Robert Lloyd - a Sir Gar Blog of random news . . . and some Clecs!

Student records at Aberystwyth University dating back almost 150 years are being digitised and transcribed to make them more accessible. The records are contained in ten leather-bound manuscripts and date back to 1872 when the University opened its doors for the first time. To date, access to the fragile volumes has been restricted and the process of searching for information within them has been painstaking. Funded by donations from the University’s alumni, and matched by a significant donation from the Cardiff Branch of the Aberystwyth University Old Students’ Association (OSA), the finished result will be a fully searchable electronic record of students who studied at Aberystwyth in the 19th century. The project is a collaboration between the OSA Cardiff Branch, Aberystwyth University Archives, and the National Library of Wales (NLW). Before the project could begin, some preservation work was required which included encasing each volume in a custom-built archive box. Every page...

Attended by more than 120 people, Laugharne’s Heritage Day was deemed to be an outstanding success story by all who took part. The day, which had been organised by the Laugharne and District History Society, had the Great War (1914-18) and Laugharne’s connection with it as its main theme. The intention of the day was to highlight and record the strands linking Laugharne families and others in the area to World Ware One. Residents of Laugharne and their families were encouraged to talk about their family members who took part in the war and bring their family photographs to be scanned as a permanent record. These photographs and recorded memories will form the basis of a book focusing on Laugharne’s history at the turn of the last century. Alongside the displays of major national organisations such as the National Library of Wales and Historic Gardens Trust and county-wide groups such as the Carmarthenshire Antiquarian Society and the Dyfed Archaeological Trust, there was a live...

Three more of Carmarthenshire Archives collections have been made available to view. The records include Carmarthenshire Court of Quarter Sessions 1794-1971 – order books and judge’s notebook, Carmarthenshire Rural District Council minute books from 1950-1972 and Carmarthen District Council minute books from 1974-1996. The Court of Quarter Sessions usually tried crimes that could not be tried summarily by the Justices of the Peace without a jury in petty sessions, and were sent up by the process of indictment to be heard in Quarter Sessions. The court did not have jurisdiction to hear the most serious crimes such as capital punishment or later life imprisonment. These crimes were sent for trial at the Great Sessions, or after 1830, the Assize Court. In addition to its criminal jurisdiction and prior to the creation of the County Council in 1888, the court was also responsible for a number of administrative functions, such the repairs of roads and bridges, supervising the lunatic...

A display of World War One memorabilia is being held at Carmarthen Library next month. The exhibition will contain newspapers from that era, with stories about local people who served in the war, and its effect on the community. There will also be photographs and books from the library’s local collection. The exhibition is taking place at the county council facility in King Street from July 14. It is one of many events taking place across the country to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Great War. Libraries executive board member Cllr Meryl Gravell said: “I am sure this exhibition will be very informative. “It will be interesting to see the news in and around Carmarthen at the time the country was at war, and to see how it affected local people and communities.” For more information on the exhibition or events at Carmarthen Library go to www.carmarthenshire.gov.uk

The Friends of Carmarthenshire’s County Museum in Abergwili and the Carmarthenshire Antiquarian Society will be meeting and greeting people at the National Eisteddfod of Wales in Llanelli this year and they are inviting people who have Carmarthen’s history at heart to spare them an hour or two of help. During Eisteddfod week (August 2-9), the Museum Friends and the Antiquarians are working together to interest people in aspects of Carmarthenshire’s history. The friends will be taking the Romans in Carmarthenshire as their theme and the Antiquarians are homing in on ‘We are what we remember’ – our parents and grandparents who fought to keep the home fires burning. It would not be necessary to have an in-depth knowledge of either theme to help on the stand. The groups will welcome everyone who could encourage an interest in the stand and its exhibits. Similarly, it is not essential for volunteers to be Welsh-speaking as arrangements will be made for a Welsh speaker to be present at al...

