in an episode that scandalised Victorian Britain and retains the capacity to shock the modern reader.

The book also looks at lesser known personalities such David Evans, a Pencader shepherd boy who became the first Minister to be ordained in the United States, and Evan Stephens, who became the most important musical figure in the Church of the Latter Day Saints in Utah, the man who put Mormonism to music.

There are detailed histories of the principal families and studies of the poor, accompanied by frequent lists from early tithe and rental surveys, with a good selection of photographs, maps and illustrations.

The author is French-Canadian born Western Mail journalist Steve Dubé, who settled in the village nearly 25 years ago and has investigated the published and unpublished records of the area over the past 12 years.

The title itself is part of the speech which Gerald of Wales reports the Old Man of Pencader delivering to Henry II in 1163 when the Anglo-Norman emperor encamped in the area in pursuit of the outstanding Welsh prince of the 12th century, Lord Rhys of Deheubarth, whom he ultimately failed to subdue. The Old Man's prophecy, that Welsh language will answer for this small corner of the earth until the Day of Judgement, has so far proved true.

The book is designed for people to read conventionally, or to dip in and out and to read chapters in isolation.

There are large sections from school log books, which will be of particular interest to local people, together with many lists of names and places, which will be useful source material for local and family historians.

"It is well researched and so readable you don't even notice the writing - the hallmark of a well crafted piece," says a review in the magazine Carmarthenshire Life.

"We are the beneficiaries of a dig which has lasted a dozen years. These pages are filled with the facts, the stories and above all the people - named and anonymous - of Pencader,

"Not least of the book's merits is a 34-page final section which includes a long appendix made up of some fascinating extracts from various school log books and a bibliography of the 38 books and 13 other sources which provided much of the material, a list which gives some indication of Steve Dubé's toil. He will know - and we are happy to confirm - that it has been worth the effort." "

Contents

1 Introduction - This Small Corner

2 Axemen and Kings -From Bronze Age to Normans

3 The Old Man of Pencader-The legendary meeting between King and Commoner

4. Bounds and Circuits-The Talley Abbey Grange of Gwyddgrug and its people

5. Gentry and Upstarts-The voracious Tudor gents

6. Mudhuts and Mansions-The richer homes and families in the parish of Llanfihangel ar Arth

7 The Big Issue-A study of the parish treatment of homelessness

8 The Church's Two Foundations-The history and the churches of St Michael, Llanfihangel ar Arth and St Mary's, Pencader

9 The Meeting House is Seated-The history of Nonconformity in the parish

10 Children of the Chapel-The notable religious men, and sometimes women, produced by the chapel

11 Total Immersion-The baptist tradition in Pencader

12 Spiritual Ecstasy-Methodism in the parish

13 A Cow for Two Years-The operation of the Poor Laws

14 Goats I Leave You-The story of David Evans, who became the first Minister ordained in America

15 Roads and Riots-The history of the road system - and the Rebecca Riots

16 A Musical Mormon-The tale of Evan Stephens, who became the Handel of Mormons

17 A Ticket To Ride-One hundred years of the railway

18 A Precocious Child-The tragic history of the Fasting Girl of Pencader

19 The Singing Was Good-Education through the centuries

20 The Deep Depravity of the Human Heart-A look at crime and punishment

21 Merchants, Makers and Mills-Men and women at work

22 A Most Discreditable Thing-The sometimes peculiar operations of the Parish Council and its members

23 Tasty, Gossipy, Little Paragraphs-The short-lived Pencader and Llandyssul Guardian

24 The Chemist, His Wife, Some Houses and a Field-Derwenydd and Mari Morgan and their legacy

25 Remember Them-Soldiers, singers, writers, lovers and protesters

26 The People and Their Cottages-Stories, myths and legends

Appendices

1. Tithe Survey, 1720

2.Extract from the Crown Manor of Mab Utryt, 1650

3. School log books from Pencader, New Inn, Alltwalis and Llanfihangel ar Arth

List of Illustrations

Bibliography

Index

37. The Economic Development of Swansea and of the Swansea District to 1921

By D Trevor Williams. University College of Swansea Pamphlet 4.  1940

There are substantial extracts from the book on Not everyone knows this..

