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I thought your international audience might like to see a couple of images from Snowdonia, taken this easter. Given the unusually cold weather, with strong freezing easterly winds, Snowdonia has been subject to deep snows and freezing frosts.
Born this day, 1898 in Princeton, New Jersey,
Paul Robeson (honorary Welshman). His mother was a Quaker abolitionist, and his father a former slave who had escaped to the north, gone to college, and become a minister. Robeson graduated from Rutgers University and became a lawyer, but due to the racism of that time, he had trouble finding employment, so he began the acting and singing career for which he is most remembered. He had a natural talent and an enormously deep voice; his version of "Ol Man River" from the musical Showboat is considered a classic. Robeson was deeply political, he fought for racial justice in America, spoke out against the Nazi persecution of the Jews, participated in the Spanish Civil war, but his most controversial ideology was his support of communism and this brought him before a the House Committee on Un-American Activities, who accused him of trying to set up a Soviet state in the American South and took away his passport.
Robeson’s fondness of South Wales began in 1928 when he met a delegation of unemployed miners who had walked to London to raise awareness of the hardship and suffering endured by their mining communities. Robeson visited South Wales many times, and in 1938, he sang at the Welsh International Brigades Memorial at Mountain Ash to honour the 33 Welshmen who had died during the Spanish Civil War. He told the audience “I am here because I know that these fellows fought not only for me but for the whole world. I feel it is my duty to be here." His links with South Wales continued when he starred in The Proud Valley in 1939, a film about life in a mining community in the Rhondda, where he told local miners, “You have shaped my life – I have learnt a lot from you. I am part of the working class. Of all the films I have made the one I will preserve is The Proud Valley.” Robeson’s health deteriorated during the 1960s and he died in 1976.
Today is the feast day of Saint Materiana.
Saint Materiana Born c.440, she was the eldest daughter of King Vortimer. After her father's death, she ruled over Gwent with her husband Prince Ynyr. She is the patron of the churches of Minster and Tintagel in Cornwall and a church in Trawsfynydd near Dolgellau.
Born this day 1928 in Rhyl.
Albert Gubay, businessman, philanthropist and property developer. He made his fortune in retailing with Kwik Save (the first store opened in Prestatyn in 1965 ) and in 2006 had an estimated fortune of approximately £500 million making him the 698th richest person in the world.
Born this day, 1917 in Cwm, Ebbw Vale
Ronnie Burgess , former Wales soccer international and captain , Burgess worked as a miner before joining Tottenham Hotspur and captained them to the League title in the 1951 season. He later managed Swansea Town and Watford. He acted as caretaker manager of the Wales national team for one match in 1965 due to the unavailability of team manager Dave Bowen.
Born this day 1915 in Llanelli
William Harries "Bill" Clement OBE MC TD, former Wales rugby international , Brittish and Irish Lion and Secretary of the Welsh Rugby Union. He served as an infantry officer during the Second World War and was decorated during the Normandy Campaign.
Born this day 1943 in Cardiff.
Clive Sullivan MBE was a former Wales rugby league and Great Britain captain. He played rugby in Hull and was so highly regarded that the city's main approach road was renamed Clive Sullivan Way in his honour and since 2001, the Clive Sullivan Memorial Trophy has been awarded to the winner of the match between Hull F.C. and Hull Kingston Rovers in recognition of his service to sport in the city.
On 9th April 1558, Protestant martyr William Nicholas was burnt at the stake at Haverfordwest. (picture is of his memorial in Haverfordwest)
He was one of the many Protestants condemned to death in the short reign of Queen Mary not long before she herself became a martyr for her own religion, Roman Catholicism when the pendulum swung in the opposite direction. This is practically all that is known of Nicholas, as no record of his trial exists and information on his early life is negligible. Indeed, the manner of his death is the only precisely known fact about him.
Born on this day 1869 in Aberystwyth
(John) Hugh Edwards - Welsh nationalist and Liberal Party politician.
Edwards was a published historian and biographer of David Lloyd George, a University governor of both Aberystwyth and Cardiff, and the editor of Liberal Welsh nationalist magazines. Prior to this, he had served as a Congregationalist Minister in Wales and in London.
Edwards was a supporter of the 'Cymru Fydd', or 'Young Wales' Movement of the 1890s, which was Lloyd George's attempt to create a united Welsh nationalist movement.
