When Christmas Was Banned!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Christmas-Past-carol-Ann-lewis/dp/1497304466/ref=sr_1_32_twi_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1416906183&sr=8-32&keywords=christmas+past



Can you imagine the government of today suddenly announcing that Christmas is banned?  This is what happened during the rule of Oliver Cromwell.

In the late 1500's Phillip Stubbes, an English pamphleteer and Puritan wrote 'The Anatomie of Abuses in England' and in it commented, amongst other subjects, on Christmas.

“More mischief is then committed than in all the year, what masking and mumming whereby robbery, whoredom, murder and whatnot is committed. What dicing and carding, what eating and drinking, what banqueting and feasting is then used more than in all the year besides to the great dishonour of God and impoverishing of the realm”

The 25^th December in the time of the Stuarts was a public holiday. All places of work were closed, church services were held, presents were exchanged and there was drinking, singing, eating, stage plays and dancing. Afterwards for the next eleven days, masses were held, the working day was shorter and festivities culminated on Twelfth Night with a feast.

However by the mid 1500s England had broken away from the Catholic Church and had become Protestant. Christmas was a Catholic feast day and Protestant leaders began to reject Catholic feast days and Saints days. Some, such as John Calvin and John Knox preferred to only celebrate where it specifically said so in the Bible. The views of those Protestant leaders was that Christmas was a remnant of the Catholic Church and not wanted anymore. There was no mention in the Bible to celebrate on 25^th December and no mention at all of spending the day eating and drinking too much. Their conclusion was there should be stricter observance of Sunday and Easter, Christmas and the Saints days should be banned

When Oliver Cromwell came to power in 1644 with his Puritan forces steps were taken to curb the excesses of Christmas. In Scotland football, snowballing and carol singing had already been banned in 1583 and so the same was tried in England as it was thought the celebration of Christmas was threatening core Christian beliefs. Any activity thought to be associated with celebrating Christmas was against the law, even going to church, though there is no sign Oliver Cromwell personally enforced this.

A new Directory of Public Worship was created by parliament with help from church ministers to reorganise worship. It would be the only form of worship allowed in England and Wales. Only if there was biblical justification could be a festival be held and since, up until the reign of Henry VIII England had been a Catholic country, to end all feast days and saints days meant there probably wasn’t much left.

In 1649 Cromwell had King Charles I executed and for the next four years England was ruled by Parliament. Then on 20 April 1653 Oliver Cromwell expelled Parliament and made himself Lord Protector.

Cromwell was a Puritan and Puritans frowned upon pointless enjoyment. They lived their lives according to the Bible and believed a person must work hard in order to get into Heaven. As a result of beliefs Cromwell ordered all playhouses to be shut, sport was banned, inns were closed and people found working on the Sabbath were put into the stocks. No swearing was allowed, colourful clothes were banned. Women wore long black dresses with white aprons and head dresses. There was no make up. Men also had to dress in black and have short hair.

By now Christmas was an ordinary working day, shops and markets were open and people were fined if they went to church. Soldiers even patrolled the streets in London seizing any food deemed to be for Christmas.

In 1656 legislation was passed that made Sunday a day of rest and also the Catholic element of Christmas, 'Mass', was replaced with 'tide'.

The banning of Christmas was incredibly unpopular with people who felt the government had no right to be interfering with their beliefs. Riots took place and lives were lost in places such as London and Norwich between those who supported Christmas and those who didn’t.

In 1660 the monarchy was restored and all legislation banning Christmas was dropped and people were free to celebrate Christmas again.

However even though people had secretly celebrated Christmas as best they could, or caused a public disturbance by rioting, people did eventually stop celebrating it altogether for fear of being fined. For around fifteen years Christmas was not celebrated. As a result traditions began to die out. There were no more Lords of Misrule, no singing in the streets, no feasting, houses could not be publicly decorated. The inns and theatres were closed so the mummers and carol singers had nowhere to call. No gifts were exchanged, no nativities. Just another day. Christmas really wouldn’t be celebrated again properly again until Victorian times.