First paragraph of Preface;

"The economic development of the Swansea District reflects the interplay of a number of factors; there are periods of slow and gradual progress, of stagnation and retardation, and times of remarkable industrial acceleration and progressive expansion. In the following account, an attempt has been  made to trace the stages in the economic history of Swansea and its geographic hinterland, to recognise and assess the contribution of complex factors --natural resources and human effort, native and external to the region--and to furnish evidence and documentation in so far as the prescribed limits of this publication would allow......"

Contents;

List of Maps & Figures

Pre C19 Developments

General Background and Earlier Developments

C17 Maritime Trade

Smelting Industries

Coal-mining and Coal-trade, C18.

River & Harbour Improvements, C18

Canals, C18

Coal-Mining 1800-1921

Smelting Industries

Copper

Non-ferrous Industries, other than copper

Iron [including Steel and Tinplates]

Port Developments, And Maritime Trade

Population, Migration, Occupations, and Settlement

Appendix

Iron and Steel Works[omitting Maesteg/Pyle region]

Tinplate and Sheet Works

Iron Works of the Maesteg/Pyle sub-district

The Landore Siemens Steel Works, 1874

38. Pembrokeshire.

By Brian John, published by David and Charles, 1976.

From the dust sheet introduction ;

In the minds of government officials, Pembrokeshire passed out of existence in April 1974. Here is a book to demonstrate that it is still very much alive, a thriving region of unique character. South Pembrokeshire has been known for centuries as "Little England beyond Wales", although once across an invisible demarkation line, the north has always been indomitably Welsh.  Pembrokeshire's split personality is further reflected in the many contrasts between north and south, especially in scenery and local atmosphere. Pembrokeshire has its own National Park and a quite magnificent stretch of coastline, yet, in Milford Haven, there is found Britain's greatest concentration of oil refineries.

This book is the first in-depth portrait of the area for almost twenty years....................................

[Of course, the name of Pembrokeshire was restored in 1996 when the composite county of Dyfed itself disappeared]

Illustrations;

The single street of Cosheston

Frost-shattered rock from the Ice Age

The submerged forest at Marros

Summit fort of Moel Drygarn

The skeletons at St Patrick's Chapel, Whitesand Bay

St Govan's Chapel

St David's Cathedral

Five Arches, Tenby

Johnston church tower

Llanwnda church

Lime kilns at Solva

The "blue lagoon" slate quarry at Abereiddi

The corn-mill at Carew

Industrial token of 1792

The Fishguard Fencible

Rosebush holiday poster

Pembroke's Norman fortress

Work on Porthgain Harbour in 1903

Grey seal pup

The Grassholm gannetry

Manorbier Castle

Orielton mansion

A farmhouse at Garn

St David's post office in 1870

A stepped-segment long-house in Trefin

Tourist pressure at Saundersfoot

The new Haven Bridge

The Llysyfran reservoir under construction

The Esso refinery  near Milford

Figures ;

The Neolithic dwelling house at Clegyrfwya

The cromlech at Longhouse

A page from The Description of Pembrokeshire

Rebecca rioters

The Pembrokeshire Landsker

The Tudor Merchant's House in Tenby

Maps ;

Geological map of Pembrokeshire

Location map of Pembrokeshire

English and Welsh church-types and place-names

The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park

The early medieval Landsker showing main castle types

Milford Haven waterway

Contents ;

Preface

Introduction : The Region and its Character

The Natural Landscape

Rocks and Structure

Coastal Contrasts

Platforms and Valleys

The Ice Age

Myths, Monuments and Mysteries

The Stone Age

Cromlechau

The Stonehenge Myth

The Age of Metal Tools

The Welsh, their Saints and their Stories

The Celtic Saints

Dewi Sant and his followers

The Celtic way of life

The Viking sea-rovers

The creation of Little England

The coming of the Normans

Consolidation

The Anglo-Norman towns

The Medieval world

George Owen's Pembrokeshire

The English and the Welsh

Country life and agriculture

Markets

The gentle game of cnapan

Changing fortunes

The Civil War

Farming

The Drovers

The Religious Revivals

The last invasion of Britain

The Rebecca Riots

Seafaring and life by the sea

Coastal trading

Shipbuilding

Wrecking

Smuggling and Piracy

The Pembrokeshire Lighthouses

The coming of the railway

Milford Haven and its 'New Towns'