Born on this day 1991 in Morriston.
Liam Williams, Welsh rugby union international.
Gimme Shelter by Rob Gittins - Award-Winning Screenwriter Rob Gittins Publishes Breathtaking First Novel
By Ceri Shaw, 2013-04-09
Gimme Shelter pits a young, female, Witness Protection Officer against one of the deadliest psychopaths imaginable as she fights to keep her latest witness safe; but is that witness all she claims to be? And, in a world in which nothing can be taken on trust, is the Protection Officer all she seems?
“Gimme Shelter is a crime novel that didn’t actually begin with a crime,” explains author Rob Gittins. “It began with a question and that question was simple. If someone gave you the chance to start again, to wipe the slate clean, erase all that had been and all you’d been in the past, would you take it? And if so, could you handle it? “That question arose out of a stray sentence I read in a report a year ago on the growing number of protected witnesses in the UK. Over three thousand witnesses are now taken into that protection scheme each year. This startling statistic fascinated me at first, and then began to haunt me. Thousands of people living a life in the shadows, leading a life that isn’t their own, having to memorise a life story that isn’t their story at all.
“It’s all forced upon them by crime, of course - and some gruesome and harrowing crimes are at the heart of Gimme Shelter. But it’s the psychological impact and effect of the protection programme that completely compels me, and that was the starting point of the story that’s now become Gimme Shelter. ”
The author has revealed that a sequel will be ready for publication by this time next year. “ Gimme Shelter is only the first in a number of stories I want to tell, because as I did more research into this whole field, I was presented with more and more questions that needed answering.”
Rob Gittins will be launching Gimme Shelter in Waterstones, Carmarthen night the 10th of September at 6pm, where limited edition hardback copies will be available. He will also be launching the novel in Waterstones, Cardiff on Thursday night the 10th of October.
Rob has written for numerous top-rated television drama series including Casualty, The Bill, EastEnders, Soldier, Soldier and. Rob’s also written over twenty original radio plays for BBC Radio 4 and over a hundred episodes of The Archers.
Praise for Gimme Shelter
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‘What a brilliant book… crying out to be a major bestseller and a major film… mesmerizingly written. Superb!’ Katherine John
‘Visceral, strongly visual and beautifully structured… powerful, quirky characters.’ Andrew Taylor, Winner, Crime Writers’ Association Cartier Diamond Dagger
‘…utterly compelling, the psychological impact on the individuals enrolled on the Witness Protection scheme that forms the basis of the book is fascinating… highly recommended for those looking for a crime novel that is that bit different.’ Newbooks magazine
Lewis Morris ( signer of the Declaration of American Independence) was born this day 1726, in Morrisania, New York. His grandfather, also Lewis Morris, was from Tintern in the Wye Valley.
Morris was appointed as a judge of the Admiralty Court for the province in 1760 and in 1774, as the Revolution drew near, was elected to the New York Provincial Congress. He signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
His response on being warned that there may be dire consequences for signing the document, was, "Damn the consequences. Give me the pen."
Of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence on July 4 , 1776, Lewis Morris along with 15 others were of Welsh descent, the others were: William Williams, Williams Hooper, James Smith, Francis Lewis, John Hewes, George Read, John Penn, Thomas Jefferson, Britton Gwinnett, John Morton, Francis Hopkinson, William Floyd, Robert Morris, Stephen Hopkins and George Clymer.
On this day, 1749, hymn writer and evangelist Charles Wesley married Sarah Gwynne of Garth, at Llanlleonfel in Breconshire.
Sarah Gwynne was the daughter of a Welsh magistrate; she was 23 and Charles 40, The ceremony was performed by John Wesley, Charles' brother, and afterwards the wedding party walked for half a mile across the fields to Garth House. It was reputedly in Garth House that Charles Wesley penned the words for the hymn "Jesu Lover of my Soul" during a thunderstorm, as he watched a sparrow shelter from the weather on the window sill.
Born this day, 1944 in Garnant, Carmarthenshire,
Hywel Thomas Bennett , a film and television actor. He is best remembered for his roles in the sitcom 'Shelley', the comedy film The Virgin Soldiers and as gangster Jack Dalton in EastEnders. Bennett retired in 2007 after being diagnosed with a congenital heart defect.
Born this day, 1891 in Taibach.
