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The daguerreotype of Margam Castle taken on 9th March 1841, by Calvert Jones is credited with being the first photograph taken in Wales.
Calvert Jones, who was born in Swansea, was a mathematician, painter and photographer. When he became rector of Loughor, he took up photography as a hobby and took many photographs of the Swansea area, as well as in France and Italy. He also developed his own technique of overlapping photographs to give panoramic images.
After inheriting the Heathfield estate in Swansea in 1847, he was responsible for developing the area and named Mansel Street after his brother. He died in Bath, but was buried at St Mary's Church, Swansea, however, the grave was destroyed during the bombings of World War II.
Born this day, 1942 in Garnant in the Amman Valley
John Cale, OBE - musician, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer who was a founding member of the rock band The Velvet Underground. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.
On this day, 1950 Timothy Evans was executed by hanging but was later granted a posthumous pardon. The case is now acknowledged as a major miscarriage of justice and was instrumental in the abolition of capital punishment in the United Kingdom in 1965.
Timothy John Evans, from Merthyr, was tried and convicted of murdering his wife and infant daughter at their residence in Notting Hill, London and sentenced to death by hanging. However, three years later, John Christie, a downstairs neighbour was found to be a serial killer who confessed to murdering Mrs. Evans and was subsequently found to have also murdered Evans's daughter.
Born on this day 1910 in Aberdare
Sir Rhys Llewellyn- mining executive, soldier and author.
Llewellyn was the Managing Director of Graigola colliery in Merthyr, an officer in the Welsh Guards during World War II, the High Sheriff of Glamorgan and author of a book on horse racing entitled Breeding to Race.
Born on this day 1949 in Fleur-de-Lis, near Blackwood.
Mostyn Neil Hamilton (born 9 March 1949) - barrister, teacher and Conservative MP.
Hamilton's father was a chief engineer for the National Coal Board and his grandfathers were both coal miners, however at the age of 15, he joined the Conservative party. In 1997, Hamilton became involved in a political scandal known as the Cash-for-questions affair, after which he and his wife Christine sought to become media celebrities.
My brand new song "Living Without Your Love" - now out for download on Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and Google Play!
Buy here: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-music&field-keywords=Darren+Parry
"Hen Wraig Fach"
Little old woman living in the Valley,
Ragged clothes and heavy clogs,
She had a calf named Twm
Who was quite poorly a long time ago.
Little old woman giving the calf some milk,
But the calf refused it,
Well she then became angry
O dear! She slapped him.
Little old calf running like mad,
And she was shouting "For God's sake!"
Following a calf across the country
Oh friends, what an experience.
Our taxes went up at the beginning of this current year--2013. As a result, our disposable income will be about $1,250.00 less this year than it was last. It may not be an enormous increase but it means we will have to adjust our spending downward in order to compensate. I haven't complained about it because what good would it do? Taxpayers are always given the same, coy answer. They are told resolutely that "for the greater good" they must learn to tighten their belts: Economize, economize, economize. And any suggestion, even the tiniest hint, that the tax collector, himself, should likewise economize--even a little, results in immediate shrieks of pain!
It all reminds me of a story Stephen Fry once told:
In the Second World War they would have people form the Ministry of Labour going roundchecking on everybody and particularly on the big estates, to see if all these people, or least some of them, might be released for essential war work. So they went to Chatsworth, the Duke of Devonshire's estate. They brought a stopwatch and clipboard then checked everybody as they went about performing their duties. Eventually they had an interview with the Duke, and they said; "Well Your Grace, we can understand that you need forty seven gardeners and thirteen under gardeners and you need grooms and you need chauffeurs and you need upstairs maids and downstairs maids and in between maids and laundry room maids, and still room maids and kitchen maids and nursemaids and housemaids and parlour maids. Andwe dounderstand that you need a boy to scrape the knives and boots and that you need a butler and four footmen and an under butler. But we wonder if some economy might be made. Do you, uh...um, does Your Grace necessarily need two pastry cooks? To which he apparently replied; "Confound it all! Can't a man have a biscuit?"
I suppose it's just too outlandish to expect the tax collector to forego an occasional biscuit. Taxpayers are told that $2 million dollars for a single golf outing in Florida is all very reasonable--and even necessary. And, who knows, perhaps it is. But, taxpayers might feel a little better about tightening their own belts if the tax collectors weren't constantly loosening theirs.