The New Town of Milford

Neyland

Pembroke Dock and its dockyard

The protection of the Haven

Coal, Stone, Slate and Iron : Pembrokeshire's Industrial Revolution

The Coal Industry

Quarrying

Metal-working

Other works and factories

Town and country

Modern Haverfordwest

Road and rail

Farming today

Military establishments

The English, the Welsh, and the Landsker

The Englishry

The Welshry

The Landsker today

The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park

Plant life

Mammals

Bird life

Tourism and its management

Buildings : Medieval Castles, Palaces and Churches

The Strategic fortresses

Other major castles

Landsker castles

Lesser strongholds

The Bishop's Palaces

Churches great and small

The monastic houses

Buildings : Homes for rich and poor

Country cottages

Farmhouses

Country mansions

Town houses

The rediscovery of Milford Haven

The Oil industry

The environmental impact

Milford Haven and the  Celtic Sea Oil search

Conclusion : Pembrokeshire, Dyfed and the future

39. Pembrokeshire

By R M Lockley, published by Robert Hale Ltd 1957/58

Part extract from the Introduction on the dust jacket ;

Pembrokeshire is one of the last unspoiled coastal countries in Britain. Although part fo South Wales, it is quite free from smoke-stack industries, has no great towns and lives peacefully by its agriculture and fisheries. Its roads wind through lanes of wild flowers to a clear blue sea. Invaded and setled during thousands of years by a succession of sea faring peoples, it is rich in ancient cave dwellings, earthworks, cromlechs, and stone circles........................................St Patrick and St David brought Christianity to Celtic Wales on the site of the present village cathedral of St David. The historian will find the county absorbing..............

Contents;

Early history

The land

The people

The southern shore

More islands

The west coast

The north coast

Milford Haven

Castles and Palaces

Modern times

For the naturalist

Illustrations, with edited descriptions ;

Tenby Harbour, with steeple of St Mary's church

The Green Bridge of Wales-a limestone arch on the south coast

Pilgrimage to St David's-from a misericord in the cathedral

"In Vallis Rosina"-St David's Cathedral from the east, with ruins of the bishop's palace and those of St Mary's College

"Pray for the soul of me, Catuoconus" - an inscription

Manorbier Castle

South Pembrokeshire men whose faces are said to show traces of Flemish ancestry

St Govan medieval chapel

Low tide by Pembroke Castle

Angle village

Lawhaden Castle

A fisherman from Marloes

Cross at Carew

Salmon fishermen in coracles sheep washing on the River Teifi,  at Cenarth

Cave on Caldey Island

St Margaret's Isle

Monastery on Caldey Island

Typical farm steading of Dewisland

Interlaced cross stone at Nevern church

Carew, Cheriton church

Memorial commemorating last invasion of Britain near Fishguard in 1797

Upton Castle

Herd of grey seals

Limestone stack off Castlemartin peninsula

Gannetry of 8000 nests on Grassholm

Sketch map of area

40. Life in Wales

By A H Dodd.

Published by B T Batsford, London, 1972

At 170 odd pages, with an illustration on every other page, it could only be an  introduction to the subject. Written in a very straight forward style, the sort of book you can get through in an evening.

Contents

List of Illustrations

The Earliest Inhabitants

Cymry, Teutons and Normans

A Conquered People, 1282-1485

Union, Reformation and Renaissance, 1485-1630

Educational and Religious Movements, 1630-1780

Economic Development, 1700-1850

Towards Contemporary Wales, 1780-1914

Epilogue : Wales since 1914

41. Rebirth of a Nation: Wales 1880-1980

By Kenneth O Morgan

Oxford University Press, 1981

Contains a comprehensive bibliography of primary and secondary source materials relating to the history of Wales ; including manuscripts, official papers, newspapers and periodicals, reports and works of reference.

From the cover;

"Kenneth Morgan's survey of Welsh history from 1880 to the present day considers the political, social, and economic dimensions, as well as the literary, religious, intellectual, and sporting aspects. His analysis spans the years of Liberal ascendency and of national renaissance from 1880 to 1914 ; the period of economic depression, Labour ascendency and tension between Welsh and Anglo-Welsh from 1914 to 1945 ; and the social and cultural changes, the reborn sense of national identity in the years from 1945."