Bill Beynon , who became the British and Empire bantamweight boxing champion in 1913. Beynon was a miner from South Wales who supplemented his wages by taking up boxing. Beynon retired from the boxing ring at the age of 39 and died two years later in 1932 in a colliery accident.
Griffith Jones (early 1684 – 8 April 1761 ) was a key figure in a revolutionary educational movement which had a lasting impact on literacy in Wales.
He was an Anglican vicar, who as curate at Laugharne and minister at Llanddowror in Carmarthenshire became concerned that the majority of his parishioners were illiterate. There was no compulsory education at that time, and Jones became involved with the SPCK, the Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge, setting up Circulating Schools in barns, storehouses and church porches where people were taught to read. The language of instruction was Welsh, and the texts mainly religious, predominantly the Bible.
Jones had many wealthy and influential supporters, and by his death in 1762, more than 3,500 schools had been established with over 200,000 people having learned to read.
The system attracted interest all over Britain, and in 1764, Catherine II of Russia commissioned a report on the schools, with the intention of establishing a similar system in Russia.
Jones is also regarded as one of the earliest proponents of Methodist philosophy in Wales. He was an inspiring preacher who would often preach in the open air, despite the disapproval of bishops, who considered such evangelism to be 'irregular.
Owain Glyndwr - 'The Silver Fox' - An Interview With Welsh Writer Jenny Sullivan
By AmeriCymru, 2013-04-07
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Jenny: I don’t think anyone “decides” to become a writer. One either is, or is not, and wishing can’t make it so. (I seem to meet a lot of people who “have always thought they could write a book”. My answer is usually, “then do!) The first time it entered my head was in primary school, when my beloved Miss Thomas, a spinster lady of probably quite youthful years, although she seemed ancient, of course, to an 8 year old, read one of my stories, tugged my plait and told me that if I was prepared to work very hard, one day I would become a famous writer.
I remember being quite taken with the idea, rushing home to see my poor, put-upon mother, who had five other childebeasts beside me, and reporting Miss T’s opinion. Mum put down her potato knife, sighed and said “I’m going to have to go up the school and have words with That Woman, putting stupid ideas like that in your head”.
She didn’t, however (too busy) and from that moment on I was A Writer. I wrote my first novel, aged 16, about a racial war on the Isle of Wight (go figure). That one I buried in the garden. The one after that I put in a metal wastebasket and set fire to it. Lost my eyebrows...
AmeriCymru: You are currently writing a series of historical novels based on the life of Owain Glyndwr. Care to tell us a little more about the ''Silver Fox'' series?
I did two years’ research before I wrote a word, and when the time came for me to stop researching and start writing, I just couldn’t find the “handle” into the book. So I went to that magical place, Ty Newydd, the Welsh National Writers’ Centre in Llanystumdwy, near Cricieth, David Lloyd George’s old home, leaving my family at home, and to cut a long story short, the Welsh Wizard worked his magic, and the writing began. That first book took me another two years to write and edit, and then I had to tackle the loooooong dissertation, but at last I was able to submit it (which is another tale entirely!). THEN I found out I had to have something called a “vive” or “viva” or something. Didn’t have a clue what this was until m’tutor explained. About 20 minutes of grilling, he said, do defend your novel and thesis. At that point I went into total panic.
The interview was on 12th December, my husband was working away, all my children were at work or college and I betook myself to Cardiff for the aforementioned torture session. Forty-five minutes later, a small, limp rag came out of the interview room. I was hooked into a tutor’s office, and he kept me supplied with Kleenex for the next fifteen minutes while I snotted and howled. I knew I’d totally blown it. Summoned back, the Chair of the panel said, “congratulations, Dr Sullivan”... Leaving the college, I phoned one husband, three daughters and my father-in-law. Not one of them answered. I had to wait until 7pm that night before I could tell anyone.
