58237_Brycheiniog_Vol_40:44036_Brycheiniog_2005 28/4/16 08:07 Page 1 BRYCHEINIOG CYFROL/VOLUME XL 2009 Golygydd/Editor BRYNACH PARRI Cyhoeddwyr/Publishers CYMDEITHAS BRYCHEINIOG A CHYFEILLION YR AMGUEDDFA THE BRECKNOCK SOCIETY AND MUSEUM FRIENDS 58237_Brycheiniog_Vol_40:44036_Brycheiniog_2005 28/4/16 08:07 Page 2 CYMDEITHAS BRYCHEINIOG a CHYFEILLION YR AMGUEDDFA THE BRECKNOCK SOCIETY and MUSEUM FRIENDS SWYDDOGION/OFFICERS Llywydd/President Mr K. Jones Cadeirydd/Chairman Mr J. Gibbs Ysgrifennydd Anrhydeddus/Honorary Secretary Miss H. Gichard Aelodaeth/Membership Mrs S. Fawcett-Gandy Trysorydd/Treasurer Mr A. J. Bell Archwilydd/Auditor Mrs W. Camp Golygydd/Editor Mr Brynach Parri Golygydd Cynorthwyol/Assistant Editor Mr P. W. Jenkins Curadur Amgueddfa Brycheiniog/Curator of the Brecknock Museum Mr N. Blackamoor Ôl-rifynnau/Back numbers Mr Peter Jenkins Erthyglau a llyfrau am olygiaeth/Articles and books for review Mr Brynach Parri Pob Gohebiaeth: All Correspondence: Cymdeithas Brycheiniog, Brecknock Society, Amgueddfa Brycheiniog, Brecknock Museum, Rhodfa’r Capten, Captain’s Walk, Aberhonddu, Brecon, Powys LD3 Powys LD3 © Oni nodir fel arall, Cymdeithas Brycheiniog a Chyfeillion yr Amgueddfa piau hawlfraint yr erthyglau yn y rhifyn hwn © Except where otherwise noted, copyright of material published in this issue is vested in the Brecknock Society & Museum Friends 58237_Brycheiniog_Vol_40:44036_Brycheiniog_2005 28/4/16 08:07 Page 3 CYNNWYS/CONTENTS Swyddogion/Officers 2 Cyfrannwyr/Contributors 5 Golygyddol/Editorial 6 Adroddiadau/Reports: Royal Regiment of Wales Museum, Brecon 9 Archifau Powys Archives 11 Brecknock Museum and Art Gallery 16 Rhetoric, Radical Politics and Rainfall: John Thelwall in Breconshire, 1797–1800 Professor Penelope Corfield 17 Crickhowell 1851–1901: continuity and change in the small Welsh market town Robert Gant 37 The Widows of Llanfihangel Paul Henry 59 Llyn y Fan Fach Wil Dyfan Atgofion Bachgen o’r Wlad Handel Jones 61 Mapping a landscape in the throes of change Alan Bowring 65 Camden Road, Brecon – 1868–1937 Anthony Bell 83 Brecknock Overseas M. Morse/Ed. 125 Brycheiniog and Letavia, Llydaw and Brittany Brynach Parri 127 Arolygiadau/Reviews 139 58237_Brycheiniog_Vol_40:44036_Brycheiniog_2005 28/4/16 08:07 Page 4 58237_Brycheiniog_Vol_40:44036_Brycheiniog_2005 28/4/16 08:07 Page 5 CYFRANNWYR/CONTRIBUTORS Penelope J. Corfield is Professor of History at Royal Holloway, University of London, and (2008/9) a Visiting Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford. She delivered the 11th Sir John Lloyd Memorial Lecture at the Guildhall, Brecon, in March 2008, which forms the basis of her article on Thelwall in this edition. Robert Gant hails from Crickhowell, and is a former pupil of Brecon Boys’ Grammar School. He is now a semi retired lecturer at the School of Earth Sciences and Geography at the Polytechnic of Kingston upon Thames, and is researching the social history of small Welsh market towns in the nineteenth century. He has previously contributed an article on the Townscape of Brecon (Brycheiniog XVI). Alan Bowring, as Geopark Development Officer with the Brecon Beacons National Park, is closely involved in the development of the Fforest Fawr Geopark. Brynach Parri is a native of Brecon, and, after a career in