Bwrdd Neges Archefol - Archived Messageboard 2009

KITE Photographic Challenge 2009
Posted by Andrew Williams on 17/5/2009, 11:34 am

The photographs from the KITE Photographic Challenge which was held on 9th May are now available to view in Llangadog Post Office and on this website,
www.llangadog.com/kitephotography.html

You can vote for your favourite photograph either in the Post Office or online at the bottom of the Photographic Challenge page. The votes cast will be added together and the winner announced in the first week of June.

LLANGADOG POST OFFICE
Posted by J D R THOMAS on 21/5/2009, 8:15 pm

Congratulations to Llangadog Post Office for being featured on the WALES TODAY Programmes of BBC1 on 21st May 2009. It was interesting to catch a glimpse of a customer who I deemed to be Mrs Glenys May Morgan (nee Davies). I recall Glenys May attending Gwynfe (British) Council School at age 4 or 5 in ~1932 or 1933, and wish her well.

Regards,
JDR.

Congrats
Posted by Rose Gudge on 26/5/2009, 9:35 am

CONGRATULATIONS to Llangadog Post Office on winning your awards.Well Done.

Best Wishes,
Rosemary Gudge nee Davies
Gloucester

Roberts
Posted by Rob Atkins on 8/6/2009, 11:32 am

I have an 1851 census return with my relatives Roberts living at what looks like Gwernyrhedeg Farm and working as wheelwrights as well.

Does anyone have any information on the farm - or the family, in fact?

Thanks, Rob

Re: Roberts
Posted by Rob Atkins on 9/6/2009, 5:20 pm, in reply to "Roberts"

Other addresses associated with this family are Cwrtyplase and the Carpenter's Arms which they were keeping in the 1881 census.

Thanks for any info,

Rob

The Brown Family and Turnpike Road
Posted by Mike Ash on 11/6/2009, 4:22 pm

I am researching some background to related families on behalf of a Canadian Cousin. It would seem that a Thomas William Brown, originally from Leominster, took his family to Canada some time after 1896. His various children were born in Wales. Another Thomas William in Brecon, Aran J and John F in LLANGADOG, and Richard, Frederic and Fanny in Llandovery. Whilst in Llangadog their address is shown as Turnpike Road. Can anyone tell me where this was(is) please? I hope to use the Sunday Beacons Bus to visit the area and take some pictures if I can find anything remaining of the Llangadog and Lladovery addresses. Thanks

Evan Jones, The Plough, Llangadog
Posted by Roger Jones on 16/7/2009, 8:58 am

Hi
I live in New Zealand and am a decendant of Evan Jones from Llanfair ar y bryn who married Anne Williams of Llangadock in 19th September 1817.
Pigots 1830 directory shows him running The Plough.
There may be relatives Jane Jones, Job Jones who lived in Llangadock.
Anne seems to be in Bedwelty in the 1851 census but Evan is not listed.
Any information would be great.
Roger Jones
email: arcticcat@ps.gen.nz

Village Well
Posted by Alan Free on 8/8/2009, 9:35 am

I wonder how many people know that the village has a well. It is situated in Walters Road a few yards up the hill from the old Church Hall. It backs on to the vicarage field; it has high railings with a gate entrance which is kept chained and locked. The pump, rusty and with a broken spout, used to lean against the field wall and brambles filled the interior of the railings. There is an oak tree and an ash tree growing together just a few feet from the well. 20 years ago these were only a few feet high but now they tower over the well.

About 12 years ago the Llangadog Womens Institute asked the Community Council if something could be done to open up the well and make it operational again. I believe the County Council was approached, but a grant was not forthcoming. The well site was cleared of all growth and the well opened up. The water in the well was clear and found to be 17 feet deep, with the water surface about 6 feet beneath ground level. There were a few roots growing into the water, presumably from the trees, but at that time they were quite small. The railings were painted, and the pump was bolted to the floor inside the railings. The Community Council agreed that I could decorate it with flowers growing in pots and keep the rest of the growth down. This I did for about 10 years, but as the trees grew bigger they cut out most of the light from the well. Two years ago I stopped trying to grow anything inside the well.

Weeds are growing quite well, as are young ash trees. Within a few years they will start to catch up with the parent tree. The roots will certainly be growing into the well itself as they look for water, and I have little doubt that the roots from the two big trees are already there. The elder tree by the entrance is now bigger and is fruiting well, and the brambles are starting to take over again.