Then, of course, I had to write part two. Did that. Loved every moment of it, because I knew I didn’t have to submit this to anyone but a publisher. I started submitting part one, but couldn’t get any of the Welsh publishers to even read it. Historical fiction, apparently, doesn’t sell. (Tell that to Hilary Mantel.) I found a London agent who loved it, wanted to handle it, but wanted her colleague to see it first. Colleague loved it too, but “nobody’s interested in history, especially Welsh history, so we’d like you to take out most of the boring historical stuff and put in more sex...” So that was another avenue closed. I went the self-publishing route, paying for the first edition, and when that sold out I went to Amazon CreateSpace and republished in Kindle and paperback, following it up with part two. I’m currently working on part three, which I hadn’t planned, but I keep getting emails from people who want to know what happens to the characters next. I’d hoped to get away without writing the tragic end to the Glyndwr story ~ but I’m going to have to tackle it. I’ve just started research and am much cheered by the wonderful reviews the first two are getting on Amazon ~ and not all, I should add, from family and friends!
AmeriCymru: How difficult is it to imagine the world of the 15th century and in particular the life and times of Owain Glyndwr?
Jenny: Imagining the 15th century isn’t difficult. People then were just people, just as we’re people in the 21st century, with the same desires, same hopes, same frustrations, only with more blood and fewer iPads. I enjoyed writing the novels so much that, because my husband often worked away from home at that time, I sometimes used to work all day and late into the evening. It was bliss. I remember one night realising I was overdoing it, however, when I had one of my 15th century characters checking his wristwatch...
AmeriCymru: You have written many childrens books. How does writing for children and adults differ?
Jenny: That one’s easy. Adults will persevere with a book if they really want to read it. Children, if they aren’t captured in the first couple of paragraphs, will give up and go back to their X-box or Wii or whatever. I love writing for children ~ it’s pure escapism, and “I” have the most amazing adventures.
Which is why, I suppose, most of them are written in the first person. I thoroughly enjoyed writing my two historical novels, “Tirion’s Secret Journal” and “Troublesome Thomas”, both set at Llancaiach Fawr Manor near Nelson in mid-Glamorgan, and may revisit the house in Tudor times when I’ve finished part three of Silver Fox.
AmeriCymru: You have taught Creative Writing to adults and children in primary and secondary schools. Although you currently live in France you visit Wales a couple of times a year to work with school children. How important to you is this ongoing classroom contact?
Jenny: When we moved to France it was on the understanding that I could return three or four times a year. I love that contact with children, teachers, librarians, parents, and of course it helps to sell books, although that’s the least important reason of all. I love the buzz of meeting a class of children and getting ALL of them writing and achieving things they didn’t think they could. I often have teachers say at the end of a session “that boy (it’s usually a boy), I’ve never managed to get more than two lines out of him, and you’ve got a page and a half”. I’m quite smug about it, but that’s the reward ~ something they can do, that they didn’t think they could.
When I visit my daughter and her family in Northern Ireland I always visit my primary teacher son-in-law’s class and work with them. As he says, “I don’t always agree with your methods, but I admit you get results”. The other thing that arises from my school visits is that I always have an eye peeled for talent ~ if I can say to a child what dear Miss T said to me, I’m delighted, and I always offer to mentor children and young people that I meet who really want to write and are prepared to put in the necessary slog to do it. I spent the weekend talking one of my protegees out of nearly £700 worth of self-publishing (with a publishing company with a reputation like a venus fly-trap), editing a chapter for her, and recommending Lynne Truss’s “Eats, Shoots and Leaves”... Nuff said!
AmeriCymru: You have won the Tir na n–Og Award twice, once in 2006 for ''Tirion''s Secret Journal'' and again in 2012 for ''Full Moon''. How did it feel to win such a prestigious award? Can you tell us a little about the prize and the selection process?
The helicopter flight was the best fun I’ve EVER had with my clothes on...
The Tir na n-Og is chosen by librarians, who are “shadowed” by children from various schools. I don’t know any more about the process than that, but I’m glad they do it! The first time I won, in 2006, the whole thing was fairly low-key, and my overall opinion of the evening was that the Welsh language winning author was more highly regarded than the English one. The cheque for £1000 was good, though!
The 2012 award was a whole different kettle of fish ~ the Welsh award was presented on a different evening, and as well as the cheque I was given a gorgeous glass trophy, which means considerably more, given that the cheque disappeared, pided between three daughters and a husband, and there were lots of interviews from newspapers and radio and the WBC made a You Tube fillum about me, which is interesting but fairly dire from a vanity point of view. It’s a wonderful feeling to be recognised by the people who matter in literature ~ children first, then librarians and the Welsh Books Council, who organise the Tir na n-Og.
AmeriCymru: Where can people go online to buy your books?