teaching and translation, returned to the county some fourteen years ago. His particular interest is the early history of the kingdom of Brycheiniog. Anthony Bell, whose background is in education, is the Treasurer of the Brecknock Society, and has researched the history of the Camden family and their estates in Breconshire and the development of Camden Road, where he now lives. M. Morse is a Board Member of the Brecknock Hall Society, Inc., and the notes on the history of Brecknock Hall are based on her research in collaboration with Wayland Jefferson, Southold Town Historian, and Lili Ann Motta, one time Secretary of the Society. Handel Jones: Ar ôl gadael yr ysgol ym 1962, bu Handel yn newyddiadurwr dan hyfforddiant yng Nghaerfyrddin cyn ymuno â’r BBC yng Nghaerdydd. Ym 1979, daeth yn newyddiadurwr a darlledwr ar ei liwt ei hun, gan arbenigo mewn materion gwledig a byd natur. Oddi ar 1983, mae’n byw ar dyddyn yn Rhandir- mwyn, Sir Gaerfyrddin, lle mae’n gyfieithydd llawn-amser erbyn hyn. A translation of the above is available on http://www.brecknocksociety.co.uk 58237_Brycheiniog_Vol_40:44036_Brycheiniog_2005 28/4/16 08:07 Page 6 GOLYGYDDOL Cafwyd cryn newidadau i’n cylchgrawn, Brycheiniog, ers i’r gyfrol flaenorol ymddangos, nid lleiaf gan i’r golygydd newid. Yn dilyn cyfnod hir a chlodwiw o wasanaeth fel Golygydd, mae Edward Parry wedi ymddeol ar ôl cwblhau ei ddeunawfed gyfrol, gan gyfrannu’n ddirfawr tuag at gadarnhau lle anrhydeddus y cyfnodolyn fel un o’r cylchgronau hanes leol mwyaf llwyddiannus a haedd- iannol yng Nghymru, yn ôl awdurdod dim llai na’r Athro Dr John Davies. Yn rhinwedd fy swydd fel Golygydd newydd, byddaf yn ymdrechu i gynnal safonnau fy rhagflaenwyr dros y hanner can mlynedd a mwy o fodolaeth y cyfnodolyn. Mae Brycheiniog wedi ymuno â chynllun digideiddio holl gyfnodolion hanesyddol ac enwadol Cymru a chyn hir bydd ar gael ar-lein ar wefan ein Llyfrgell Genedlathol. Ein gobaith yw y bydd y cynllun hwn, sydd ddim heb ei feirniaid, yn dod â’n cyhoeddiad at sylw gynulleidfa ehangach – bydd pob erthygl sydd wedi ymddangos yma hyd at bum mlynedd yn ôl ar y wefan, oni benderfynnodd yr awduron i gadw eu hawlfraint. Fel Cymdeithas, mae gennym ninnau hefyd ein gwefan ein hunan, sef http://www.brecknocksociety.co.uk a fydd yn fodd i gyfathrebu’n haws gyda’n haelodau a’r cyhoedd ehangach. Bydd hefyd yn ein gwneud yn fwy hyblyg: bydd yn caniatáu inni gyhoeddi erthyglau yn y Gymraeg unwaith eto, heb y feirniadaeth bod hyn yn annheg i’r Di-Gymraeg, gan y bydd cyfieithiadau i’r Saesneg ar gael ar y wefan, a’n bwriad yn y pendraw yw cyhoeddi ar y wefan cyfieithiadau i’r Saesneg o erthyglau sydd wedi ymddangos yn Gymraeg yn y gorffennol. Cynhwysir dwy gerdd eleni, y naill yn Saesneg, y llall yn Gymraeg, er mwyn ail-sefydlu traddodiad flaenorol Brycheiniog o gyhoeddi barddoniaeth sydd yn adlewyrchu agweddau o’r sir. Cafwyd nifer o newidiadau i’r Gymdeithas ei hunan, wrth i’n Llywydd, y Chwaer Bonaventure Kelleher ymddeol, er ei bod yn parhau fel aelod gweithgar a chefnogol iawn o’r Gymdeithas. Dyrchafwyd Ken Jones, Cadeirydd y Gymdeithas dros nifer o flynyddoedd, i swydd y Llywydd, a’i ddilynydd yn y Gadeiryddiaeth yw Dr. John Gibbs. Dymunwn yn dda i bob swyddog newydd, gan ddiolch i holl aelodau Cyngor y Gymdeithas am eu gwaith a’u cefnogaeth