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Blessed Are The Cracked This interconnected collection of five novellas and two short stories from the casebook of retired local policeman Tegwyn Prydderch, is set in the fictional West Wales farming community of Llanefa.

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These are not ''comfortable'' tales and Llanefa is no ''chocolate box'' Welsh village. Author Delphine Richards worked as a cop in rural Wales for a number of years and one can only assume that she brought her experience of real crime and real police work to the pages of this book.

From the prologue we learn that DCI Tegwyn Prydderch has retired from the force and is being urged to while away his retirement years writing his memoirs. Forced to convalesce after a hip replacement operation Tegwyn finally succumbs. As he ponders his old case files he wonders how best to put them to literary use:-

"If only the people themselves could tell the story, he thinks, a ''warts and all'' account of how it all came to be. Now, there would be a book worth buying!"

In each of the tales which follow we are treated to precisely such an account. These stories are not ''whodunnits'' but rather a blow by blow account of events as they occurred, told from the perspective of the victim or perpetrator.

In the opening tale ‘ Donald’s Cat’ , a home help becomes trapped in an abandoned explosives container while searching for a missing cat. Her fear of suffocation and dehydration are graphically described as she battles to preserve her sanity in her pitch black surroundings. She fixates on recent traumatic events and unfinished business that she has left behind outside the metal frame which confines her. Despite this claustrophobic setting the story is a masterful and fast paced thriller with an unexpected twist in it''s tail.

If you are an afficionado of the ''grittier'' school of crime writing then there is much in the pages of Delphine Richards for you to savour. Welcome to the seamier side of life in rural Wales. I for one am looking forward to the next offering from the Welsh Elmore Leonard.

About Delphine Richards

Cambria Books website:- "An experienced writer in several formats from magazine articles, short stories, to a weekly newspaper column, Delphine Richards’s new work draws on her real life experience as a member of the Welsh Police in rural Wales. In these dark tales, she brings to fictional life a new, uniquely Welsh, policeman character, Tegwyn Prydderch, from whose grisly casebook and early memories these stories are drawn."

About The Production

"HUNKY DORY" started with a conversation between director/writer Marc Evans and producer Jon Finn about how tribal the British are about music, "We've got this fantastic pop-cultural life that we don't always celebrate and explore quite as much as the Americans do" explains Evans, "the idea for our high school movie came long before High School Musical and it was pre-Glee".

Producer Jon Finn noted that half of the problem is that there's never enough sunshine in Britain to have the kind of campus life those American high school movies seem to thrive on, until he and Evans started talking about the long hot summer of 1976 in the UK. They also hit upon the fact that 1976 was also a very interesting time when you started to think about it musically, and it was also an era Evans remembered well as he was at high school in Wales at the time.

"I suppose you could say the film's autobiographical for me because it's set in 1976 and that was my last year in high school. I would say it's slightly autobiographical or perhaps therapeutic for everybody who was involved. When you start work on a script like this, everyone recalls their own schooldays. We found a great quote from Cameron Crowe who said "Nothing lasts forever except for high school" and I think he's right, there's something about high school, for better or for worse, whether you had a great time or a bad time it's a period you never forget, and it's very influential on the rest of your life".

Writer Laurence Coriat who co-scripted Hunky Dory with Evans, is French, but she came over to England in 1976 as French teaching assistant and there are elements of her in the French girl who shares a house with drama teacher Viv (Minnie Driver) in the film. "It was this really hot summer and punk music was just starting, and Laurence thought England was this wonderful hot place with punk music!" explains Evans, "that was a freak summer of course but nevertheless she remembered '76 very fondly and very indelibly".

Producer Jon Finn's film production career started over 25 years ago with Working Title Films. He went on to head up the company's low budget film label WT2, and the first project they developed was the critically acclaimed and commercially successful Billy Elliot. After leaving WT2 to pursue his independent producing career, Finn met director Marc Evans and the two first collaborated on the Canadian-shot horror movie My Little Eye. Much of the following six years was taken up with musical stage version of Billy Elliot, "so this is the first film I've done since my last one with Marc, and we started taking about it back on My Little Eye".

Finn teamed up with LA-based producer Dan Lupovitz, to assist with the financing. Finn was able to utilize his experience and contacts from both the Billy Elliott film and stage musical for the whole process of putting Hunky Dory together, "For Billy, we had to find very specific kids who had a very specific skill base" explains Finn, "and we had a similar situation here. So we set up a casting department run by Jessica Ronane, as she constantly goes out and looks for kids for Billy because those kids have to be able to sing, dance and act. For Hunky Dory we wanted completely authentic kids who had to be around a certain age range". Ronane went out on the road and scoured the country, holding workshops and also searched the country for musicians to cover the orchestral work. "It was a long process, but we knew who the characters were and exactly what we needed. Aneurin Barnard we found quite quickly for Davy, and Danielle Branch to play Stella we found quite quickly as well, though finding Tom Harries for Evan took a lot longer."

"The south Wales area has produced so many amazing actors, especially around Port Talbot" explains Finn, "the last person to come out of there was Michael Sheen, and the first was probably Richard Burton. We got most of our kids from the Royal Welsh College in Cardiff which has produced this amazing crop of kids over the last couple of years. The college was incredibly supportive- both Aneurin and Danielle were there, and Tom (Harries) is just finishing and will graduate this year. South Wales seems to be slightly on fire with creativity right now."

To make the project really authentic, the production's agenda was to make everything live. As producer Dan Lupovitz explains, "we didn't want people lip-synching, so it's not just about the singing but also the playing. We constructed a forty-piece youth orchestra of high school kids playing and a chorus of twenty-six kids singing the choral parts. Joby
Talbot composed the score and Jeremy Holland-Smith arranged the music to be suitable for a high school orchestra as well as being suitable for the songs that they were arranging. So musically, we ended up with an incredibly unique blend of adolescent innocence and these very hip rock 'n' roll songs."

With such a heavily music-led project, one of the major challenges was getting clearances and permissions to use certain tracks from the 1970s. As producer Jon Finn recalls, "the permissions were really tricky and they took such a long time. David Bowie was quite quick in coming back, but we wanted to do Lou Reed's 'Venus in Furs' for this whole opening and I spent a year trying to clear those rights. In the end we just couldn't get them so we had to change the opening of the film, but that was the only one we were really defeated on."

Trying to recreate the hottest summer on record for over thirty years in Wales during the less than sweltering summer of 2010 was certainly a challenge for the production. "The schedule was insane and the pressure was on everybody and on the budget because of the weather, which kept changing so much, so the shooting schedule changed every day. Working with Marc at that point was like working with a slightly demented farmer!" laughs Finn. "I'd go and pick him up in the morning, he'd step out, and he'd go, 'the weather's going to be fine today!'. And it never was, it always rained and no matter whatever little homily he came up with about the color of the sky, it was bollocks, and it rained every day... sometimes twice a day. So, we just kept dropping scenes and rescheduling constantly. Everybody was very enthusiastic about standing in the sun, the little bit there was. There are a couple of scenes that take place in the sun that were actually shot in the pouring rain, and our director of photography Charlotte did an amazing job because I don't think you can tell!"