Cwmbran Co Star Newsletter - The Family Statue

From the December 2003 issue

Co Star Newsletter - Cwmbran Pub Crawl 1880s Style

This was one of the last articles I wrote for the Co Star newsletter. It was written after March 2005 as this was the date I changed my surname back to my maiden name of Lewis after my divorce.  Anything I wrote after this date was credited to Carol Ann Lewis and not Carol Wheeler.  

It was a fun piece to write, a lot of fiction thrown in but the pubs are all real.  People enjoyed reading it and told me so, which is always nice.  Poor old Ebenezer though, he's going to be walking around Cwmbran for eternity now they've knocked the Mill Tavern down.   :)

Cwmbran History in the CoStar Newsletter

The Co Star newsletters ran for about six years and were distributed around Cwmbran to homes, schools and other public places.  This article was written by myself in 2001.  It continued a series of general history of Cwmbran features.

https://www.facebook.com/carolsbooks

Christmas Past - Extracts from my book

Mothers Night

Historian Bede wrote of Mothers Night in the year 725. In his book 'De temporum ratione' he described it as -

“began the year on the 8^th kalends of January when we celebrate the birth of the Lord. That very night, which we hold so sacred they used to call by the heathen word Modranecht, that is, Mothers Night, because (we suspect) of the ceremonies they enacted all that night”

It was the Germanic areas, Gaul, Italy, Spain and as far as Scotland that commemorated Mothers Night. Its roots were in the beliefs of the mother goddess, votive stones and altars set up to worship them. It honoured, for example the old Germanic Winter goddess, Holda. It was the night the year was born, when mothers who were-in spirit were remembered and asked for protection, healing, luck and wellbeing. When all children were in bed, their mother or grandmother would commit them to the protection of a goddess, ancestor or the female ancestral deities known as Disir. In Anglo Saxon times it was celebrated on Christmas Eve but its true date is the eve of the Winter Solstice and pagans still perform rituals for Mothers Night to this day.

Plygain

The origins of this Welsh early morning church service are probably pre reformation. The time of Plygain was in between dawn and eight on Christmas morning with High Mass at nine or ten o clock. People would stay up all night or get up very early to attend their parish church. Originally the service was only for men but later women took part as well. Carols would be sung, though they were banned by the Puritans.

A journal by Mrs Thrale of Duffryn, Clwyd written in 1774 shows the tradition didn’t die out as she describes singing and dancing to the harp until Plygain. Time was also spent playing outside by torchlight then when the men went off to church the women busied themselves decorating the house and making toffee.

There was of course no lighting in the church so people attended with candles. There, after prayers and a sermon, groups of carollers took over with no carol being sung more than once.

By the mid 1800s special Plygain candles were being made. With so many candles illuminating the congregation and the church itself it was only a matter of time before accidents happened and in 1770 one parish's Plygain was stopped after a man set fire to another parishioner's head. In 1812, the service was banned at St Thomas's Church, Neath due to the 'indecent behaviour of the persons attending there'

The Plygain tradition is still carried on today in Wales.

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Hanbury Park - Chapter One extract

I didn't need to open my eyes to know I was in a hospital bed. I could smell the disinfectant and the cold fresh air gently caressing my face, hear the hushed whispers of concerned voices around me. “Look she’s waking up!” The pain, of a nurse or was it a doctor, ripping the bandage from around my wrist made me jump and moan. The stinging, tearing sensation made me want to cry out but I was so confused, so sleepy and dazed I couldn't even do that. I opened my eyes eventually. It was indeed a nurse, she took no notice of my shredded skin and the dried blood stuck to that bandage, her job was to change it and she did so as if I was a dummy with no feelings at all. Of course, I understood, she had to take care of it. Studying my wrist through still sleepy vision I was surprised, shocked even at the number of neat black stitches holding my hand on to it, but my concentration was interrupted. “Who did this to you?” a voice screeched making me jump again It could only be one person – Mam, looking like a reject from a horror movie with her wide green eyes and red wiry hair trying to escape in every direction from her head! She looked like she'd been running through a forest for a week, her face care worn, exhausted, the remnants of mascara rubbed across her eyes. “Who did it!” she demanded, clutching at the woollen blanket that covered my legs.