Jenny: All my children’s books can be purchased from the Welsh Books Council on line, or from Pont/Gwasg Gomer on line, or indeed from Amazon. The “Silver Fox” books can also be obtained from Amazon, in paperback and for Kindle e-readers.
AmeriCymru: What are you reading at the moment ? Any recommendations?
Jenny: Just discovered the Kate Shugak novels by Dana Stabenow, and have read the lot. I can recommend “The Princess Bride” and anything at all by Dorothy Dunnett. I love the Jacquot books, about a French rugby-playing policeman. My favourite book of all time, however, and perhaps the book that has influenced me and my writing more than any other, is T H White’s “The Once and Future King”. It’s the story of King Arthur, and it can be read on so many different levels. Children can enjoy “The Sword in the Stone” part of it, and adults will enjoy that and the other parts two. It’s a wonderful book.
AmeriCymru: What''s next for Jenny Sullivan? Any new titles in th e pipeline?
Jenny: “Silver Fox ~ the long Amen” is being researched; I have at least five other books with Pont awaiting publication (I may get impatient and self-publish through Amazon); I’m half way through writing a fantasy for teenagers, and somewhere along the line I’m going to write a novel about two families (loosely based on mine and my husband’s) during the two World Wars, and something bloody and murderous when I can find the time. I read loads of crime fiction and want to see if I can write it too. It will be a far cry from my children’s books, but fun to write, I expect.
AmeriCymru: Any final message for the readers and members of AmeriCymru ?
Jenny: Just ~ helo, Cymru am Byth, and aren’t you glad we’re Welsh?
Interview by Ceri Shaw Ceri Shaw on Google+
LINKS
Jenny Sullivan wins 2012 Tir na n-Og award with Full Moon
Jenny Sullivan''s page on AmeriCymru
Children''s author Jenny Sullivan on basement werewolves and mad aunts
Born this day 1930 in Trebanog, Rhondda,
Cliff Morgan was a former Wales and Lions rugby international and captain. He was nicknamed "Morgan the Magnificent" for his try in the first Test of the 1955 British Lions tour to South Africa at Ellis Park, which helped secure a 23-22 victory.
Following his retirement from rugby he found a new career in broadcasting and was one of the original team captains on the TV quiz A Question of Sport. Between 1976 and 1987 he was Head of Sport & Outside Broadcasts for BBC Television, covering World Cups and Olympic Games, as well as Royal Weddings and other ceremonial occasions. After surviving a stroke at the age of 42 and later cancer of the vocal cords, he was tragically robbed of the ability to speak. He died on 29th August 2013.
Born this day, 1964 in Wellington, New Zealand (his paternal grandfather, John Crowe, was a grocer from Wrexham before emigrating to New Zealand in the mid-1920s.)
Russell Crowe , Oscar winning actor, film producer and musician.
Born this day, 1945 in Swansea,
Martyn Lewis , who is a television news presenter and journalist. He is best known for his uninterrupted commentary on the death and funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales.
Today is the feast day of Saint Brynach.
Saint Brynach, born c.500, travelled from Ireland to Rome, Brittany and then Pembrokeshire where he built churches at Dinas and nearby Newport, and also founded a monastery at Nevern where he was visited by his friend Saint David. Brynach left Wales for Devon, where he died and was buried.
On his feast day, tradition has it that the first cuckoo every year sings from the top of St. Brynach's cross which is inscribed with both with Ogam and Latin script, in Nevern churchyard.
The Snowdon Mountain Railway opened this day in 1896.
* The railway runs from Llanberis to the summit of Snowdon.
* A railway to the summit was first proposed in 1869 when Llanberis was linked to Caernarfon by the London & North Western Railway.
* The total cost of the railway was £63,800 (£5,474,000 as of 2013)
* On the official opening one of the locomotives ran out of control and fell down the mountain. A passenger died from loss of blood after jumping from the carriage.
* After the Second World War, the shortage of coal led to the railway attempting to burn old army boots as fuel.
* A new visitor centre, 'Hafod Eryri'' was officially opened by First Minister Rhodri Morgan on 12 June 2009.
* The journey takes an hour to reach the summit and an hour to descend again, with an average speed of five miles an hour.
* Swiss engineers were employed as advisors in the planning, as they were the only ones who had significant experience in building this type of railway.