"The other thing about the look of the film is all to do with Marc's strengths" notes Finn. "When Marc was younger he wanted to be a painter so he approached the film from a very visual perspective- he didn't want to do any color grading in post. He wanted to set the tones the way they did in the 1970s and for that reason, we used two filters throughout, one was an antiques way and one was a low contrast filter, so it would blow the whites out slightly and saturate the oranges and make it warm. That look was planned from the start."

One of the most important locations was the lido (ed.: "lido" = a public swimming pool and surrounding facilities), because that was often ground zero for typical 70s teenage life. The opening scene that takes place there was one of the biggest challenges of all, as Finn explains: "the lido scene is at the opening of the film. The lido where we filmed was the last lido that still exists in south Wales... we found it the year before. But two weeks before filming, they closed it down because of health and safety. They drained the entire pool of something close to a million liters of water. So our location disappeared two weeks before, and we had to scramble like hell to get the location back in time. This meant meeting the local councils, as that lido was built by miners on the top of a mountain and is only used by the local community. Because it was drained, we had to try and fill the pool up, so we spoke with the water authority who told us we'd have to fill it at night because the local village would be short of water pressure otherwise."

Things went from bad to worse, as Finn recalls, "we discovered they normally fill it from the river, so we tried that but were told we needed a license so had to call a halt." Committed to filming there, production resorted to asking the local fire service to calculate how much water it would take to fill it, so they could bring huge containers of water in on trucks. To Finn's horror, it turned out that the firemen got their calculations wrong and he got a call in the middle of the night to say the pool was only half-full and they'd run out of time- and filming was scheduled for the next morning! "So, in the film, the pool's only half full of water. Every time they jump in, it's a six foot drop before you hit the water!"

The joys of filmmaking...

Nadolig Llawen

Many thanks to John Good for the following list of Welsh Christmas words and phrases. John wishes it to be known that the list reproduced below is something that he found on the internet thousands of years ago and since he can no longer remember where, he is unable to attribute it. Check out John's recording of the pronunciations in the sound file embedded below. While you're here check out John's other excellent musical and lyrical contributions to the site. You will find his AmeriCymru profile page here: John Good on AmeriCymru

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Nadolig  - Christmas n.m.

Nadolig Llawen a Blwyddyn Newydd Dda - Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Nadolig llawen - Merry Christmas

Noswyl Nadolig - Christmas Eve

adeg y Nadolig - Christmas time , Yule-tide , at Christmas

bwrw'r Nadolig - to spend Christmas

carden Nadolig - Christmas card

carol Nadolig - Christmas carol

dydd Nadolig - Christmas -day

goleuadau Nadolig - Christmas illuminations

mae'r Nadolig ar ein gwarthaf - Christmas is just around the corner

mae'r anrhegion i gyd dan y goeden Nadolig - all the presents are under the Christmas tree

nos Nadolig - Christmas Eve

o gwmpas y Nadolig - about Christmas time

rhodd Nadolig - Christmas present

Siôn Corn - Santa Claus

corn simne - chimney

Blwyddyn o eira, blwyddyn o lawndra - A year of snow, a year of plenty

Chwedl a gynydda fel caseg eira - A tale increases like a rolling snowball

Mor wyn â'r eira - As white as snow

aderyn yr eira - starling n.

blodyn eira - snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis)

bwrw eira - to snow

cwymp eira - avalanche

disgwylir eira trwm yn y gogledd heno - heavy snow is expected in the north tonight

mae eira ar y ffordd - medden nhw - there's snow on the way - so they say

mae'n bwrw eira - it's snowing

pêl eira - snowball

anrheg - present n.f. (anrhegion) , gift n.f. (anrhegion) , gratuity n.f. (anrhegion)

anrhegu - to present v. anrheg- , to give v. anrheg- , to bestow v. anrheg-

dyma anrheg ddelfrydol i'r plant - here's an ideal present for the children

mae'r anrhegion i gyd dan y goeden Nadolig - all the presents are under the Christmas tree

Iesu - Jesus n.m.f.

eglwys - church n.f.

service - oedfa n.f. (oedfaon)

carol plygain - matin song

plygain - cock-crow n.m. (plygeiniau) , matins n.m. (plygeiniau) , dawn n.m. (plygeiniau)

carol Nadolig - Christmas carol

Yule-tide - adeg y Nadolig

gwyl - holiday n.m.f. (gwyliau) , festival n.m.f. (gwyliau) , feast n.m.f. (gwyliau)

gwyliau - holidays n. , vacation n.

Tawel Nos

Tawel nos dros y byd,
Sanctaidd nos gylch y crud;
Gwylion dirion yr oedd addfwyn ddau,
Faban Duw gydar llygaid bach cau,
Iesu Twysog ein hedd.

Sanctaidd nos gydai ser;
Mante ll fwyn,cariad per
Mintair bugail yn dod i fwynhau
Baban Duw gydar llygaid bach cau,
Iesu Twysog ein hedd.

Tawel nos, Duw ei Hun
Ar y llawr gyda dyn;
Cerddir engyl, ar Nen trugarhau;
Baban Duw gydar llygaid bach cau,
Iesu,Twysog ein hedd.

Mae Llaw y Gaeaf (Jenkin Morgan Edwards, 1933)

Mae llaw y gaeaf oer
Yn cloi pob nant a llyn,
A bysedd bach y coed
I gyd mewn menyg gwyn;
Ar adar wrth y drws
Yn printior eiran dlws.

Nid oes mewn llwyn na gardd
Un nodyn bach o gan,
A saif y coed yn syth
Mewn gwisg o berlau glan;
Daw dawns yr haul cyn hir
Iw troi yn arian clir.

Caraf y gaeaf byth,
Er oernii awel fain,
Am ddod a gynau gwyn
Ir coed ar llwyni drain;
Ar adar wrth y drws
Yn printior eiran dlws.

AmeriCymru: Hi Lawrence and many thanks for agreeing to be interviewed by AmeriCymru. When did you first become interested in boxing and in particular Welsh boxing?

Lawrence: Hi Ceri, great to hear from you, its a real pleasure to be asked. I guess like most boxing fans I have fond memories from tuning in and watching fights sitting on the rug next to my dad as a kid, who has always enjoyed the boxing. Saturdays it was always wrestling on ITV in the afternoon and a fight in the evening, maybe a bit of Fit Finlay or Kendo Nagasaki after lunch followed by some Bruno, Benn, Eubank or Tyson with a bag of Frazzles. Happy days !