I knew she was traumatised, knew she needed to know. I opened my mouth to answer, but my throat felt dry and sore. I closed it again, stared bewildered at the sea of faces around me, relatives and friends, all pretty much in the same anguished state, waiting for me to reveal the criminal, but the truth was, I didn't know. I just wanted to cry but not even tears would come. My body wanted to shut down, escape back into the blackness of sleep where it was safe, where nothing hurt. My whole body hurt and ached from the terror it had endured.. “If you can remember anything,” said a policewoman from the back of the room “Let me know as soon as you’re able” The only response I could manage was a blank stare yet somehow I knew I had to communicate. I had to think. “Why am I here?” I asked myself “She needs rest!” the nurse snapped back at them all, breaking my concentration her glum chubby face fixed on her work. “Yes but as soon as she says who it was we could arrest him!” “You know it was a him then?” Mam screeched her voice piercing and loud, hurting my ears. “Or her” continued the policewoman I didn’t take much notice of her features, my vision was slightly blurred and I was so sleepy. “Didn’t they leave any evidence?” said another voice, one that I recognised, but couldn’t quite place “Only a footprint on the back door” Could’ve been anybody’s,” muttered another voice. “It was a size seven,” ventured the policewoman looking at me. But I didn’t feel like talking. How many people wore a size seven shoe! I wore a size seven shoe! Did I try to kill myself? I doubted it. I thought hard, I couldn’t begin to understand why I was here anyway, didn’t know anyone with that size shoe, well except for…. But I drifted off to sleep.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hanbury-Park-Carol-Ann-Lewis/dp/1489566007/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415869041&sr=1-1&keywords=hanbury+park

Children of Nature - Witch History Extracts

The history of witches is very long and gruesome, here are a few accounts of witch trials from my book.

In 1441, Eleanor Cobham was the mistress and second wife of Humphrey Duke of Gloucester.  Her crime was that she had consulted an astrologer, Roger Bollingbroke who predicted an illness for the king.  She denied the charges but admitted to using love potions obtained from Margery Jourdemain also known as the Witch of Eye.  Margery had knowledge on how to end pregnancies, though Eleanor had gone to her in the hope of a potion to conceive.  Margery also had friends in high places, clerics and courtiers who were also using her services but as she had been caught offending before, Margery was put to death by burning.  Roger Bollingbroke was hung, drawn and quartered while Eleanor was made to do public penance, forced to divorce her husband and spent the rest of her life in prison.

1581 - 1593

In Trier, Germany at least three hundred and sixty eight people were executed when people rose up to eradicate witches blamed for continued sterility in the area.  People from all classes, ages and sexes were victims.  It was recorded by an eyewitness that one hundred and eight of those burned were from the nobility.  Meanwhile the executioner got very rich from it all.  Children of the punished were exiled and all their possessions confiscated.  Eventually the population was shrunk to the point some villages only had one female left.  The investigations slowed down eventually when new laws were passed restricting how much inquisitors could charge to examine the accused.

1716

Mary Hickes and her nine year old daughter Elizabeth were accused of taking off their stockings in order to create a storm.  They were hanged in Huntingdon on 28th July.

Read more in Children of Nature - A History of Witches  available from www.amazon.co.uk or download to Kindle