Today is National Tartan day
The kilt, which is widely held to have Norse origins, was originally a long garment which could be used also as a cloak or used to cover the head. In the 16th century, it became the usual dress of males in the Scottish Highlands and has since become associated with the wider culture of Scotland. There is no evidence that the Welsh used tartan but kilts have recently become popular in Wales, demonstrating a desire to appear connected to the Celtic world. The red, white and green Welsh National tartan was designed by D.M. Richards in 1967.
The first and largest Hindu temple in Wales, the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Grangetown, Cardiff was first opened on 6th April 1982.
* The 25th anniversary of the temple's founding was celebrated inSeptember 2007 with a parade of over 3000 people, including Hindus from across the United Kingdom and members of Cardiff's other religious communities.
* The 2011 Census showed that there were more than 10,000 Hindus in Wales.
* Most Welsh Hindus are of Indian origin, especially from the Punjab region.
* Skanda Vale is a Hindu monastic centre, based in Llanpumsaint, Carmarthenshire and attracts around 70,000 devotees annually.
Born this day 1981, in Mufulira, Zambia, grew up in Bedwas,
Robert Earnshaw is a Wales soccer international who has made in excess of 200 appearances at Cardiff City, scoring over 100 goals for the club. He is renowned for having scored a hat-trick in all three divisions of the Football League, the Premier League and for his country. He is well known for his acrobatic frontflip goal celebration.
Marcher Lord William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (1190 – 6 April 1231) - enemy of Llywelyn ab Iorwerth.
William was born in Normandy, son of William the Marshall, 1st Earl of Pembroke. During the First Barons War of 1215, William sided with the rebel faction supporting King Louis VIII of France, while his father was fighting for the English King John and was one of the Magna Carta sureties. In 1216, the younger William was warned by his father to flee, and in March 1217, he was pardoned.
In April 1222, whilst away in Ireland, Llywelyn ap Iorwerth attacked and took Marshal’s castle at Carmarthen. Marshal returned to recapture it and built a new stone castle at Cilgerran, also reestablishing his hold on Cidweli during this time. For the next two years, there was sporadic warfare between Llywelyn, Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, and Marshal until Llywelyn was forced to accept terms by the king. In 1226, Marshal was ordered to surrender the castles of Cardigan and Carmarthen which he had captured from Llywelyn to the crown.
William died on 6 April 1231, but as he had no male heir, his titles were inherited by his younger brother Richard Marshal, who became 3rd Earl of Pembroke. All of William's brothers inherited the title successively but none had children which resulted in the male line ending with the death of Anselem Marshall in 1245.
William Penn's personal lawyer and Pennsylvania's great law maker,
David Lloyd (1656 – April 6, 1731), was born in the parish of Marrayon, Montgomeryshire. After receiving a legal education, he was sent by Penn to Pennsylvania where he served as Attorney General from 1686 until 1710. He was a member of the Pennsylvania General Assembly for 23 years between 1693 and 1728, serving as Speaker for thirteen of those years. In 1703, he accepted the office of deputy judge and advocate to the admiralty, and in 1717, he became Chief Justice of the province, an office he held until his death in 1731.
Edward Morgan was tried and hanged at Monmouth Jail on 6th April 1835; he was a member of the Tarw Scotch or the Welsh Cattle movement.
The movement was formed in the 1820s by discontented coal miners of the Monmouthshire valleys. Their aims were to improve pay and working conditions of local workers, with direct action being taken against any person or group who opposed their cause. They were a secret society, with members swearing allegiance under pain of death. Each town and village had its own group, with the leader usually being a person respected and feared for his aggressiveness and physical strength, known as the 'Bull' or in Welsh 'Tarw'. Their meetings were always clandestine, being held at night in secret locations.
Victims were usually workers who refused to join strike action or workers who were prepared to work for less money. A warning would be issued, with failure to comply resulting in offenders being 'scotched' which involved a visit by the Cattle from another area to avoid recognition by local residents, with their faces blackened and dressed in animal skins, the 'Tarw' wearing a headdress bearing a bull's horns. The punishment dealt out was physical attack and the ransacking of property; however, the Cattle's code dictated that any foodstuffs found in the household would always be left intact. Despite attempts by the authorities to penetrate the movement, their activities continued for many years mainly due to the secrecy of their organisation and the reluctance of the general population to speak against their actions. The movement declined after the hanging of Edward Morgan in 1835.