I grew up in Cardiff, where everyone knows the name of Jim Driscoll, even if they arent familiar with his story. They called him Peerless Jim for his boxing skill, but it was really his kindness and charity that cemented his name in Welsh sporting history. He was the first British boxer to win the Lonsdale featherweight title belt and gave up the opportunity to fight for the championship of the world in the US as he had given his word he would fight on a fundraiser for the Nazareth House Orphanage in Cardiff and returned home. It has been estimated that up to 100,000 people lined the streets of Cardiff when he died, which would make it the largest funeral in Welsh history.

The orphans of Nazareth House made up a large number of the mourners, and there were countless famous hard men of the ring weeping among them, friends and opponents alike. It struck me as the strangest contrast, that a man who spent his life in one of the toughest professions there is had such a kind heart when it came to his own people. He gave a lot of money to the poor and needy, and boxed thousands of rounds to raise funds for those less fortunate than himself. He became a true peoples champion in Cardiff, and was one of the most admired champions in British boxing, as much for his actions outside the ring as within it. I think he must have been a remarkable man, and like all the greatest boxing stories, Jims story really transcends the sport. Inspirational and heroic in a way I think we rarely glimpse in boxing today. There is a statue to Jim and his achievements in Cardiff city centre.

(Click the image below for video footage of Peerless Jim Driscoll's funeral: Ed)

As I got older I followed the careers of local boxing stars made good like Steve Robinson and Joe Calzaghe. Steve followed in Driscolls footsteps and became featherweight champion, and obviously Joe will long be remembered after retiring undefeated. One of my fondest memories was being at ringside years ago for the Calzaghe Brewer fight. I was working in a warehouse at the time, and I was probably living off beans on toast for a month afterwards, but it was a hell of a battle and worth every last depressing baked bean.

Over the years I read quite a bit about the first boxing greats to come out of Wales. What was fascinating to me was that all of their stories are so intriguing in their own right, and I was surprised to find that so many of the early Welsh fighters had been forgotten. Even more interesting to me that their careers started at the end of an earlier fighting tradition, where the fist fighters had been known as mountain fighters, before modern boxing had really taken off in Wales. Fist-fighting or prize fighting was illegal, so most fights happened outside the reach of the law, on the mountains above the towns of the South Wales valleys and were scheduled to start at dawn to avoid the police, in areas called bloody spots or blood hollows where they did battle with the raw uns, meaning that these were all bare-knuckle battles. Although it was an underground sport, it was incredibly popular even though its brutality meant that many of the men died on the mountains due to their injuries, every town and village had its local champ. A fight continued until a man was knocked unconscious or was unable to continue. As the fights could often go on for hours and there were unlimited numbers of rounds that only stopped when a man went down, the men that fought were often left hideously disfigured. Broken teeth and smashed up faces became the badge of the mountain fighters. In a sense they were almost like unarmed gladiators of early Welsh boxing.

In a strange twist, the boxing rules on which modern boxing were based had been drafted in 1865, and were also written by a Welshman from Llanelli, named John Graham Chambers. The rules were named after his friend, the Marquess of Queensberry, in an attempt to lend a degree of respectability to the sport and also distance boxing from the horrors of the old prize-ring and showcase scientific boxing skill as opposed to a bloody mauling. The new rules didnt automatically take hold in Wales, as the knuckles were the time honoured way of settling disputes, although a few early showmen were promoting contests wearing gloves. Boxing booths, little more than travelling tents with a string of boxers demonstrated their skills on fairgrounds and accepted challenges from the audience. If they were skillful or lucky enough to last a set number of rounds they could claim the showmans cash prize.

The showman would charge a fee for entry, and some did particularly well out of the trade and became celebrities in their own right, people like William Samuels and Patsy Perkins. Many of the knuckle men were quite resentful of the booth boxers and would often turn up on the fairground to try and further their reputations by mauling and battering them.

Despite this, the booth was a very effective training school for boxers. Many would say that there hasnt been a better system for making boxing champions since. Most of them fought multiple times each showing, so by the time they might be termed professional boxers, they might have met hundreds of opponents. In Wales the booths did a roaring trade, and virtually all the old British champions came out of them. I find it astonishing that the first three Lonsdale belt winners were all Welsh, two had come via the booths, and all were competing in a sport where the modern game had developed on rules had also been drawn up by a Welshman. One of the longest running booths was Ron Taylors, which was actually still touring the country until just a few years ago.

Although I came across a couple of notorious characters of this time that had been mentioned in passing in romanticized works of historical fiction, I found very little solid documentary information about them. It seemed to be a very interesting period in Welsh history that was mostly forgotten or merely alluded to, so I decided to look into it myself.

AmeriCymru: What inspired you to write 'Mountain Fighters - Lost Tales Of Welsh Boxing'?

Lawrence: As a teenager Id occasionally drop in for a pint at the Royal Oak in Newport Road if they had a decent band on. The great guitarist Tich Gwilym used to play there back in the day. It was stuffed with photos and pictures of Jim Driscoll back then and Id have a look over them while nursing a pint. Jim was instantly recognizable, and all the others in the pictures were a mostly unnamed or unknown clump of tough looking old bruisers with squashed noses and cauliflower ears. It struck me that in boxing, the greatest part of the story is often forgotten. We remember the champion, and not necessarily the men that he beat to get there. If Driscoll and Jimmy Wilde and all the others had become champions, who did they beat? I thought there must have been some fairly established fighters knocking about to have even paved the way. I figured that some of their stories should be remembered. I didnt get round to it straight off, but the thought remained.

My family are from Merthyr and my uncle once met the immortal Jimmy Wilde, who is usually recorded as having been born in Tylorstown, but was actually born near Merthyr at Quakers Yard. He became flyweight champion of the world in 1916. Wilde fought hundreds of times, frequently giving away stones in weight. He remains one of the greatest marvels in boxing. Apparently, even Jimmy used to sit agog hearing the tales of his mountain fighting father-in-law Dai Davies of Tylorstown, who wasnt adverse to a bare knuckle fight for hours on end, probably more often than not for a jug of ale as a prize. Unbelievable. Today theres not many people outside boxing circles that even remember Jimmys name, which is something bordering on sacrilege. Sadly there is no statue to him in Wales, though I do remember he was at least languishing at a fairly low number in the 100 greatest Welshmen lists a few years back. Id have put him in the top ten. Jimmys tale is one of the most wonderful boxing stories there is.

