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    Wales, A Very Peculiar History
    Wales, A Very Peculiar History
    Wales, A Very Peculiar History
    Ebook174 pages1 hour

    Wales, A Very Peculiar History

    By Rupert Matthews

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    About this ebook

    From the Roman invasion, through tall tales of Merlin and King Arthur, and right up to and beyond the incredible power of the mining industry, 'Wales, A Very Peculiar History' takes a quirky, sideways look at some of the slightly bizarre aspects of the home of welsh rarebit, Maelgwn the Dragon, and Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. Featuring the full gamut of Welsh providence from the coal-mining years to its rebirth in the 1970s, this book tells a tale of ups and downs, of hills and valleys, and of hope and triumph against the odds, with a few leeks thrown in for good measure.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSalariya
    Release dateFeb 24, 2020
    ISBN9781908759221
    Wales, A Very Peculiar History
    Author

    Rupert Matthews

    Rupert Matthews has written over 150 books for different publishers, achieving significant sales in a variety of markets both in the UK and abroad. His works have been translated into 19 languages and have been shortlisted for a number of awards. Rupert has been a freelance writer for 20 years, working in-house at a major book publisher before going freelance.

    Read more from Rupert Matthews

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      Book preview

      Wales, A Very Peculiar History - Rupert Matthews

      Written by Rupert Matthews

      Created and designed by David Salariya

      Illustrated by David Antram and Mark Bergin

      Editor: Stephen Haynes

      Additional artwork: Nick Hewetson, John James, Mark Peppé, Rob Walker

      Published in Great Britain in 2010 by

      Book House, an imprint of

      The Salariya Book Company Ltd

      25 Marlborough Place, Brighton BN1 1UB

      www.salariya.com

      www.book-house.co.uk

      © 2010 The Salariya Book Company Ltd

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system or transmitted in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

      2020 digital version converted and distributed by

      Andrews UK Limited

      www.andrewsuk.com

      WARNING: The Salariya Book Company accepts no responsibility for the historical recipes in this book. They are included only for their historical interest and may not be suitable for modern use.

      To my welsh Granny, Hannah

      RM

      ‘In Wales it is eight different weathers in one day.’

      Actress Piper Perabo

      ‘Growing up in Wales was a pretty Draconian experience with religion.’

      John Cale of The Velvet Underground

      ‘I carry Wales around inside me. I never really left.’

      Singer Sir Tom Jones

      ‘Wales is the land of my fathers – and my fathers can have it.’

      Poet Dylan Thomas

      ‘In Wales it is brilliant!’

      Actress Catherine Zeta Jones

      Ten things to thank the Welsh for

      Leeks  Welsh laws as far back as AD 900 impose penalties on any farmer not growing his leeks in a properly fenced field. Even earlier, around AD 250, the Welsh liked eating cooked leeks sprinkled with vinegar.

      Singing  Other people might warble a tune from time to time, but only the Welsh can really sing. Go to a rugby match and listen.

      Suspension bridges  The world’s first large suspension bridge was built in 1826 to carry the London–Holyhead Road over the Menai Strait between Anglesey and the mainland.

      The Pontypool front row  These three rugby heroes not only formed the front row for Pontypool, but also for Wales and the British Lions. In the 1970s, they won 15 out of 19 international matches. They were Graham Price, Bobby Windsor and Charlie Faulkner. Max Boyce wrote a song about them.

      Beer cans  A method of packaging beer into cans that did not affect the flavour of the precious liquid was pioneered by Felinfoel Brewery at Llanelli in 1935. Thirsty folk everywhere have been grateful ever since.

      Tongue-twister names  Welsh names can bamboozle English speakers. The village of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch on the Isle of Anglesey is more famous for its name than anything else.

      Tide power  Around 1550 a miller at Carew built a corn mill that was powered by a wheel turned by the tide flowing in and out of a narrow-necked pool. It operated for decades, but the idea did not catch on as most millers in Wales lived closer to a windy hill than a tidal pool.

      Accurate artillery  In 1776, at Bersham near Wrexham, John Wilkinson invented a machine that could bore accurate holes in metal. It was used to make precision cannon able to fire shells more accurately than ever before. Not everybody has been grateful for this invention – especially if they were the ones being shot at!

      Airborne radar  In 1940 Edward Bowen of Swansea developed a radar set small enough to fit into an aircraft and powerful enough to detect other aircraft. Aircraft now no longer bump into each other at night.

