Christmas in Monmouthshire - New Year

Can you imagine spending New Year's Eve in silence?  No counting down, no cheering, just silence.  It was called Watch Night,  It was a service held in churches and chapels, mostly Wesleyan to begin with but had spread to others by the end of the 19th century.  Its main feature was to spend the last few minutes of the old year in silent prayer until the meeting point of the old year and new year had passed, then everyone rose to sing a hymn.  The Mari Llwyd was also a feature of New Year in Wales and in 1838 it was said to be still entertaining the young and old alike in Pontypool, Govilon and Abergavenny.  Church bells rang to announce the New Year and if they did not do so, colliery hooters took their place.  On New Year's Day, bands of musicians played in the streets and people enjoyed sporting events.

Christmas in Monmouthshire - coming soon

Christmas in Momouthshire: Boxing Day

If Christmas Day was a day for going to church and staying in feasting, then Boxing Day was a day for getting out and about and indulging in all kinds of sports and entertainment.  Skating on frozen ponds and canals was popular, so too was shooting competitions, foxhunting, pigeon shooting, rabbit coursing and rugby.  In 1888, there was a rugby match in Newport against the 'Maoris', a large number of people attended even though the rain had made the ground wet. Special trains ran up and down the valleys to transport people to this event. 1906 a rugby match was played between Monmouth and the Springboks in Newport.  If you didn't like sport there was always the theatre.  Concerts were held with leading vocalists and musicians, Eisteddfods took place and also bazaars and sales of work.

'Christmas in Monmouthsire' will be available soon!

Christmas in Monmouthshire: Christmas Day

By far the largest chapter in this new book of mine.  Christmas dinner being provided by employers on Christmas day, presents hung on the tree and raffled off at charity events, the Squires and Lords of the county taking responsibility for the welfare of the poor at Christmas,Christmas day in the workhouses and almshouses, plygain and the Mari Llwyd.  Just some of the topics covered.  It was much more communal, that is evident, there was little emphasis on materialism and more on enjoying the day simply for what it was and for giving to the poor.  Good food, music and dancing, two or three church services and no alcohol. Homemade decorations using whatever nature provided, evergreens etc  It would of course all change eventually.

Christmas In Monmouthshire - Christmas Eve

A quiet day on the writing front, the dog ate my pen for a start then I had to go shopping but managed later to write out chapter three which is all about Christmas Eve and the Plygain services.  These took place in the early hours of Christmas morning and were well documented in old Welsh newspapers.  Lots of carol singing in the towns and bands marching through the streets as well as drunkenness and fighting.  Tomorrow I hope to get chapter four finished and typed up.  :)

Christmas in Monmouthshire - charity

Another 12 hours of writing and typing and chapter 2 is completed.  This one looks at Christmas charity.  It touches briefly on the Poor Law Amendment Act which basically attempted to change the way in which the poor were given help. Prior to 1834 they could receive help in their own homes but change meant the only way to get help was through the workhouse. It was meant to be a deterrent to the workshy but by mid century it was the old, sick, and vulnerable, unmarried mothers and children confined to these institutions. As a result people relied on charity, especially at Christmas where, if it wasn't for charity, there would be no Christmas.  Newspapers such as the Monmouthshire Merlin describe the desolation many faced and records the acts of kindness towards the poor by local people.

Christmas in Monmouthshire

My next book is going to be a look at  the history of Christmas in Monmouthshire.  I started the research for it back in June and since then I've spent a few hours a day collecting news stories from Victorian local newspapers such as the Monmouthshire Merlin.  The cover is a work in progress I might change it completely by the time the interior of the book has been typed up.

     

Chapter one has been typed up today, it looks at preparations for Christmas.  Cards are already in the shops as I'm typing this but in the Merlin of 5th December 1829 there was no mention of Christmas whatsoever. It had been banned in the time of Cromwell and the after effects were still being felt. Christmas really did exist just in name and was another working day for the majority.  Of course as the century went on it grew in popularity especially after the drawing of Queen Victoria and family celebrating around their tree in the London Illustrated News of 1848.  Christmas commercialism really took off then, with shops all vying for attention culminating in Christmas shopping carnivals in places like Newport in 1910.  A different story though if you were poor and that's the next chapter.

Poems n Pics 1

The End of Love

I had this poem published back in 2003 in an anthology called 'The Language of Love' published by Anchor Books.

She watched the end of love

Abrupt as a storm in summer

Loneliness of silence poisoned the air

Like fog in the chill of winter

Memory taunted her tormented heart

Waiting words he'd never known

Kept concealed like snow in clouds

Now she pined with her thoughts alone.

Allowing shadows to creep

Where once was colour and light

Leaving herself the wishful green

Of a cold and envious sight.

Truth entered and built itself

A self-piteous altar of pain

Where dreams as wishes that will not be

Paint his face in her life once again.

Lives entwining, suffocating themselves

Fading with every heartbeat

Burning inside like molten rivers

Freezing in the ice of grief.

copyright 2003 carol ann lewis

New Book - Edina Green In The Afterlife

I started this story a few years ago, I had the idea to write a time travel story but it had to be different from other time travel stories.  I hope I have achieved this with Edina Green.  I combined my interest in past lives and time travel to create a situation where Edina slips from one kind of existence to another.  She has no special powers, no time travel machine.  Her ability to travel in time is a natural part of her new existence.  I enjoyed writing it and hope others will too.  She has many more adventures to come.  :)