Children of Nature

The history of witches goes back a very long time to a pre christian age and the days of worshipping nature and the goddess.  Ancient peoples lived by the cycles of nature, by observing these cycles they knew when to plant crops and when to harvest etc.  As a result rituals and celebrations evolved along with beliefs that everything had a spirit.
When Christianity came along these children of nature were considered to be pagans and witches and therefore evil.  What I have tried to look at in my book is what exactly were these people doing that caused so much outrage.  We are generally taught of the stereotypical witch, the old hag dressed in black flying on a broomstick.  She is usually poor with a cat for company.  However out of the thousands accused, a percentage were men, in Iceland most of those executed were men.  They were mostly healers with a knowledge of herbs, astrologers, midwives, fortune tellers.  Many were poor people in the wrong place at the wrong time while others were from wealthy families.  Some were old, others were children.  What they had in common was to be accused of crimes they couldn't possibly have committed, such as weather magic, causing illness by bewitchment, flying on broomsticks, turning themselves into animals. Many would just admit to these impossibilities than suffer the ordeal of being tortured.  Methods of torture included sleep deprivation, continual walking, thumbscrews, the rack and many more.  One woman confessed to killing her own children, even though they were alive and well.  Once a confession was secured the victim was usually decapitated and burned at the stake or sometimes burned alive.  Witch hunters began to appear, offering their services to towns and villages of ridding the area of witches and making a good living in the process.  How many people were killed depends on what source you read, some say fifty thousand, others say two hundred and fifty thousand.

Children of Nature is available from www.amazon.co.uk  or as a download to Kindle

Victorian Pontypool - extracts from my book

Available from www.amazon.co.uk or download to Kindle

February 1838

 “The sufferings of the poor of Pontypool and it's neighbourhood have been greatly alleviated, during this inclement season by the praiseworthy exertions of many benevolent individuals who have interested themselves in their behalf. The annual subscription of the inhabitants to the soup fund have been much increased, and the liberal donation of Mrs Hanbury Leigh, of Pontypool Park, has enabled the committee to distribute 950 quarts of nutritious food to the necessitous twice a week during the winter months. Mr E H Phillips has taken an active part in this charitable undertaking and in addition has liberally given a number of loaves of bread to many deserving families who feel thankful for the relief afforded them in time of need”

3 August 1839

The destruction of property owing to the late heavy rains in the vicinity of Pontypool has been truly awful and we we are very sorry to say that two unfortunate fellow creatures have been hurried into eternity. About 10 o clock on Tuesday night, the large pond at the British Works, Abersychan gave way, the water rushing with terrific violence, destroying everything in its way. We also hear the following effects from the storm:- Mr C H Leigh's park completely inundated. A large slip of the Darren mountain fell on a man from which he was fortunately extricated. Pontypool bridge almost down and the large iron bridge at the New Forge, destroyed with a large portion of the rail road. The mill house at Abersychan was partly carried away. A horse and donkey were observed going down with the stream, the donkey trying to reach the land but was soon dashed to pieces. The British Company's Forge had a very desolate appearance; not a man was at work, stones, coal, rubbish and timber blocking up the place. Several hundred tons of coal and heaps of mine were carried off. A small house was observed buried in sand to the upper windows. The engine house near the pits was quite filled with rubbish, the water having flowed through it, filling the pits, drowning, we are sorry to say, two men and seven horses. Nearly all the bridges and three houses at Varteg were washed away. At Trosnant, the people were obliged to be taken out of their bedroom windows, at twelve o clock at night: their screams being truly awful.

15 March 1856

“An inquest was held on Saturday last at the Cwmffrwd Inn before Thomas Hughes Esq, coroner, and a respectable jury on the body of William Jacob, who was, on the previous day found suspended from a hook in a beam at the top of the house, quite dead. The finding of the body having been proved by Mr E Evans, who lived next door to the deceased. P C Roberts stated that deceased had been deranged for a length of time and continued so to the day of his death. There being no doubt of the lunacy and that he had committed the act himself the jury found a verdict that 'the deceased had destroyed himself in a fit of insanity"

Torfaen at War Exhibition Launch

The 4th August was the centenary of Britain's entry into the First World War.  It was also the launch of a digital exhibition by Torfaen Heritage telling the story of local people who had fought in the war..
Last June I donated my book 'Tell Them of Us' to the exhibition by going along to their van at the Cwmbran Big Event.  I was also interviewed at the time and this interview was recorded for use in the project.
 Over the next few weeks I sent further information to be used in the exhibition, my ancestors service records and any photographs that I had though unfortunately I was later told my recording probably wouldn't be used because of all the background noise from recording outside.

Anyway, I was invited to the launch of the project on 4th August at the Blaenavon Heritage Centre.  It took place in a big old classroom in the former St Peter's School and the place was full of people who had contributed their stories.