Harold Clayton Lloyd (April 20, 1893 – March 8, 1971) was born in Nebraska, his paternal grandparents were from Wales.
Lloyd was one of the most popular and influential film comedians and directors of the silent film era. His films frequently contained daredevil physical stunts, which Lloyd often performed himself and resulted in the loss of the thumb and index finger of his right hand when a bomb was mistaken as a prop and which he disguised on future films with the use of a special prosthetic glove.
Born this day, 1981 in Abercraf
Adam Jones, Wales and Lions rugby international, one of a small group of players to have won three grand slams. Remembered for the immediate impact he made in shoring up the scrum in the first Lion's Test against South Africa in 2009. Affectionately known as one of the "Hair Bears" along with his Osprey's teammate Duncan Jones, because of their recognisable hairstyles.
Born this day, 1939 in Barry
Robert Tear - tenor and conductor, described as being the most versatile and probably the most intelligent tenor of his generation.
Born this day 1971 in Basingstoke (Father was Welsh)
Christopher "Kit" Symons, former Wales soccer international.
Born this day 1671, in Lasynys Fawr, near Harlech,
Ellis Wynne, clergyman, hymn writer and author, he is remembered primarily for Gweledigaetheu y Bardd Cwsc ('Visions of the Sleeping Bard'), first published in London in 1703 and regarded as one of the most important and influential pieces of Welsh-language literature.
The 7th of March 1804 saw the inauguration of the British and Foreign Bible Society, largely at the instigation of the Reverend Thomas Charles of Bala.
Charles had been greatly impressed by the determination of a poor young Welsh girl, named Mary Jones, who had walked 26 miles to purchase a Bible from him at Bala in 1800 and met with friends in London in 1803 to establish a society to make bibles ready available throughout the world. Subsequently, the British and Foreign Bible Society was inaugurated the following year.
Charles later edited Welsh language versions of the First Testament and the Bible for the society.
Born this day,1850 in Funchal on Madeira ( His father, Captain William Matthews was Welsh)
Sir Lloyd William Mathews who was a British naval officer, politician and abolitionist.
Mathews fought for control of what is now Ghana in the Third Anglo-Ashanti War of 1873–4 and afterwards stayed in East Africa to form an army for Sultan Barghash of Zanzibar in order to suppress the slave trade and rebellions against the Zanzibar government.
Born on this day 1876 in Rhossili, Gower.
Edgar Evans who was a member of Captain Robert Scott's ill-fated Terra Nova expedition to the South Pole in 1911–1912. The group of five men selected for the final expedition push, which included Evans, reached the Pole on 17 January 1912. however, all five perished on their return journey to base camp.
Robert (Bob) Thomas, Welsh international rugby player, died on 7th March 1910.
Born in 1871, Thomas was a forward who was part of Wales' Triple Crown winning side of 1900.
A head injury sustained whilst playing and a work injury at Landore steel works, Swansea, when a pair of tongs went through his right hand are thought to have factors in his premature death in 1910, aged 39.
On 7th March 1695, Sir John Trevor (from the Brynkinalt estate near Chirk in Denbighshire), Speaker of the House of Commons, was expelled for taking a bribe of 1000 guineas (£1.6 million in 2009). He remained the only Speaker to be forced out of office until Michael Martin resigned in 2009.
Interestingly, Trevor was severely cross-eyed, which caused confusion as to which MP had "caught the Speaker's eye", and led to many speaking out of turn.
'To Dream Of Freedom' - Roy Clews The “Handbook for Welsh Terrorists” that was Almost Banned
By Ceri Shaw, 2013-03-06
To Dream of Freedom looks back at the Welsh bombing campaigns of the sixties and describes the volatile political climate of Wales between the drowning of Tryweryn and the investiture of Prince Charles. As well as describing the activities of movements such as the Free Wales Army, Patriotic Front, Lost Lands Liberation League and the more sophisticated MAC, many of the main activists such as John Jenkins, Cayo Evans and Dennis Coslett tell the story as they saw it. The new edition has a foreword by Sian Dalis Cayo-Evans, daughter of the late Cayo Evans, the charismatic leader of the FWA, and has many new revealing photographs from the height of the troubles.