Today, 5 April, is the 117th anniversary of Britain's only rack and pinion railway, the Snowdon Mountain Railway. It was opened purely to serve a tourist market, anxious to visit the highest point in England and Wales without having to go to the trouble of walking or taking a donkey ride to the summit. However, its opening day nearly became the last day of its operation.
The financial benefits to tourism were recognised by the Victorians who didn't miss any opportunity that was presented. With the coming of the railway to Llanberis in 1869, entrepreneurs saw an opportunity to build a railway to the summit of Snowdon, and make a lot of money in the process. Their efforts were frustrated for many years by the local landowner, George Assheton -Smith, who was part of the local dynasty who had extensive property interests, including Dinorwig quarry - the second largest slate quarry in Wales and in the world.Assheton -Smith's very 21 st century NIMBY ('Not In My Back Yard') view was that it would spoil the scenery. One could not imagine the Snowdon National Park giving permission today for such an undertaking!
Originally the railway was intended to leave from Rhyd Ddu on the west side of Snowdon but vested interests in the town of Llanberis realised that a lot of tourism income would be lost if it were to be built there and so the Railway was constructed from the town to the summit over an 18 month period.
TheSnowdon Mountain Railwayis asingle track linewiththree passing loops, narrow gauge (80cm / 2ft 7 in) rack and pinion railway which is 4 miles 1188 yd (7.512km) long, with an average gradient of 1 in 7.86. The steepest gradient is 1 in 5.5, and this occurs in a number of places. The railway rises a total of 3,140 feet, from 353 feet abovesea levelat Llanberis to 3,493 feet at Summit station. A smooth journey on the steep gradients is achieved by a double racked rail used with a rotating toothed pinion. The pinion is mounted underneath the locomotive and guarantees the locomotive does not lose grip on the mountain. The pinion is the only source of traction for the locomotive with the wheels supporting the weight of the engine. Some of the original rolling stock is still in use and, in contrast, three new carriages entered service in 2013.
On the opening day a disaster occurred on the Railway. Two trains climbed safely to the summit. On the first return trip down the mountain, the train with two carriages lost contact with the rack and ran out of control. The locomotive derailed and fell down the mountain. A passenger died from loss of blood after jumping from the carriage. The second downward train hit the carriages of the first, fortunately with no fatalities. An inquiry concluded that the accident had been triggered by post-constructionsettlement, compounded by excess speed due to the weight of the train. Additional safety precautions were put in place on reopening and the Railway has had a perfect safety record since.
Thecafe at the summitof Snowdon, described by the Prince of Wales as"thehighest slum in Wales" was demolished in 2006 to be replaced by a new 8.4m visitor centre three years later. It's slightly bizarre to find a cafe at the top of a mountain but when you've spent three hours walking through drizzle and mist, a hot drink is welcome.
For more information see Snowdon Mountain Railway website
Picture of Llanberis Station Snowdon Mountain Railway
Born this day, 1649 in Boston, Massachusetts (Welsh parents from Wrexham)
Elihu Yale , who is best known as a benefactor of Yale University.
Yale was educated in London and worked for many years for the East India Company in Madras, becoming governor of Fort Saint George and amassing a sizeable personal fortune, some claim at the company's expense. He later entered the diamond trade and devoted a good deal of his time and money to philanthropy.
Yale made his first gift to Yale University in 1713, then known as the Collegiate School at Saybrook. Later, in 1718, on Cotton Mather's suggestion, Yale donated more books, a portrait of George I and a variety of textiles from the East Indies. These were sold for some £800, the money being used to construct Yale College in New Haven. By 1745, the entire institution was named Yale University.
Today is the feast day of Saint Derfel.
Derfel, born in 566, was the son of Hoel, king of Brittany, who had been exiled in Dyfed.
Derfel, according to legend, fought for King Arthur at the Battle of Camlan, being one of only seven warriors who survived the battle. After Camlan, the bloodshed he had seen made him turn to religion and he became a hermit, founding the church of Llandderfel in Gwynedd and later becoming Abbot of Ynys Enlli (Bardsey), where he died and is buried. An image of him at Llandderfel depicting him as a warrior was removed by order of Thomas Cromwell and used to burn John Forest, a Catholic priest, fulfilling a prophecy that the image would 'burn down a forest.'