Years ago I met a fragile old boy at a bus stop and talk got round to boxing. When we picked over some of the best, I mentioned Jimmy Wilde and he got a strange gleam in his eye and minutes later he was shuffling about telling me of how his grandfather had seen him fight in his youth, magic, boy, pure bloody magic he said, remembering his grandfathers story, and started demonstrating a few shaky punches. It was like hed dropped sixty years and was a boy again. There really is something special about boxing that ignites a fire in Welshmen that I dont think you see in any other sport, not even rugby.

I studied English and Anglo Saxon heroic literature at the University of Wales, which really made me think about boxing again a few years later. The emergence of a hero who rises against all odds is a central re-occurring theme in most folk literature. As a child I was fascinated with the stories of Greek mythology. Strength and courage are almost universally admired and usually form the main defining characteristics of a hero. It seemed to me that many of these early fighters became symbols of triumph to their countrymen for having found a way to rise above the fate that most were forced to endure.

Personally, I have always admired fighters over most athletes and sportsmen because to fight requires absolute mastery of the will. The training would be enough to level most of us. Strength and courage are not enough, while you need physical strength and stamina on a level beyond what is required in virtually any other sport, you also need an impossibly fast brain. To deal with evading blows, while trying to plant them on an opponent inside fractions of seconds is a bit like patting your head and rubbing your stomach while jogging backwards. That a boxer walks into a ring knowing that he is facing an opponent completely alone takes unbelievable self belief. Its not something that just anyone can do, let alone do well.

AmeriCymru: You have resurrected a colourful and fascinating cast of characters for a modern audience. People like William Samuels and Redmond Coleman were both working class heroes (and villains) in their day. Do you have a personal favourite?

Lawrence: Thats a really hard question, because hunting down information on some of them has been such a long and involved process. Some have grown from little more than a list of names. The characters and stories of some fighters only emerged over quite a long period of time, while many of the lesser names are more like blank canvases. Even now I have a list of fighters which I never really discovered any more about other than a name. Some still gnaw at me a little bit, one was called the Lasher which I think is a superb ring name; I just wish I knew how the Lasher earned it.

William Samuels of Swansea would probably win by a nose because you couldnt invent a character like him, and Im glad to have had the pleasure of uncovering and recording some part of his remarkable career. He was an acrobat, a strongman, and a circus performer before starting his boxing booth, and claimed the bare knuckle heavyweight championship of Wales for donkeys years. He once beat down a man who was thought to be one of the best fighters in South Wales when he was past fifty years old with one arm, after having broken the other on his opponents body. Samuels knocked them down in fairground boxing booths where hed take on all comers in towns and villages all over South Wales for twenty years and more. One of his stunts was to take on six challengers at a time, one after another. He also had the temerity to walk into a circus cage full of lions and shoot starting pistols in their faces and somehow emerged unscratched, and had enough courage to square up to John L Sullivan, the bare-knuckle champion of the world.

Samuels had a terrible temper, and fell out with almost every other Welsh boxer of his time, and became something of a celebrity in old Swansea town. I was researching him for a long time before I actually turned up a photograph of him, which was a very exciting moment, and I was pleased to see he looked just as proud and haughty as I hoped he would be. William Samuels was the first real boxing showman of any real note in South Wales. I admire his grit, and get a kick out of his contradictory nature. They say he was always laughing, good spirited, always had a penny or a peppermint to give to a child, yet he could easily blow his stack in the blink of an eye and be rolling up his sleeves moments later. He sounds like a handful, but was a man who I dont think youd forget too easily. The stories of Samuels time read quite like the film Gangs of New York, just with bare fists or gloves rather than shillelaghs or stilettos. There should really be a pub named after him in Swansea.

Redmond Coleman has always been a fascination of mine, partly because he inspired admiration and terror in almost equal measure. Redmond was locked up by the police over 120 times; hed fight anyone, anywhere, and seems to have earned his nickname of the Ironman through his willingness to fight outside the ring as well as within it. They say the only people that could keep him in line were his sister (with the aid of an iron bar she carried to beat him into line) and the local priest, who carried a stick to threaten him with one. Still, for all that he was a very hard man. Some people had suggested to me that a man like Redmond shouldnt be remembered at all, which I think is completely wrong. He was a product of the hardness of his time, where the majority slaved for a pittance and lived in abject poverty with a gloomy future stretching out before them. Redmond might have started battling on the mountainsides bare-knuckle, and with the Merthyr police force, but he also fought with gloves before Lords at the National Sporting Club in London. He was also one of the first to put his hometown of Merthyr on the map as a fighting town.

I think that being known as one of the toughest fighters around, he was targeted by a fair collection of local toughs eager to claim they had beaten the famous Ironman. He also suffers from having been recorded in works of fiction as having been the Emperor of China which was a notorious slum area of Merthyr, which is historically incorrect. Amongst the thugs, thieves, prostitutes and career criminals of China, the toughest man in the district was given the title of Emperor which would put Redmond at the top of the tree of a whole community of undesirables. In reality, China had been in decline even before Redmonds time, and he never was the Emperor of China. I think his notoriety led to his story being rolled into that of an earlier Merthyr hardman, John Jones, better known as Shoni Sguborfawr, who became notorious for his role in the Rebecca Riots, and was a much earlier Emperor of China. Redmond did serve in WW1 and appeared on a number of benefit events for Nazareth House, so he cant have been all bad.

One of the most likeable fighters in the book is probably Morgan Crowther of Newport, who I knew virtually nothing about when I began writing. He started fighting almost before he had grown out of short trousers. Although he was a small guy and didnt really have much of a telling punch, he was phenomenally durable. Morgan Crowther would think nothing of a forty round match and come up smiling. He is recorded as being a very likable and affable sort of chap, so won a lot of friends that didnt even realize he was a boxer as he didnt seem to fit the profile of a knuckle fighter. He travelled extensively to fight throughout Wales and England, and fought everywhere from a churchyard in the dead of night in Wales, through to meadows in England, racecourses, and fairgrounds as well as high end gentlemans clubs. He was an absolute pain in the neck for police forces throughout the land, who hid behind railway station walls and hedges everywhere hoping to capture him. He even got a mention in the House of Commons he became so notorious. Morgan was something of a lovable scoundrel, and was the toast of Wales among the public, probably all the more so for being hauled before the courts on a regular basis and carrying on regardless.