As a result of a generous grant through the Carmarthenshire Landscape and Heritage Grants Scheme, the Bancyfelin Education Community Trust is able to fund the replacement of the milestone which was originally located outside Bancyfelin Primary School. Work on the project will begin during August. The original milestone, which was similar to others on the main A40 highway from Carmarthen to Hobb’s Point, was located on the school wall. Reference to the original milestone, with distances marked, can be found on older maps of the village. When the front of the school was re-modelled years ago, the original milestone was lost and never replaced. In days gone by, coaches would thunder into Bancyfelin, likely sounding their post-horns as they crossed the bridge. The coachmen would know the distances they had to travel by checking on the milestones along the road. The Carmarthenshire Landscape and Heritage Grants Scheme is part funded by Natural Resources Wales, Rural Development Plan,...

An important and unique historical collection of Welsh Bibles dating back as far as the middle of the 16th century is going on show at Carmarthen Library . The publication of these volumes has played a crucial role in ensuring the survival of Welsh as a living language over the last 400 years. Local residents and visitors to Carmarthen library will be able to view an exhibition which tells the story and traces the history of the Welsh Bible from the year 1567 to 1806. What many regard as a highlight is a first edition of the William Morgan Bible, published in 1588 and presented to Queen Elizabeth 1st. Morgan was a brilliant scholar who translated directly from the Hebrew and Greek originals. He gave the people of Wales a translation in their own tongue marked by a richness and breadth of vocabulary and a poetry which represents the language in its most elevated form. Where other Celtic languages fell into disuse, Welsh congregations had the benefit of listening week by week to majes...

Llanelly House is due to open this Autumn after undergoing a £6.5 million restoration of the early 18th century Georgian house. It will feature Welsh national treasures such as the Stepney Armorial Dinner Service, a painting of Sir John Stepney by Sir Joshua Reynolds and rare grisaille artwork interior. There will be a projection of the time lapse footage of the restoration and refurbished historic interiors, and guided tours to the upper floors will enable the visitor to step back in time and come face-to-face with past residents -maybe even experience Mira Turner's ghostly presence. Llanelly House Cafe will offer visitors a taste of the past with a modern twist. The driving force behind the project is Carmarthenshire Heritage Regeneration Trust. The Trust has worked closely with Carmarthenshire County Council and with their support has achieved great success in the renovation of Llanelly House. The Grade One listed Georgian town house is the last of the Big 5 pro...

Saturday, August 24, will see the official opening of the Henllanfallteg Community Association and Llanfallteg History Society’s new project at the Millennium Hall in Llanfallteg. The project began in 2011 when the groups commissioned a replica of the Vortipore Stone, an ancient inscribed stone memorial to Vortipore, an early ruler of the area. This is now sited in front of the Millennium Hall in the village, with the original monument displayed in Carmarthen Museum. The Vortipore Project will unveil an interpretive board detailing the history of the stone and includes three new trails with marker posts that explore the heritage, flora and fauna of the local area. Both the board and marker posts contain QR Codes that can be scanned with a smart phone for interactive access to additional information and the community website: www.llanfallteg.org Bilingual leaflets with maps, illustrations, photographs and information have also been produced and it is hoped that more trai...

A major new Scarlets heritage project has been given the go-ahead with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund to inspire new generations in rugby and local history. The Scarlets have been awarded a £100,000 grant for a unique heritage trail that will celebrate Llanelli and its rugby club’s great history with the aim of inspiring young people to find out more about the rich culture and sporting legacy of the region. The Scarlets have been supported in their plans and bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) in a joint collaboration with Llanelli RFC, the former players association and Crys16, the Scarlets’ Supporters Trust along with support from stadium partners, Carmarthenshire County Council. The focus of the new heritage trail project based at Parc Y Scarlets is to inspire, safeguard and promote the great heritage and history of Scarlets rugby and its intrinsic links with Llanelli and people across the county. The trail will promote awareness of the link between local history and L...