According to legend, The Battle of Camlan was King Arthur's final battle, in which he was mortally wounded.
Several locations in Britain have been suggested, including Stirling and Cornwall. Welsh folklore interprets Camlan as meaning a place near a crooked river, with the Camlan Valley near Dolgellau being claimed as the battlefield.
Born this day 1988 in Solihull (Welsh Parents) and brought up in Bancyfelin, near Carmarthen
Jonathan Davies, Wales and Lions rugby union international.
Born this day 1990 in Gloucester (Welsh grandmother)
Alex Cuthbert, Wales and Lions rugby union international.
Born this day 1975 in Swansea,
John Hartson , who is a former Wales soccer international, is best remembered for playing spells at Celtic, Arsenal and West Ham United. In July 2009, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer which had spread to his brain. The treatment he received was successful and by December of that year, it was reported that the cancer had been eliminated.
Born this day, 1942 in Newport.
Peter Greenaway, film director. His films are noted for the distinct influence of Renaissance, Baroque and Flemish painting.
Born this day, 1946 in Barmouth
Robert Russell Davies , journalist and broadcaster. He currently presents a Sunday radio programme on BBC Radio 2 which features popular music. He also presents Brain of Britain on Radio 4.
By 1911, the Welsh language was spoken by 43.5% of the population and reduced further to 18.5% in 1991. However the number increased to 20.8% in 2001 and 21.7% in 2004, but there was a decline to 19% in 2011 with the number of speakers also dropping below 50% in the traditional Welsh speaking areas of Ceredigion and Carmathenshire for the first time.
On 5th April 1859 , 27 men and boys were killed when Neath Chain Colliery was flooded.
If you only buy one book about Snowdon in your lifetime make sure it's this one!
It is clear throughout that the author has enjoyed a peculiarly intimate lifelong relationship with Eryri and never more so than when he recounts his plan for a trip around the mountain in the opening chapter:-
"The late Showell Styles, one of this mountain regions most ardent and articulate devotees, in a charming, knowledgeable,garrulous book,The Mountains of North Wales, proposed that you should do just this as a rapid, minds-eye journey,a girdling of the mountain at a distance of a mile or a mile and a half (no kilometric nonsense for old Showell) more across them. When I started to plan this book, Showells idea grew on me.Why not follow the circuit of the peak not just rapidly and in the minds eye, but lingeringly and in reality?"
Starting out from the Miner's Track the author circumnavigates the mountain describing its many faces as he goes. It quickly becomes clear that he is familiar with every path and rock face along the way, indeed we learn that he has been visiting and climbing Snowdon since he was a boy. But the account never descends into mere personal reminiscence as we are regaled with details about the mountain's topography, wildlife, history and folklore and there are constant allusions to the delights which await in later chapters. It also becomes clear that Jim Perrin enjoys a comprehensive knowledge of the climbing routes to Snowdons summit, a theme which is explored more fully in the books final chapter 'Colonising The Vertical'
Chapter Two delves into the rich mythology and folklore which wraps its mantle around Snowdon like an ancient mist. Here we learn about the 'Lady Of The Lake', a story common to both north and south Wales, which hints at early and tragic encounters between Bronze and Iron age cultures. We are also introduced to the 'afanc' of Glaslyn, the giant 'Rhita' and the cave of the hairy man (Ogof y Gwr Blewog ). The account of this 'triad of grotesques' is supplemented with Arthurian legend and tales of Merlin and Dinas Emrys.
The Snowdon massif was the final and most formidable bastion in the concentric array of mountain ranges which guarded the granary of Ynys Mon and the Kingdom of Gwynedd. Its importance as a natural fortress in the cultural consciousness of the Welsh people is discussed in Chapter Three.
Subsequent chapters examine the mountain from the perspectives of antiquaries, cartographers, artists, art historians and modern tourists and local inhabitants. The final chapter deals with rock climbing routes on Snowdon and the history of their discovery and development. It should come as no surprise that Jim Perrin gives us an authoritative account here, since he has written extensively on rock climbing in Britain and with particular reference to the Welsh mountains and Snowdon ( see this page - Jim Perrin search results - for further titles )
Jim Perrin's treatment of these themes is richly detailed and massively engaging throughout.
This is truly 'the story of a mountain'. The next best thing to being there!
