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.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Christmas-Past-carol-Ann-lewis/dp/1497304466/ref=sr_1_11_twi_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415870487&sr=8-11&keywords=carol+ann+lewis

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"