Having spent so much time puzzling over so many records, and trying to find pieces of information to build the story of each fighter for so long, I have to say I have a great deal of affection for all of them even some of the undesirables. Some continue to niggle away at me, because I really want to find out more about them. One of these is Robert Dunbar, who claimed the lightweight championship of Wales as well as running his own boxing booth and was a committed enemy of William Samuels. He blew out one of his eyes in a firearm accident, yet continued to fight on with just one eye for many years. I still havent found a picture or a photograph of him. Another old timer which I am very interested in is Dan Pontypridd who turned his back on prize fighting and became a preacher fighting for God rather than prize money. He even burned a belt made of gold that was given to him by his supporters after his conversion. A fascinating character and one of the earliest Welsh prize fighters to be acclaimed nationally outside Wales. I also have a great deal of respect for Ivor Thomas, who was a great fighter and was already approaching the end of his career when Jim Driscoll was the next big thing on his way up. They were friends, but Ivor had been asking him to fight for a long time before, and would always ask Jim, when be us going to have a go?. One of these days, Ivor was the usual answer. Eventually it came to pass and inevitably Driscoll was victorious. Ivors brother, Sam was also very well known, but he preferred to fight on the mountains bare fisted and was a very famous knuckle fighter in the Rhondda.

AmeriCymru: An enormous amount of research must have gone into this. What were your primary sources? Is the information presented in the book (particularly the blow by blow accounts of the many gruelling and brutal encounters between contestants) readily available to the researcher?

Lawrence: At first the book could easily have been a pamphlet. When I began researching I thought I would be able to find enough detail to just write short profiles of each fighter with a potted history of their fights. I had little hope of being able to discover much more, but it seemed pretty dry and boring. Part of the problem is that the Welsh newspapers of the time were heavily influenced by the anti-boxing nonconformist chapel folk. For this reason boxing coverage is pretty sparse in a lot of the Welsh newspapers before the turn of the century. Sometimes youre lucky just to pull up the odd paragraph, hopefully over time they stack up.

Most of the research process is hunting and cross referencing, finding contests, names, or mentions of fights and checking them against other newspapers to try and build more detail. A lot of it is list making, finding names, then trying to find dates of birth and deaths, which make for a good start, and just adding entries as you find them until you have something with a bit of meat on it. It is very time intensive, as sometimes the only thing you can do is work out when someone was active and try and trawl the newspapers. As much as anything it can be a question of working out their movements, and trying to find the various aliases they fought under, as many had pseudonyms to avoid being targeted or captured by the police. Usually you find that a bunch of them might crop up, if there was a fatality or the police captured a gang of them in the act, otherwise coverage can be extremely patchy. Some, like Morgan Crowther and Patsy Perkins got around a lot, so its a case of checking places against last known movements. Its a bit of a rabbit hole; each question you answer usually prompts ten more.

As my entries grew, and characters emerged it gave me enough hope that I might be able to write something that gave more of a flavour of their lives and times. I hadnt even considered that this might be possible when I began.

It is made more difficult because there is no central place where you can go and look at all the regional Welsh newspapers. I ended up going through microfilm in the libraries at Cardiff, Swansea, Pontypridd, Merthyr, and other places to trawl for references. Its pretty hard on the eyes, some older newspapers are in fairly rough shape, and others are only readily available on microfilm. I also travelled to London to look through the nationwide newspapers held by the British Library to follow up on those fighters that were also active outside Wales, such as Dan Pontypridd and Morgan Crowther. Some if not most of the records are far from complete, and only based on which reports could be found. I hope that in time, more information might come to light on some of them.

They do say that the National Library at Aberystwyth is currently engaged in trying to digitize every one of the Welsh 19 ^th century regional newspapers over the next few years, so that they are word searchable online. I think this is an amazing project, and only wish that it had been available to me when writing the book; it would have made a lot of the slog a great deal easier. I am hopeful that it will be a goldmine for any researchers engaged in Welsh history and will unearth a massive amount of information about all aspects of our history that was previously only accessible through long time consuming trawling.

I hope that I might also be able to tick off some of the many unanswered questions and more information on some of the boxers that I have researched, and some of those that have eluded me. Published boxing ring records did not really come into being until a bit later, to find the records of the earlier men you have to keep digging. I have thought it might be an idea to try and gather all the information I can find and compile a sort of mountain fighter ring record book, but I think it would probably be a fairly tough job, so maybe in the future.

It took a solid couple of years to try and find the material and then organize it so that I could fold it into coherent tales. The book probably wouldnt have happened without the enthusiasm of a large number of people; librarians throughout Wales helped me with searches and enquiries along the way, as did the Resolven Historical Society with the story of the Resolven Giant, Dai St. John. A gentleman and boxing historian by the name of Clay Moyle was also kind enough to find a number of documents and fight accounts that I would have struggled to gain access to without his help. Ivor Rees Thomas, the grandson of Ivor Thomas was also very kind in giving me further details and photographs of his grandfather for use in the book.

Really more than anyone I must thank a boxing historian named Harold Alderman from Aylesham in Kent, who received an M.B.E. for services to boxing a few years ago. We wouldnt know a fraction of what we know about many 19 ^th century British boxers if it wasnt for him. For years he has studied and transcribed boxing records by hand, compiling records, and adding to them and redrafting them until they become important historical records in their own right. I have never met anyone that has such an encyclopedic knowledge of any subject to the degree that Harold understands boxing, he is astonishing. I would think over the years he has worked almost round the clock to uncover the records of thousands of fighters and given his records to the descendents of old-time boxers, often without receiving a penny in return for his labour. His work has contributed the backbone of the work for a large number of boxing writers and historians for many years.

In fact, it was Mr. Alderman who compiled the record of Redmond Coleman, which made writing Redmonds tale a great deal easier. One of the great things to come out of the book was that I also tracked down Redmonds unmarked grave in Merthyr. Along with Harold and a number of the Welsh Ex-Boxers Association, we finally put up a marker, which I think was eighty years overdue.

AmeriCymru: Many of these fighters were coalminers or iron-workers. How important was their industrial background in preparing them for prize fighting?

Lawrence: I think it played a massive part in the lives of the early men of the Welsh ring, at the top end there were men who made a fair amount of money out of fighting and spent it just as easily. The majority fought for pennies, so there were very few men who could make enough money to support themselves as full-time fighters. The bulk of the population was employed in the coal and iron industries. There was always an overabundance of work, and so labour was cheap. Workers rights were non-existent, as any one that was deemed a troublemaker was easily sacked and replaced.

Coalminers started their working lives at the age of fourteen after having received a rudimentary education. There were few other opportunities on offer, so the coalmine loomed in their future even before the average pupil left school. Life was tough, hard, and in their working lives, fatalities were an inevitable part of life. It must have hardened the attitudes of the men to death and injury, and I expect most accepted the possibility of their own lives coming to an abrupt end through industrial accidents as a feature of everyday life. As the coal and iron industries grew, it brought men from all over the country and caused some tensions between natives and newcomers. Most of these disagreements were settled in the simplest way, with a fistfight. Many fights occurred in the coalmines themselves, or by an agreement to meet on the mountain.