The first part of the afternoon was taken up with talks about the project and then our first chance to see the film that had been created from all the stories collected.  I remembered that my recording wasn't going to be used so sat back to watch the dvd, feeling a bit disappointed.  

However this was not to be.  A few minutes in and one of my photographs was on the tv screen, one of my Great Great Uncle William and there was a voice, telling the story of his experience of the Christmas Day Truce, it was me!!  A strange moment, felt a bit shocked at first, but then I glanced around, people were listening, then I felt proud.  There are some moments money cant buy, that was one of them.

When the film ended all the contributors were called up one by one to collect a copy of the dvd.  My name was called out so I got up and went to collect mine, to lots of applause, just like everyone else.  Shook hands with the mayor and had my photograph taken with her.  

Then it was time for tea and cake and a look around at the display boards.  Each board tells the story of someone from Torfaen who took part in World War 1.  Only the story of one of my ancestors has been told at the moment, that of Great Great Uncle William, mainly because he took part in the Christmas Day Truce of 1914.  I believe the exhibition is following the timeline of the war for the next four years, so the book I donated may be referred to in future and other ancestors of mine included in the exhibition.

The Torfaen at War Exhibition is at Blaenavon Heritage Centre until 31 October then it will be travelling around the county for the next four years.

Llantarnam Ghost Story

Following on from the story of the strange lights in Llantarnam in Cwmbran History and Mystery, another ghostly sighting has emerged in the same area.  The story was told to me by a friend and concerns a mysterious figure that stands on the road at Abbey Lane, Llantarnam.  The figure has been seen many times apparently and is that of a man wearing a bowler hat.

If you walk up Abbey Lane you will come to a small row of houses.  The house with the coat of arms above the door used to be the police station and there was also a pub here, the Coopers Arms, where inquests on bodies took place.  Both are now gone and converted into houses.

So who is the mysterious figure?  The Weekly Mail of 1883 might give a clue.

Printed in the February 24th issue was an article concerning a man, Michael Sullivan, who, on a Sunday morning was walking along the canal from Newport to Cwmbran.  At Llantarnam he stopped in his path as he found a set of clothing lying on the ground.  He gathered the items up and took them to the police station, but no one came to claim them nor did anyone report any missing persons.  The police searched the canal but found nothing and as far as is known the case was never solved.  So the owner of the clothes - a pair of boots, two shirts, a jacket, a blue and white handkerchief and a bowler hat - remains a mystery to this day.

Tell Them of Us update

It was a couple of weeks ago I went along to the Torfaen at war roadshow at the Cwmbran Big Event. I asked them if they would like a copy of my book, 'Tell Them of Us', and they said they'd love one.  So to update on what has happened to my book since then, it is going to be used in the Torfaen World War One exhibition during the next four years.  It looks as though the stories of my ancestors will be used at certain points along the timeline of the war.  At the moment it is the story of my great great Uncle William Jones that is being concentrated on as part of the story of the Christmas Truce. A photo of him has been sent to the Torfaen WW1 project plus this morning I have sent over his service records.  The launch of the project is fast approaching and I have been lucky enough to be invited to it, so photos of that when it happens in a few weeks.

Available now from www.amazon.co.uk or download to Kindle

In medieval times you could be burned alive for dreaming of the devil

People have always been fascinated by dreams.  The earliest known recorded dreams were in Mesopotamia about five thousand years ago.

The Egyptians believed a person was blessed if they had vivid dreams.  They believed they were messages from the gods, for example the account of Joseph and his dream of seven fat cows and seven thin ones.  Interpreted to Pharaoh as seven years of plenty then seven years of famine.

The Greeks also studied dreams.  They built dream temples, often on hillsides.  They believed the gods took an interest in the everyday life of mortals and would contact them through dreams.  Hippocrates supported a theory that dreams reflected a persons bodily health.

The Romans also placed great significance on dreams as did the native American Indians.  They believed it was the ancestors who communicated through dreams

Unfortunately with the coming of Christianity a negative attitude evolved towards dreams.  Instead of a tool for receiving messages from God, they were seen as proof of worshipping the devil.  Dreams were even used as evidence in court to convict witches.  If there was any suggestion a person had met with the devil or evil spirits in a dream, they could be burned alive.