And;

"This book will serve as a fulcrum of historical debate for a generation" Gwyn A Williams, Guardian.

Contents

Part 1: The Re-awakening, 1880-1914

Wales in the Eighties

The Liberal Ascendency

Economic Progress and Social Conflict

The National Revival

The Edwardian High Noon

Part II : The Ordeal, 1914-1945

The Crisis of War

The Post-War Mood

Wales's Locust Years

Welsh and Anglo-Welsh

The Labour Ascendency

Part III : The Renewal, 1945-1980

Restructuring the Economy

The New Society

Nationalism and Devolution

Conclusion

Maps

The counties of Wales [to 1973]

The collieries of the South Wales coalfield in 1913

42. Land of My Fathers

By Gwynfor Evans.

Y Lolfa, paperback, 1992

See brief review above.

From the cover;

"This uniquely comprehensive illustrated history of Wales was first published in Welsh and was an immediate best seller. Written with superb lucidity of style and a masterful organisation of material, it has proved a classic.

In English translation it is equally enthralling. For those who have visited wales and want to know more of its past, it is the ideal introduction. For the historian, the student of politics, for all those interested in Welsh contemporary life, it is an indispensable companion.............."

Contents

Celtic Wales

The Celtic Legacy

Background of first century Wales

Roman Wales

The Roman Invasion

The Welsh Defence

The Druids

Nature of the Roman Occupation

The Military and Defence System

Magnus Maximus [Macsen Wledig] and the Roman Heritage

Welsh Wales

The Irish

Cunedda

Renaissance

Creation of Brittany

From Brythonic to Welsh - Taliesin and Aneirin

Independent Wales

A Country of Small States

Vortigern [Gwrtheyrn]

Myth of English Expulsion of the Welsh

Arthur

Toughness of the States

Maelgwn Gwynedd

Men of the Old North

Christian Wales

From Elen to Cadog

Illtud and Education

Dewi [David] in the Surge

Steeping Gwynedd and Powys in the Gospel

The Celtic Christian Community of Nations

The Unbroken Continuity of the Tradition

Consequences of the Christian Revolution

Facing the English

The  Saints of Bangor-on-Dee and Augustine

Cadwallon and the Welsh Defence

The End of Rheged and Gododdin

Age of Cadwaladr

The Church of the Welsh

Golden Age of Ireland

Offa's Dyke and Beyond

The Grip of the States

Art, Literature and Learning

Merfyn Frych

Rhodri Mawr

Anarawd

Hywel Dda

Age of Maredudd ab Owain

Gruffudd ap Llywelyn

Facing the Normans

The Normans' Powerful Incursion

Rhys ap Tewdwr

Gruffuff ap Cynan

Revival of National Strength

Owain Gwynedd

The Lord Rhys

Court Poets and Story-tellers of the Mabinogion

Giraldus Cambrensis and the Church Struggle

Llywelyn Fawr [Llwyelyn I]

Llywelyn ap Gruffudd [Llywelyn II]

The Centuries of Glyndwr and the Uchelwyr [Nobility]

Government by English Officials

Wars of Madog and Llywelyn Bren

Scottish Revival under William Wallace

The Glory of the Uchelwyr[Nobility]

Dafydd ap Gwilym

Owain Lawgoch and the Expectation of a Deliverer

The Great Effort to Restore Freedom

Welsh Feuds between English Parties

Pyrrhic Victory of the Welsh

The Great century

Colonialist Interlude

For Ever and Henceforth Incorporated and Annexed

Facing the British

Treachery of the Nobility

The Loyal Remnant

The Coming of Britishness

More Feuds between English Parties

Upholders of the Tradition

Griffith Jones and Welsh Education

Howel Harris and the Spiritual Revival

Pantycelyn

New Growth from Old Roots

Merthyr Insurrection: Chartists : Beca

Treason of the Blue Books

The Glory of the Gwerin

Bourgeois Victory

Establishing the English System

Michael D Jones and the National Awakening

Decay

Wales Endures