The Wreckers of Cefn Sidan​ 'Gwyr-y-Bwyelli Bach' The people with little hatchets. The Captain of the La Jeune Emma peered through the mist, desperate for a sighting of land. It had been two days since he had glimpsed the lighthouse at Ushant, or so he thought. That mistake was to cost him dearly. Since then, because of the storms and fog, he had seen nothing. Surely they were somewhere near the French coast. Cherbourg and a safe end to the voyage from Martinique must be near

The Salt Smugglers of Mawddach​ "The only thing worse than a smuggler is the excise man who tries to catch him!" Dr. Samuel Johnson 1709 - 1784 In 1693, King William III was short of cash. “I need more money,” he told his tax collectors. “Tea, bibles, brandy, wine, lace, candles, linen; we are taxing everything we can think of,” they replied. “That’s not good enough,” shouted the King. “What about a tax on windows?” said one of the tax collectors. “That’s a silly idea,” answe

Gwrtheyrn was a British King who lived in Kent during the 5th Century. He was a timid man and his kingdom was weak. He employed mercenaries from Saxony to fight his enemies and paid them with gold. The Saxons, led by the brutal warrior Hengist, drove off Gwrtheyrn’s foes. King Gwrtheyrn was pleased and gave Hengist the Isle of Thanet as a reward. The Saxons bought their families to Kent and settled on the fertile island. Before long, they started to take more land. Seeing th

Elisedd ap Gwylog was a 1st Century King of Powys and a descendant of Brochweil Ysgithrog, so named because of his fang like teeth and his aggressive manner. Ysgithrog translates as ‘of the canine teeth.’ Brochweil was a warrior king and ruled a large realm but by the time Elisedd came to power, much of the kingdom of Powys had been seized by the English and the new king had little choice other than to fight to regain his lands. The campaign was a success and he drove out the

The Angelystor of Llangernyw. ‘When the bell begins to toll, Lord, have mercy on the soul.’ The Venerable Bede, 672-735. Our forefathers were fearful of the devil. They understood that Satan and his followers congregated around churches hoping to steal souls. Devils and demons, it was believed, were most fearful of the sound of bells. In Ireland evil spirits were driven away by the ringing of church bells. The same is true in Scotland. In Wales the mournful toll of a church b

Dear as remembered kisses after death, And sweet as those by hopeless fancy feign'd On lips that are for others; deep as love, Deep as first love, and wild with all regret; O Death in Life, the days that are no more! ‘Tears, Idle Tears’ – Alfred Lord Tennyson. The ancient Book of Llandaff tells of the 6th Century when King Tewdrig was the ruler of Gwent. Tewdrig was a pious man and a good King. His people loved and respected him. He reigned for many years. Tewdrig had a son n

'And they blessed Rebecca and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions and let thy seed possess the gates of those who hate them.' (Genesis, chapter 24, verse 60.) In 1813, an auction took place at the George Inn, Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire where the rights to collect tolls at several tollgates in the county were offered to the highest bidders. These included gates on the turnpike roads at Ffairfach, Llandybie and Llanedy Forest. Ffairfa

Robert Llwyd Hari was a farm servant at Gilar Farm, near the village of Rhydlydan. His hobby was playing cards. Each evening, after he had finished his work on the farm Bob, as people called him, would walk down to the village and meet his friends for a game. Sometimes they would play in the tavern. On Sunday nights, when the tavern was shut, he would go to Aunty Ann’s house and spend the evening playing cards there. Some villagers frowned at Bob’s hobby. They called his card

The story of Twm Sion Cati is a well-documented legend told and retold by the Welsh over the years. Twm Sion Cati was a robber and an outlaw. Like the English Robin Hood he was hated by those he stole from and loved by those who enjoyed hearing about his adventures. While there is no hard evidence that Robin Hood ever lived, Twm Sion Cati was no myth. He was a real outlaw. Thomas Jones was born in 1530 at Porth y Ffynnon or Fountain Gate near Tregaron in Cardiganshire. His mo

Lord Myddleton became a proud man when he learned that his beautiful young wife was with child. He had married late and needed to sire an heir to inherit his castle and estate before his ardour declined into old age. Lord Myddleton was a popular Baron and the news of his wife’s confinement was greeted with celebration in the towns and villages of the Marcher Lands. His castle at Chirk was a happy place with noble visitors arriving each day to offer their congratulations to th

The Love of Gwladus and Einion​ Photograph by kind permission of djangostan View more of his great pictures here. Brychan of Brycheiniog was a 5th century King. He had 24 daughters. All of them were beautiful but the most beautiful of his daughters was Gwladus. Her hair shimmered in the sunlight, her skin glowed with health and her innocent smile melted the hearts of all who saw her. Each day Gwladus and her sisters would walk to the river where they would bathe. As they walk

Welsh Legends and Myths Eighty legends and myths from across Wales. In the 19th Century, the Reverend Elias Owen was a school inspector travelling across Wales. After each school visit, he would ask to be taken to meet the oldest person in the village, often setting out with a small lantern to some remote cottage, late at night in foul weather. His purpose was to collect the ancient stories that had been passed down by word of mouth and write them down before they were forgot