And so it became, people disregarded their dreams and stayed quiet about them. They also forgot how to interpret them.  It wasn't until the 19th century that  theories of the unconscious started to emerge, most famously with Sigmund Freud that an interest in dreams started to re emerge.

You can read more about the history of dreams and how to interpret your own in my new book 'Dreams - The Forgotten Craft'  available now from Amazon or as a download to Kindle.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dreams-Forgotten-Craft-carol-lewis-ebook/dp/B00KVXD9D6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1402467423&sr=8-1&keywords=dreams+the+forgotten+craft+kindle

The Ghosts of Llanyrafon Manor

Llanyrafon Manor, set in its peaceful garden is something of a haven in the busy town of Cwmbran.  Originally owned by the Griffiths family from the 1600's to the end of the 19th century it is now a heritage centre.  It is also perhaps, one of the most haunted places in Cwmbran.

Being a volunteer at the Manor, I've got to hear many stories from other volunteers, staff and visitors.  Some of them Ive already written about in my book 'Cwmbran History and Mystery' but the Manor just keeps on producing more.  Read on and find out more.

Entrance -  Even before you get into the house ghost stories abound here.  Some people have reported being drawn to the window above the porch without knowing why.  Some visitors will walk around the grounds quite happily but refuse to enter the house.  There have also been sightings of a tall figure by the stables and a monk.

The Kitchen -  A medium picked up on the spirit of a woman drying herbs and a visitor claimed to have felt the presence of a spirit here.

The Study - Here the sound of rustling dried flowers has been heard.

The original staircase - can be accessed downstairs in the parlour.  Visitors on the ghost tours have reported the smell of bacon in this spot.

Hallway leading from Tudor Hall to the Great Chamber - a very eerie spot, lights are known to flicker for no reason.  Also during a ghost tour the word 'no' was heard in answer to the question of whether the group could enter one of the rooms.

The Attic -  Its very creepy, not many like being up here.  It is supposedly haunted by the ghosts of two children, one of whom drowned.  Beyond the door is another part of the attic, here cold spots are felt and a general feeling of uneasiness.  Footsteps have been heard on the stairs when no one is there.  I know this, I was there!

2nd floor corridor - This leads to the room that  overlooks the porch.  Here the ghost of a boy called James looks out of the window waiting for his mother.  She left the manor one day and never returned, so he watches for her return.  In this room another volunteer felt a child tug at them as if to get attention.  

Other reports of ghostly goings on at the Manor include mysterious puddles of water appearing over night and cakes being thrown off the counter!  Don't be put off though, it really is a great place:)

You can read more about the ghosts of Cwmbran in 'Cwmbran History and Mystery' available now from Amazon

Victorian Cwmbran - Some extracts from my book

These are some extracts from Victorian Cwmbran and relate to Forge Hammer and the Cwmbran Works which was on the site of the retail park and stretching up through Springvale.

17 May 1856

“On Tuesday week, a lad named David Davies, while engaged near the rolls at Cwmbran Works, was accidentally drawn into a portion of the machinery called 'the box' and received such serious injuries that he died the following morning. An inquest was held on the body Thursday last and a verdict of accidental death returned”

7 May 1859

“An inquest was held on Saturday at the Bridge End Inn before Mr W H Brewer deputy coroner, on the body of Isaac James, age 17 years who came by his death under the following painful circumstances. The deceased was a haulier on the incline tramway between the iron works and the colliery. On Wednesday, the 27^th while bringing down some coal trams, the gradient being heavy and the brakes insufficient, the tram obtained too much momentum which placed the horses in danger. Deceased, in order it is thought, to rescue them, attempted to uncouple their chain from the tram, when he fell across the road the trucks passing on, his legs, body and head were frightfully broken, bruised and lacerated. Surgical skill was of no avail and the unfortunate youth died on Friday. Verdict 'Accidental death'”

8 March 1879

“John Lyons, landlord of the Moon Public House was charged with keeping his house open during prohibited hours on 15^th. A police officer said that he was passing near the house at 11.5 pm and heard some conversation. On going into the premises he saw a man named Crine there. He asked him what he had got under his coat, which he declined to show. He afterwards threw something into the canal which witness believed to be a jar. He asked the landlord what Crine wanted at his house and he replied that he had some beer. Mr David who appeared for the defendant said, Crine was on the premises at work at the time. Crine was then charged with being in the house during illegal hours which he admitted but said he staying to supper after work. The Bench dismissed the case.