It really is quite hard to imagine just how much frustration and anger must have built up in the men working at the coalface like beasts of burden, spending most of their lives in the dark. By the time they left the pit, I think it is fairly understandable that for many this daily frustration found an outlet in fist-fighting, drinking or both. As the popularity of the boxing booths grew, it also made financial sense for a man that was handy with his fists to seek an opportunity on the boxing booths. The better fighters might earn more in a few fights through collections and side stakes than they could earn in a number of weeks in the coalmines. For most it was probably a toss-up, spend your days working and possibly dying in the dark of the pit, or fight on the booths above ground and potentially risk the same outcome for more money.

AmeriCymru: The book, at least in part, presents a social history of an important sport that played a key role in the lives of many Welshmen in this period. Would you agree? How important was prize fighting in the lives of the ordinary collier or ironworker ?

Lawrence: That it was so widespread gives some indication of the importance to the Welshmen of the period, literally every town and village appears to have had a local champion. Some fought hundreds of times. Although it was a very brutal sport, against the backdrop of the age, fist fighting was really no worse than many other pastimes. At one time cockpits for cock fighting were a hub of activity in many villages, which is why the word survived after the cockpit disappeared, and is still in use today. Badger baiting and rat killing were common pursuits. Some of the earlier forms of combat led to horrific injuries. Shin-kicking and Lancashire wrestling often left men crippled or worse. Rightly or wrongly, in the eyes of the average collier or ironworker, a fist fight at least represented a fair stand up fight and a means of settling a problem without involving the police.

As an entertainment on the fairground, it was incredibly popular. In the days before the cinematograph and moving pictures, a boxing booth would draw vast crowds. The booths were often beautifully decorated with paintings of famous fighters doing battle, and many showmen incorporated other elements into their shows. Some featured strongmen, musical organs, beautiful girls and snake handlers. Many people saved up every penny they had for the fair, and was one of the most important social events of the calendar. Annual boxing exhibitions were one of the principal ways that Nazareth House raised money to care for the sick and the orphans in Cardiff, but it also raised funds for hospitals, Childrens Welfare Committees, and other charities. During WW1 some of the most famous boxing champions also boxed to raise funds for injured servicemen and the widows of Welsh soldiers killed in the war. Later on, into the 1930s, boxing became even more important in raising money for the soup kitchens, and feeding hungry mouths throughout periods of bitter striking.

AmeriCymru: Where can one purchase 'Mountain Fighters' online?

Lawrence: The best place to get a copy would be gwales.com , which is the website of the Welsh Book Council, who are the main distributors of the book. Some branches of Waterstones bookshops also have copies available or can order them on demand from the Welsh Book Council and there are a few other great independent Welsh bookshops that are also stocking it, including Palas Print in Caernafon ( palasprint.com ) and Browning books ( browningbooks.co.uk ) in Blaenavon. Hopefully, there should be a website in place in the not too distant future to sell the book directly alongside other titles.

AmeriCymru: What are you working on currently? What's next for Lawrence Davies?

Lawrence: Right now Im working on bringing another book into print written by Jimmy Wilde, entitled Hitting and Stopping which is very exciting. In the future I might work on a few extra projects relating to Welsh boxing, Id like to put together a website, maybe showcase a few old fighters, and pull together a few sources, try and develop a bit of interest and make the job of hunting some of this stuff down a little easier. Id quite like to do something on a bunch of the later booth boxers, like Driscoll, Welsh and Wilde and some of the many lesser known ones.

Next year the World Boxing Council Convention is being held in Wales, in Cardiff, and will bring boxing superstars from all over the world to Wales. The WBC were attracted to the capital mainly due to the work of Cardiff Councillor Neil McEvoy in promoting the colourful boxing history of Wales. I think that Welsh boxing history is a really great selling point for tourism, and hope that it will tempt boxing fans round the world to come and visit. Ideally Id love to see all the strands of boxing history and knowledge pulled under one roof in a Welsh Boxing Hall of Fame. Jim Driscoll, Freddie Welsh, Jimmy Wilde and even John Graham Chambers are all inductees of the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York, which is visited by thousands every year. I think a Welsh version would raise the profile of Wales and definitely help highlight our rich history in the sport. Id like to see an exhibition that includes some of the old back-timers and collect together what we know of them and display their achievements alongside some of the more famous fighters that came afterwards.

Additionally there was some talk a few years back of creating a Freddie Welsh statue at Pontypridd, which was suggested by his biographer Gareth Harris who also lives in the town. Although it received a great deal of verbal support, it never happened. As Welsh was the first boxer who really flew the flag for Wales and Pontypridd in the US, and was the first recognized World lightweight champion to have come from Wales, Id really like to see that happen. But then, if Freddie got a statue, Jimmy Wilde would have to have one too. Given that Merthyr is the only town on the globe with three boxing statues, I think it would be fantastic to build on its heritage and attract even more visitors. Two more statues wouldnt break the bank. It would be far more fitting than half the modern art rubbish that seems to get funding and has sprouted up in some towns in recent years.

I will probably start work on a new book next year which will require a fair bit of legwork, so I will be doing some head scratching over that. I have also had a few enquiries from descendents of some forgotten fighters, and am trying to assist them with uncovering more about their ancestors when I can. I might try and turn my hand to some article writing too.

AmeriCymru: Any final message for the members and readers of AmeriCymru?

Lawrence: Yes, buy my book, and if you keep it tidy, you can always re-gift it!

Its a decent size, good value for the money and itll keep a partner who is interested in boxing out of trouble for a fair while.

If you have heard that you were related to an old-time Welsh boxer or have any clippings, photographs or any other information about any of the boxers mentioned above or in the book, please get in touch via Americymru, I would be very glad to hear from you. If anyone has any information about any other mountain fighters or booth boxers not included, or that come from a later time period, I would also be interested in finding out more, in the hope of assisting with ongoing research. Thank you very much, Ceri. Cymru am byth.

A selection of related videos from the author:-

http://www.britishpathe.com/video/the-noble-art-of-self-defence - jimmy wilde clip

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/boxing/9028282.stm - boxer remembers mountain fighting

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/boxing/9028172.stm - boxing booths

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/boxing/9034673.stm - billy eynon (sparring partner of Driscoll)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/boxing/1901448.stm - jimmy wilde audio interview

Interview by Ceri Shaw

AmeriCymru proudly presents 'To Idris Davies' ,... a poem by Mike Jenkins. Diolch Mike!

AmeriCymru: Hi Lleuwen and many thanks for agreeing to talk to AmeriCymru. Your new album 'Tan' was released on April 4th. Care to tell us a little more about it?