      Slate  Welsh slate replaced thatch as a roofing material in the 18th century. The rats, mice and birds that used to infest the straw now had nowhere to live, and thus ended many diseases passed on by the creatures to humans.

      Putting Wales on the map

      c.250,000 BC: Oldest human remains in Wales are a tooth belonging to a person who died at Pontnewydd near St Asaph.

      c.3,500 BC: The cromlech of Gwernvale is built to hold the tomb of an early farmer in the Usk Valley.

      c.250 BC: Hillfort built at Llanymynech covers a massive 57 hectares.

      AD 75: The Romans build the great fortress of Chester from which the II Legion Adiutrix patrols and controls northern Wales.

      c.450: The fortress of Dinas Emrys is founded as a stronghold of the Princes of Gwynedd.

      1055: Prince Gruffydd ap Llywelyn of Gwynedd captures and burns Hereford.

      1282: Prince Llywelyn ‘the Last’ is killed at Builth, ending Welsh independence.

      1340: The first recorded coalmine in Wales is in operation at Mostyn.

      1409: Harlech Castle surrenders to Prince Henry, ending the last Welsh revolt against English rule.

      1780: Bersham becomes the largest ironworking region in Europe.

      1819: The Carmarthen Eisteddfod of Iolo Morganwg fixes the modern form of the festival.

      1839: The first public steam railway in Wales opens, from Llanelli to Pontarddulais.

      1966: Carmarthen elects the first ever Member of Parliament from the Plaid Cymru political party.

      1999: The first elected Welsh Assembly meets in Cardiff.

      Some very peculiar facts

      The Welsh are a Celtic people. The Welsh language is closely related to other Celtic languages such as Scots and Irish Gaelic, Cornish, Manx and Breton.

      Although the Welsh were conquered by the Romans, they did not give up their language or culture. The Celtic peoples of what is now England were more thoroughly Romanised and no longer speak a Celtic language.

      When the English (or Anglo-Saxons) invaded Britain, they were unable to subdue the peoples in what has since become Wales.

      The border between England and Wales has varied over the centuries. Traditionally the dividing line between the English and the Welsh was along Offa’s Dyke. It was considered a bit shameful for a Welsh person to be born to the east of the Dyke.

      The county of Monmouthshire was missed out of the Laws in Wales Act of 1542, which stated which areas were part of Wales and which were in England. Nobody was certain to which country it belonged until 1972, when it was made part of Wales.

      In 2007 there were calls for a vote in Monmouthshire to decide if it should be part of England or Wales. The idea was rejected.

      Introduction: What makes Wales special?

      Wales is a fantastically varied country. It has magnificent wild scenery, stunning coastal cliffs and wide, sweeping bays. It also has densely populated industrial towns, closely packed housing and, in places, great heaps of slag and mining waste.

      The country occupies a rugged, mountainous peninsula jutting out from the western side of Great Britain, the largest of the British Isles. Several of the smaller islands off the coast are part of Wales. As we shall see, the character of the country and of the Welsh people has largely been determined by the scenic but harsh landscapes of Wales.

      Wales covers 20,779 square kilometres, stretching 274 km from north to south and 97 form east to west. On the eastern side Wales is bordered by England, and relations have not always been friendly. There is even a great earthwork to keep the Welsh and English apart!

      What’s in a name?

      ‘Wales’ and ‘Welsh’ are both English words, and they are not really very polite. They are derived from the Anglo-Saxon word walh, meaning ‘outsiders’ or ‘that bunch of softies over there’. At first the Welsh called themselves the Brythoniaid, a term embracing all those who spoke the Celtic language that later gave rise to Welsh and Cornish. However, around AD 600 they began to call themselves the Cymry, which means ‘comrades’ or simply ‘us’. The two names were used alongside each other for a long time, but by around 1150 ‘Cymry’ had taken over. It is the term most often used today by the Welsh.

      The sea laps at the other three sides of Wales, and the relationship with the sea has been just as important as the one with England. Long stretches of coastline have been designated as Heritage Coast by the government to preserve its natural splendour from development.

      The north and central areas of Wales are mountainous, with 15 peaks rising to over 3,000 feet (914 metres) – they are known to climbers as ‘The Welsh Three Thousands’. The south is often hilly, but lacks mountains other than the

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