15 December 1883

“An inquest on the body of Mr Joseph Williams, a fireman aged 59 years, who was killed on 3^rd December by an explosion of gas at the Cwmbran Colliery, belonging to the Patent Nut and Bolt Company, was held on Monday at the Pontnewydd Inn before Mr Martin Edwards. A verdict of 'Accidental Death by an explosion of gas underground' was given Mr Bain, Government Inspector attended to watch the inquiry”

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Victorian-Cwmbran-Carol-Ann-Lewis/dp/1490970177/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1401220382&sr=8-1&keywords=victorian+cwmbran

Paranormal Evening at the Horse & Jockey

     I was invited to go along to a paranormal evening at the Horse and Jockey pub in Pontymoile on 12 May 2014.  I've always wanted to go on a ghost hunt but wasn't sure if I should or whether I'd like it, but this one was different.
     I've already written about the ghostly goings on at the pub in my book Gwent History and Mystery, its the place where my great great grandfather was killed in 1902.  So I decided to go out of curiosity, see if any of the mediums would pick anything up!
     There were about twenty of us at the pub. We sat in the oldest part, what used to be the coaching inn, dating from around the 15th century. We had a meal first, it being only seven o clock and still light outside.  It was planned then to go into the churchyard next door and have a look around once dark enough.  As the night progressed I mentioned to the host that my ancestor had been killed in the area in which we were eating and she suggested I should tell the story to the group before we went out.  I didn't say how he had been killed but at the end of the story one lady said that she had felt the sensation of being hit in the back of the head as she walked through the entrance.  She had described exactly how he was killed, from behind.
     The current landlord also related a spooky experience he had had one night.  He was sat downstairs in the bar with another person and they heard footsteps running upstairs when there was no one up there!
     Once it was dark, about 10 pm, we went out into the churchyard and had a look around, quite a few said they could sense figures but I couldn't see anything.  At the top of the church tower I thought I saw a figure looking down on us, so did a few of the others but on shining a torch up there the windows were boarded up!.
     Back in the pub, the lights were off and we held a group seance.  Plenty of cold spots and a woman close to me describing the feeling of having a very upset stomach.  This made me think of the landlord Isaac Walford who had died in 1862.  One night he had been drinking heavily and had suffered from diarrhoea, weakness and trembling.  He had to be assisted to bed and died a few hours later. The ghost of a vicar with a round hat was mentioned next, the building having been a vicarage in the 17th century. The ghosts of two women also came through.  One was described as being very short and the other as quite large.  I know of three landladies, Martha, Elizabeth Walford, wife of Isaac and Elizabeth Jeremiah who was landlady by 1875. There could of course have been more.
     Around 11ish, seances and and divination was in full swing.  The ghost of a little boy came through to some, dressed in scruffy clothes and dirty, why he was there couldn't be ascertained but maybe the fact the pub was used for the inquest on the body of a baby boy found dumped in the woods in the 1850's might be the answer!
     At 12.30 the evening came to a close.  All in all, a really interesting, sometimes freaky but never scary night!  The Horse and Jockey is a lovely pub, especially the 15th century part which is very cosy with its big fireplace.  I would definitely go on another paranormal evening there, though not alone!




The 15th century part of the pub

The 15th century part with original staircase to the right of the fireplace

The church tower

Scene of the crime !!!

Looking into the newer part of the pub

Read more of Gwent's ghost stories in my book ...



http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gwent-History-Mystery-Carol-Lewis/dp/1492171395/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1420997432&sr=1-1&keywords=gwent+history+and+mystery