I did wonder whether I would be allowed to take over the well - I would love to see it in working order again, but I understand that the well is classed as a "Village Asset"... The two trees are not the responsibility of the Community Council and approaches have to be made to the County Council for more information.

A lot of people walk their dogs along Walters Road, and if the pump became operational again they could have a supply of drinking water, which of course could also be used for the horses that occasionally use the road.

Alan Free, Brynteg.

Re: Village Well
Posted by Carol Halden on 27/8/2009, 1:40 pm, in reply to "Village Well"

Hi, I think that's a lovely idea. I remember the well from when I was a child, a good friend of mine lived at Davaar in Walters Road and we used to spend our time zooming up and down Walters Road and the rest of the village! Happy memories! Good luck, hopefully, you might have some assistance if you decide to go ahead.

Kind regards, Carol

Re: Village Well
Posted by June Stait on 21/9/2009, 9:58 am, in reply to "Village Well"
Message modified by board administrator 21/9/2009, 10:10 am

Dear Alan, Eleri Davies at Carmarthenshire County Council, who is in charge of the Tywi Afon yr Oesoedd project, may be interested in your ideas and have funds and experts available to advise, (email: Eledavie@carmarthenshire.gov.uk)and CADW may have funds or advice see their website for contact details.

Bethlehem Community Hall
Posted by Trish Doree on 14/8/2009, 4:56 pm

Hi there,
I’d like to book the Bethlehem Community Hall for 8 October but the contact phone number ids out of date on the website.
Can anyone help?
Many thanks in advance.
Trish

Trish Doree
Information Officer / Swyddog Gwybodaeth
Brecon Beacons National Park Authority/Awdurdod Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog

Telephone/Ffôn - 01874 620480

Re: Bethlehem Community Hall
Posted by Andrew Williams on 26/8/2009, 10:24 am, in reply to "Bethlehem Community Hall"

Hi,

The new contact phone number for Bethlehem Community Hall is 01558-823306. This has now been amended on the website.

Best Wishes,

Andy

LLANGADOG VILLAGE GREEN - DOG BANNING ORDER
Posted by Des Oldfield on 12/10/2009, 6:04 pm

If you believe that a Dog Fouling order is more appropriate than a Dog Banning order, then please contact:
Michael Roberts who is Environmental Officer for Carmarthenshire County Council. His email is:
MJRoberts@carmarthenshire.gov.uk or phone: 01267 225806 Ext. 5506.

Llangadog
Posted by Jeff Bailey on 19/10/2009, 9:56 am

Hello.

I was Googling Llangadog and came across your forum.

My Mum grew up in Llangadog b. 1916. Her grandparents built and owned the Railway Hotel and she was brought up there. Her grandmother lived in Glan Bran beside the river Bran and later her parents (Elsie and Albert Jackson) lived there. I remember visiting Glan Bran as a small boy in the 1950's. Mum is now 93 and spends much of her time reminiscing about Llangadog, as older folk do. I know she'd be interested in any old photos. We have one photo of Glan Bran and a few other old photos are still in Mum's old residence in Spain. One day I hope to get them sent to us in Guernsey but it's a long and complicated business I'm afraid.

Regards

Jeff Bailey for Elsie Lorna Bailey (nee Jackson)

The Railway Hotel - Melanie Jackson
Posted by Jeff Bailey on 20/10/2009, 6:43 pm

Hello to Melanie. Your Dad (Ken) was my Uncle. My Mum is Lorna Bailey (nee Jackson). Mum is now 93 but is still interested in Llangadog and 'The Railway' as it was always called. Drop me an email if you'd like to get back in contact (haven't seen you since your Dad'd funeral).

Jeff Bailey

tourist info
Posted by jason Brown on 27/10/2009, 6:31 am

just wanted to know about access to the national park from that side i see on maps a heol y gelli road just wanted to know what it dead ends into and can u access the mountain from there thanks

Capel Gwynfe and Chapels of Ease
Posted by Nona Rees on 25/11/2009, 1:00 pm

In response to a telephone enquiry from David Chambers

I have not been wildly successful in tracking down Capel Gwynfe as yet, but I still have Archaeologia Cambrensis and one or two other places in the Cathedral Library to search. It might be worth contacting St Fagans Folk Museum (or whatever it's called now). I have the following definition of 'Chapel of Ease' from Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 'A chapel subordinate to a mother church, for the eease of parishioners in prayers and preaching. From 12th cent. Such chapels were frequently founded, and many by custom or express licence rose to parochial status and were used for the administration of the Sacraments and for burials. They proved especially useful in the vast parishes of N. England, where distance and natural obstacles made attendance at the mother church difficult, if not impossible, for many parishioners. Some of these foundations disappeared during or shortly after the Edwardian dissolutions (c.1548) and many have become independent parish churches. In moder times chapels of ease have usually been served by the parish clergy as opportunity allows, without the appointment of a separate priest-in-charge.