Lleuwen: Of course! Tan is basically what I've been working on this past year with Breton genius musician and producer, Vincent Guerin. I first came to Brittany to perform at the Lorient Interceltic Festival 2008 and once I immediately fell in love with the atmosphere and language because I think, in a way, I felt great empathy with the Breton people. Then in 2009 I was fortunate to win the Creative Wales Award by Arts Council Wales. I had agreed with the arts council that I'd write songs, record an album and then come back to Wales to perform this new material. I feel blessed to have received that award, and "Tan" would not have happened without it. We'll be performing at festivals in Brittany and Wales in the summer and it's great to have my new music out there at last.

AmeriCymru: You are currently living between Wales and Brittany. How strong is the Breton influence on the album and upon your life and music generally at the moment?

Lleuwen: It's pretty nuts spending so much time on a boat or plane but, to be honest, I don't really like to be settled in one place so I suppose this life suits me well. I live far from the city here in Brittany and this is a huge influence on my work. I would say that this new disc has an anti-urban sound to it almost. The production is rough and gritty and it was important for me to have it that way. It sounds quite wild too - lots of made-up weird open guitar tunings which I have grown to adore. I also play drums and zither on it and various pots and pans from the kitchen. I wanted sounds that the listener doesn't recognise as "instruments" . . . that way nothing comes between the listener and the music itself. I wanted to get to the core of it.

AmeriCymru: I read somewhere that you were learning Breton. How is that going? How does it differ from Welsh?

Lleuwen: Breton is a delicious language, close to nature and so interestingly similar to my own mother tounge . It s been one of the greatest adventures of my life to explore and learn this language and I continue to do so. I began leaning the language in the pubs of course and just by generally hanging out. When I first go t here I spent some time camping out in the garden of "Tavern Ty Elise" in Plouie. This pub has since burned down but will be reopening shortly and I can't wait. I need it's inspiration. It s a legendary bar, run by Merthyr Tudfil boy, Byn Walters. Anyway, I learned a lot of Breton there, just by listening, just by being. I then decided to study more seriously by doing a six month course with an association called Roudour. It was here I began to write a few Breton songs too . . .as well as my Welsh ones. Please check out Roudour's site if you can : www.roudour.com . Their courses are the best. A real mind-opener.

AmeriCymru: Can you tell our members a bit about your career, how you developed as a vocalist?

Lleuwen: My father is singer/songwriter Steve Eaves and so I don't remember a time where music, musicians and instruments were not around me. I suppose it's fair to say that I had a blesssed childhood in that way. I never really gave much thought to singing or making music. . . it just happend. It's just something I do. One of the uncomplicated things in life! I went on to study music and theatre and, through my studies, I got to go to Central College Iowa for six months. I loved it and met so many interesting people who were crazy about jazz (like myself!) I returned to Wales inspired to do do Welsh language jazz . . .something new to the scene. I joined jazz trio Acoustique and we released "Cyfnos" (which, translated means "Dusk") on Sain Records. I have since released three solo albums, all being different but at the same time, I still have the same goal, and that is to make NEW music. That is what I have, what I am and what I will always search for in life.

AmeriCymru: Can you explain something of the background and inspiration for the 'Duw a Wyr' album for our readers?

Lleuwen: It was 2004, a century after Evan Roberts's Welsh religious revival and I became interested in the hymns that were sung at the time. I met pianist Huw Warren that same year and we realized that we shared the same interest in these revivalist hymns and began to dig deeper into the project. I spent months and months researching into the hymns that were sung in the Bethesda area and was amazed by some the jewels I found - long lost tunes and mind-blowing poetry! My mother passed away the previous year and, looking back, I see that, through my research, I was also searching for answers. My mother introduced me to the Welsh hymns and I heard them from her radio set as I fell asleep every sunday night throughout my childhood. I find it difficult to listen back to "Duw a Wyr" because I hear my grief in the music. And although I cant' isten to it, I am proud of the record because I still receive letters today, from people who have been touched by the music.

AmeriCymru: Your album, 'Penmon,' was inspired by your home on Ynys Mon/Anglesey. can you tell us a little about the album?

Lleuwen: "Penmon" was my first adventure with the acoustic guitar! My first record as a songwriter and guitarist as well as singing. There was a sense of freedom in this and I continue along that road.

AmeriCymru: Where can people hear/buy your music online? Any live appearances in the near future?

Lleuwen: to buy the music, put my name into the search on www.sainwales.com and for live appearances, check out www.myspace.com/lleuwen

AmeriCymru: Any plans to visit the States?

Lleuwen: I hope. I wish.

AmeriCymru: Any final message for the members and readers of Americymru?

Lleuwen: thanks for listening. spread the love.

Interview by Ceri Shaw Email

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Twin Town is a 1997 black comedy film made and set in Swansea, south Wales. The film was co-written by Paul Durden and Kevin Allen and is the most successful Welsh film ever made in commercial terms. It has enjoyed enormous success both inside and outside Wales and occasioned a fair degree of controversy. In this interview Paul Durden speaks to Americymru about  the film and shares his outspoken views on contemporary Welsh politics. For a selection of clips from ''Twin Town'' go HERE .

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Americymru: ''Twin Town'' is the most successful Welsh film ever. It has reached a massive audience both inside and outside Wales and is considered by many to be a masterpiece. What do you think accounts for its extraordinary success?

Paul: Twin Town on it’s day could be set in any Town in the U K. It’s just a universal tale of vengeance, just a story of how two dysfunctional lads come to terms with there families murders by the police and how they deal with it the only way they know how. Personally I feel the Lewis Twins subconsciously identified with the feelings and aspirations of a lot of Republican families in Northern Ireland who were being beaten up and murdered in there own homes by the British Army.

Americymru: How did it feel to see the completed film the first time?

Paul:   To be perfectly honest, and I’m usually not. Without a shadow of a doubt. In a Nutshell, Absolutely, Stunningly, Passionately, Outstandingly, F***ing Brilliant. 

Americymru: We read that there is a sequel to ''Twin Town'' currently in preparation. Care to tell us any more about that? How far advanced is the project?

Paul: Ask me this time next year. If any of us still exist then?

Americymru: You co-wrote "Twin Town" with Kevin Allen - Have you worked together on any other projects?

Paul: Me and Kevin go way back, a long way back, in the past we had collaborated on a few unsuccessful projects that never came to any real fruition. Our relationship is far more social than a work based friendship, it has more to do with hanging out together, binge drinking, showing off, and arguing about things that we both have major hang-ups about.

Americymru: It has been said that ''Twin Town'' is a movie about the Welsh ''underclass''. Do you think that is a fair description and how do you feel about the term ''underclass''?

Paul: Underclass is a word that does not strike any bells with me. If you mean poor, only this week research has revealed that over the last 40 years in the UK the rich/poor pide has widened. What hope is there of any social change and progress by us putting our faith and aspirations in politicians, all the evidence seems to prove that they can only feather there own more than comfortable nests. What a load of greedy self centred privileged bastards. But that is just my personal opinion.