nawr ac yn y gorffennol. Ar ôl cyfnod cythryblus yn hanes yr Amgueddfa, teimlwn y bydd penodiad Curadur newydd, Nigel Blackamoor, yn fodd i’r amgueddfa symud rhagddo unwaith eto i ddyfodol llewyrchus a disglair, yn enwedig yng ngoleuni’r cynlluniau datblygu sydd o flaen Cyngor Sir Powys a Chronfa Dreftadaeth y Loteri. Dymunwn bob llwyddiant i Nigel yn ei swydd newydd. BRYNACH PARRI 58237_Brycheiniog_Vol_40:44036_Brycheiniog_2005 28/4/16 08:07 Page 7 EDITORIAL Brycheiniog has undergone a number of changes since the last Volume appeared, notably with a change of Editor: Edward Parry has retired after a long and distinguished period as editor of eighteen volumes of Brycheiniog, in which he has contributed greatly to the confirmation of the journal as one of the best local history periodicals in Wales, according to no less an authority than Dr John Davies. As new editor, I shall endeavour to live up to the standards of my four predecessors over the fifty-three years of the existence of the Journal. Our Journal is now part of the National Library of Wales scheme for the digitisation of all historical and denominational journals in Wales, and will shortly be available on-line on the National Library’s website. This not uncontroversial development will, we hope, bring our Journal to the notice of a wider readership – all articles which have appeared in Brycheiniog up until five years ago will appear on the website, unless permission has been withheld by the author. As a Society, we also now have our own website http://www.brecknocksociety.co.uk which will enable us to communicate more effectively with our own members as well as with a wider public. It also gives us more linguistic flexibility: readers will note that the items which appear in Welsh in this volume are available in translation on the website, and we aim to place on the site translations into English of other articles that have appeared in Welsh over the years. Two poems, one in Welsh and a second in English, are included in this edition, re-establishing an early tradition of Brycheiniog in publishing poetry regarding the aspects of the county. The Society itself has undergone a number of changes, with the retirement of our President, Sister Bonaventure Kelleher, who nevertheless remains a very supportive and active member of the Society. Ken Jones, for many years Chairman of the Society, has taken over the rôle of President, and is succeeded as Chairman by Dr. John Gibbs. We wish all our new officers well, and would like to thank all members of the Society’s Council past and present for their hard work and support. After a rather unsettled period in the history of the Museum, we feel that the installation of a new Curator, Nigel Blackamoor, will enable the museum to move forward once again to a bright future, especially in view of the development plans currently before Powys County Council and the Heritage Lottery Fund. We wish Nigel every success in his new position. BRYNACH PARRI 58237_Brycheiniog_Vol_40:44036_Brycheiniog_2005 28/4/16 08:07 Page 8 58237_Brycheiniog_Vol_40:44036_Brycheiniog_2005 28/4/16 08:07 Page 9 ADRODDIADAU/REPORTS THE REGIMENTAL MUSEUM OF THE ROYAL WELSH, BRECON (The Royal Regiment of Wales Museum Trust) It is ninety years since the guns fell silent on the Western Front.