There is a brief mention of 'Gwynfe' which could be useful, in Carmarthenshire & Beyond: Studies in History and Archaeology in Memory of Terry James. Edited by Heather James and Patricia Moore, pp. 245-258. (p 246). This refers to the Golden Grove Estate documents in the Carmarthen Record office. 'The Vaughans of Golden Grove were also manorial lords and therefore the collection includes documents relating to the Lordship of Perfedd and the manor of Gwynfe...'

I have yet to check Archaeologia Cambrensis and other possibilities in the Cathedral Library. If I come up with anything else I will be in touch. Good luck with your search. If you produce anything in print on Capel Gwynfe, the Cathedral Library would be most grateful for a copy.

Yours sincerely

Nona Rees
Cathedral Sub-Librarian

Re: Capel Gwynfe and Chapels of Ease
Posted by JDR Thomas on 25/11/2009, 9:03 pm, in reply to "Capel Gwynfe and Chapels of Ease"
Message modified by board administrator 26/11/2009, 6:01 pm

I can add the following which may be of interest re CAPEL GWYNFE as Chapel of Ease on pages 255 and 256, etc. by JOHN A BESSANT in "LLANDOVERY and its ENVIRONS" published by Friends of Llandovery Civic Trust 1994. Here it says that the chapel was a gift from the Vicar of Llangadog, to be replaced in 1899 by the new 'All Saints Church', the chapel now being used as Church Hall. In March 1871 Gwynfe Chapel was in urgent need of restoration, when £500 was required for renovations. There is a list of subscribers on page 256.

I also have the following information. The first funeral in the new Church was held on 11 December 1899 by Vicar Jno Jones along with Wm Rees Vicar of Llangadock.

Rev. Jno Jones was Vicar of Gwynfe until late 1926 (I was Baptised by him in March 1926). Rev. Jones's predecessor as Vicar was Thomas Pugh until 1893 and prior to him it was D L Rowland until 1885, he having become Vicar in August 1868, after having been 'Incumbent' from 1862 or earlier. It was Rev. D L Rowland who baptised my grandmother Margaret Williams in April 1869, all her siblings having been previously been baptised at Gwynfe Chapel (of Ease). His funeral at Gwynfe was on 24 July 1885 at age 55. The Funeral Ceremony was performed by LEWIS PRICE, Vicar of Llandilofawr.

Among my early notes of Capel Gwynfe (from Bishops' Transcripts) are burials of ESTHER (Hester) 4th January 1795 at age 45 at Gwynfei Chapel wife of Morgan Williams Blaenllynant, and on 7th March 1831 there is the burial of Morgan Williams, Blaenllynan at age 70 (in fact he was age 80).

MORGAN WILLIAMS was grandfather to Sir John Williams, Bt. GCVO (Founder President of the National Library of Wales, and formerly Accoucher Physician to the Duchess of York (later Queen Mary). Sir John's grandmother was Elizabeth (nee Davies of Llys Brychan, Bethlehem) as the 2nd wife of Morgan Williams, who he married at Llangadock Church on 8th December 1797 at age 20. Elizabeth died on 22 Nov 1850, and her grave is next to that of her younger son David Williams 1802-1842 at Capel Bethlehem. Margaret Williams was a 1st Cousin once removed to Sir John Williams.

Of course, many other Gwynfe people were baptised, married and buried at Capel Gynfe, including the families of Sir John Williams' mother Eleanor, and also forbears/siblings of David Griffiths (Glanmeilwch and Madagascar Missionary).

That's all.

Regards,
JDR.

Lewis Family
Posted by ceri lewis on 13/12/2009, 5:44 pm

Hello

Would like to hear from anyone with info on Daniel Lewis a cooper in Llangadog or a nearby village Rhydymerch(?), born around 1790/1800 possibly married to Mary, had son Benjamin, may have lived in Cae Brics?)

Regards
Ceri Lewis