Story of our nation unveiled in epic series | This is South Wales A major new television series covering 30,000 years of Welsh history is starting close to home — on Gower. The series — The Story of Wales — uses dramatic reconstructions, computer generated graphics, and location filming, to tell the story of the country and its people through the centuries.

A deadly famine that struck England during the 14th century, killing upwards of half a million people in less than three years, will be the focus of a major new study by Aberystwyth University historian Professor Phillipp Schofield.  Professor Schofield, Head of the Department of History and Welsh History, has been awarded a Leverhulme Major Research Fellowship worth £140,507 which will run for three years from September 2012. The study will culminate with the publication of a book on “The Great Famine. Dearth and society in medieval England c.1300”. “Despite being northern Europe's most extensive famine event of the last millennium, relatively little has been written on it,” said Professor Schofield. "This work will not only bring us closer to an understanding of an event that may, on current estimates, have killed upwards of half a million people - out of a total population in England circa 1300 of around 5 million - in less than three years but will also draw to wide...

Shootings, riots and gang warfare - Carmarthen’s colourful history goes on show - Wales News - News - WalesOnline With tales of shootings, riots and bitter gang warfare, a new exhibition has prompted comparisons between an 18th century Welsh town and Chicago’s Mafia-plagued 1920s. Threats were even made to tear out the hearts of councillors in Carmarthen, documents on show at the County Museum in nearby Abergwili today show. http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2011/12/23/shootings-riots-and-gang-warfare-carmarthen-s-colourful-history-goes-on-show-91466-30000312/

Historical treasures dating back centuries are on show at Carmarthenshire’s County Museum. They include mugshots of prisoners from the old Carmarthen gaol; Sir Robert Mansel fighting pirates; the first edition of the Carmarthen Journal, the Laugharne Charter giving them township status; a fishing grant given to Kidwelly in 1313, a recipe book from 1685 and a letter from Nelson. They are among the Carmarthenshire archives accumulated since the 16th Century which now cover nearly two miles of shelves in three strong rooms, holding documents which cover such diverse areas as landed estates, industries, businesses, church, chapel, education, roads, railways, canals, local societies and much more. The exhibition, which will be held at the Museum in Abergwili, from this month until January, will show some of the records held dating from the 13th to the 20th Century. There has been a record office in Carmarthen since at least the 16th century, when the Quarter Sessions was set up after the A...

Anyone who ever wanted to be a stone age hunter or to find out how prehistoric people made survival tools should head for Carmarthenshire County Museum. An archaeology day is taking place at the museum in Abergwili on Saturday, July 16, from 11am to 4.30pm. Karl Lee of Primitive Technology UK will give visitors a flint-knapping demonstration in the morning, followed by afternoon workshops. Workshop places are open to all but places are limited, so advance booking is recommended. Whatever items people make, they can take home. A range of other activities will also be provided, including the popular mini-dig for children and stone carving. For adults, there are talks by Dr. Matthew Stevens and Dr Rhianydd Biebrach from Swansea University’s History Department on town culture in 14th Century Wales and effigies in medieval churches. All the events are free, children must be accompanied at all times, and old clothes and sensible shoes are recommended for those who want to take part in the di...

There are probably only a handful of people left who could use the Max Boyce quote, “I was there!” But readers will still be interested in these memories of the 1926 match between the Llanelli Scarlets and the New Zealand Maoris. The memories are stirred by the discovery of two pieces of memorabilia – a postcard photo signed by the then Llanelli captain, Ivor Jones, and the menu card from the after-match banquet held at The Stepney Hotel (now sadly demolished) in Llanelli town centre. The 1926-27 touring side, captained by Walter Barclay (a holder of the Military Medal) is still considered by rugby historians to be the best ever Maori team. In a seven-month tour which took place in Australia, Ceylon, France, Wales and Canada, the side played 38 matches, winning 29, losing seven and drawing two. The achievements were all the more remarkable when it is considered that the legendary full-back George Nepia was left at home after missing the boat from Wellington! The match against Llanelli ...