Americymru: Liberal Democrat MP David Alton described ''Twin Town'' as - "sordid and squalid, plunging new depths of depravity". How do you respond to such ''criticism''?
　
Paul: For once in this creeps pathetic little life I think he is being fairly honest. The Liberal tradition in the UK is one of longer chains and bigger cages for us the masses, in the old days Liberals were federalists and free thinkers. Now they will do anything and pull any strokes just to get a mere smell of political power. I piss on there power hungry lust. As my farther once told me. Liberals are just an organized bunch of don’t knows.

Americymru: Do you think that historically Wales has been fairly or accurately represented in film?

Paul: How Green was my Valley, was made in Hollywood, and it must be set in the only place in the world where they can have a coal pit/mine resting on the top of a hill. All coal mines to my knowledge are to be found in valleys. I do like the Paul Robison film “This Proud Valley” which was made in Wales, before the USA government prevented him from leavening the Land of the Free because of his political leanings. Also the Peter Sellers, Mai Zeterling film “Only Two Can Play” set in Swansea, made in 1962. Written by Kingsly Amis. On a more modern note anything by Karl Francis, the little Devil.

Americymru: You have, from time to time, been an outspoken critic of the political status quo in Wales. What if anything do you think the Senedd has acheived for the people of Wales?

Paul: Sweet F*** All……For once in our lives we got rid of all the Tory MPs, Then what happens the Welsh Assembly bring in proportional representation, and bring them all back in. What a laugh. Then to cap it all they change there name to Government, what a f***ing palaver. But what really summed it all for me was when Rodri Morgan our leader went to the Queen mothers funeral. What for, was he Kowtowing or what, pray inform me, pleases.

Americymru: What is your writing process? How would you typically go about writing a script?

Paul: Have a few beers, roll a few joints, take a few Quaaludes “ Gorilla Biscuits”, put the kids to bed, watch the Big Labowski on DVD. The go for it……..to be continued.

Americymru: Are you involved in any other writing projects at the moment?

Paul: Yes thank you, nice of you to ask.

Americymru: Any final message for the members and readers of Americymru?

Paul: Yes, make damd bloody shure that your President gets the health care bill through Congress. It could change the whole face of the USA and how it is seen by the rest of the world. Good Luck, and try to cut back on the hunting…. 

Americymru: How''s your vindaloo?

Within These Walls by Patric Morgan

Caerwent

 
Photos: 33

It was Julius Caesar who made the first moves to invade Britain, when in 55BC, he sent out a small expedition to explore the possibility of trade and wealth in this distant and legendary island. It wasnt until nearly one hundred years later however, in 43AD, that the Romans really well and truly got a grip on the island. Claudius sent 40,000 men to the UK, which provided the foundation for Roman rule for the following four centuries. The UK was never to be the same again. Roads criss-crossed the island, cutting through forests and linking habitable places together for the first time.

Towns and cities were also constructed, some of which can still be seen today. This can perhaps, best be demonstrated in the sleepy Welsh village of Caerwent, about 25 miles east of the Welsh capital, Cardiff.

Under its subtle and genteel meadows lie some of the best kept Roman ruins in Europe. Founded in 75, this was once a market town known as Venta Silurum. The Romans had reached the site in 47, by which time they had most of southern and central England under their control. But the Welsh proved a tougher nut to crack, the area being mountainous and ruled by four tribes. South East Wales was ruled over by the Silures tribe, described as having swarthy faces and curly hair. The Silures inflicted the greatest ever defeat on the Romans in the UK in 52, when they took apart a Roman legion and the scalp of the Roman general and statesman Scapula. In fact, it took the Romans over thirty years to bring the unruly Welsh to heed when Romanisation could begin to take place. The Romans had for years been using a clever trick of turning enemies into friends, usually by befriending the local tribe chief and bribing them with carnal pleasures. The Welsh it appears, were a little wiser to them.

By 200, the city had acquired a network of streets, with some twenty blocks and main public buildings. The population of the 44 acre site is thought to have been around 3,000 at its height. By 115, a Basilica Forum had been created, suggesting some form of self-government. Despite being one of the smallest Roman settlements in the UK, local legionary veterans were attracted to settle here thanks to its wealth.

Today, the village is a peaceful and unassuming place. Its layers of history can be found in the largely unexcavated fields that are encased in stone. The foundations of the city that once sat here lie largely untouched and guarded by grimacing stone walls, some of which rise over 5 meters. Small flowers now bud from them while farm animals chew at the cud, seemingly unaware of the history beneath their hooves.

The town itself is a simple affair. A main street houses a smattering of public buildings a church, a Post Office and the Coach and Horses Inn. Locals now gather here for their feasts at midday. Scribed on the blackboards are Todays Specials: Chicken Curry, Pie and Mashed Potato with gravy.

Two more fish and chips please. says the lady waiting at the bar. Its obvious from the casual slacks that shes wearing that shes expecting a hearty meal.

The other pub around the corner, the Northgate Inn, makes the most of its historic gardens. Excavations at Caerwent have revealed remains and everyday objects from the post-Roman period. Metalwork, including elaborate penannular brooches and fastening pins, have been dated to the 5th-7th centuries. These days, a blackboard shows sign of competition. First to 13 it reads. Game and winner unknown.

Down at the Post Office, a small red post box sits squat in the wall. Its GR emblem reminding us that Elizabeth has not been reigning forever. Lambs with their mothers now frolic and graze in the grounds of the Basilica Forum.

Despite the thousands of feet that have once marched upon Caerwent, the Romans havent entirely left yet. Their legacy is reflected in the names of streets and buildings that make up this small but uniquely historic village.

Getting there:

By Rail: Nearby railway stations: Chepstow, Severn Tunnel Junction (bus connection to Caerwent)

By Car: Take the A48 eastwards from Newport or the A48 westwards from Chepstow.

Nearest Airport: Cardiff Wales (35 miles away)

Accommodation:

Coach and Horses Inn http://www.caerwent-coachandhorses.co.uk/

Nearby Attractions:

Historic Roman town of Caerleon

Celtic Manor, host to the 2010 Ryder Cup

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Article and Photos by Patric Morgan

 

Looking for pub quiz questions for your Welsh society St David's Day meetup? Then look no further. The Americymru Welsh QuizPack contains five sets of ten questions on the following topics:-

Know your Jones's?
Know your Welsh Mountains?
Where in Wales?
Dates in Welsh history?
Welsh Celebrity Birth Dates?

Just head to the bottom of this post and download and print the PDF attachment. The correct answers are underlined in the text ( all questions are multiple choice ) All of these quiz sets have appeared on Americymru but are not currently featured on the site.

For the Quizmaster ( correct answers underlined )

Quiz printout ( no underlining )