Garmon Gruffudd of Y Lolfa said, “To Dream of Freedom is still regarded as a cult book in the eyes of Welsh nationalist and revolutionaries. The drowning of the Tryweryn valley almost exactly fifty years ago was a huge turing point in the history of modern Wales and sparked, for the first time since Owain Glyndŵr’s days, an armed rebellion in Wales. This extremely readable account of what happened remains one of our best sellers and most iconic publications.”
Before undertaking the story of the Welsh bombers Roy Clews, who now lives in Tregaron, had a colourful past. He had been a Royal Marines Commando, Stuntman, Kibbutznik and a tramp. His historical novels are popular on both sides of the Atlantic.
To Dream of Freedom - £9.95 can be ordered in bookshops throughout Wales or on Y Lolfa’s website – www.ylolfa.com .
In March 1878, the 'Thomas' process, which enabled iron ore containing phosphorus to be used in steel making was developed at Blaenavon Ironworks by Sidney Gilchrist Thomas and Percy Gilchrist.
Sidney Gilchrist Thomas, whose father was Welsh born, was an industrial chemist in London who developed a solution to the problem of phosphorus in iron ore, which resulted in the production of low grade steel. His cousin, Percy Gilchrist was a chemist at the Blaenavon ironworks, where they persuaded the manager, Edward Martin to help test the process.
The invention was a success and proved to be of world-wide importance. It increased Blaenavon's production so much that the nearby Big Pit coal mine was sunk to service its needs. The population of Blaenavon parish subsequently grew to 11,452 by 1891.
Born this day,1884 in Talysarn, Gwynedd
R Williams Parry, who was one of Wales' greatest poets, renowned for his early romantic poetry. He won the chair at the 1910 National Eisteddfod.
The Flintshire Bridge was opened on 6th March 1998 to provide an alternative route into North Wales from North-West England.
It spans 200 metres across the River Dee Estuary and is more than 18m high to allow shipping to pass underneath. It is Britain's largest asymmetric cable-stayed bridge.
Died on this day 1895
Isaac D. Seyburn, Welsh-born American who served as an officer in the United States Navy during the Civil War and was wounded in action during the 1861 Battle of port Royal, he later moved to Louisiana, where he operated a sugar plantation.
Born this day 1928 in Bolton (the son of a Welsh railway guard)
Glyn Owen, television and film actor, best known for his roles in the hospital drama Emergency Ward 10 and the BBC series Howards Way.
Born this day, 1965 in Caerau near Maesteg
Allan Bateman, former Welsh rugby union and rugby league international, who also played for the British and Irish Lions at rugby union and Great Britain at rugby league.
The new exhibition at Oriel Mwldan in Cardigan opened on Saturday 2nd March
Watch a short documentary video here
Liz Whittaker reviews -
Artist Chris Nurses latest exhibition, newly opened at Oriel Mwldan is full of thoughtful, stimulating ideas. However, because the thread which binds the various pieces of work together is tenuous and thus open to multiple interpretation, one review cannot claim to do it justice.
Experiencing the variety of exhibits, there is a sense of being drawn back into memories of the military pictures first seen in childhood; of the Kings Guards in fairy stories, and Disney films. The gorgeously uniformed, unlikely army, march across a battlefield map accompanied by serene floating ducks and scampering girl guides, all recalling a long ago dreamworld and yet, there is something about the military feel of it all that is adult, especially where death appears, suddenly and in garish garb.
Autobituaries connected to real lives from a bygone age, are augmented with flashing lights, bright and beautiful, but they are about real deaths, and their connection with death is ambivalent, celebratory and simulateously less than significant. Also they seem familiar, seen in passing in films, resembling signposts on an American freeway, or in a road movie, where what they advertise is entertainment, food, or even fuel.
Saturday 2 March - Saturday 13 April 2013
Dydd Sadwrn 2 Mawrth - Dydd Sadwrn 13 Ebrill 2013
Admission to Oriel Mwldan is free. Opening times are 10am - 8pm daily.
Mae Mynediad i Oriel Mwldan am ddim. Ar agor o 10yb - 8yh bob dydd.
