Monthly Archives: May 2015

4d to save a life.

Posted on May 29, 2015 by bookvolunteer

On September 5th 1897, Hannah Jane George (my great-aunt) died at the age of 24. She had contracted typhoid from drinking water from a well.  I don’t know what other sort of water she could have chosen to drink as there … Continue reading →

Posted in History | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Built with a tiny carbon footprint

Posted on May 26, 2015 by bookvolunteer

The old houses in Dinas were built with local materials. The stone came from quarries in the village and the the roof slates didn’t travel much further as there were slate quarries within a few miles.  Sand came from local beaches … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Sea | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Pwnc (to rhyme with Nunc)

Posted on May 22, 2015 by bookvolunteer

Being the child of a mixed marriage – mother from a Catholic background and father from a Protestant, non-conformist, family – I had thought that those two versions of Christianity were at opposite ends of a very broad spectrum. But Whitsun … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Religion, Welsh language | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

A farmer at Hescwm

Posted on May 19, 2015 by bookvolunteer

This is the only photo I have of my great-grandfather, Stephen George, standing alone, in his soft, comfortable, everyday clothes.  The other photos that have survived show him as a ‘pillar of the community‘ or ‘pater familias’ –  his place in the group … Continue reading →

Posted in Farming, History, Nature, Walking | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

From Hescwm to London via Swansea

Posted on May 15, 2015 by bookvolunteer

This photograph comes from a period of my grandfather’s life that I knew nothing about until recently. I had always assumed that Evan George went straight from Hescwm Farm, Dinas to an apprenticeship on the barque ‘Glance’ at Swansea and then, when … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Transport | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Train spotting in the Preselis

Posted on May 12, 2015 by bookvolunteer

Fishguard Harbour, the nearest station to Dinas, is the end of the line. Your only options are to take the ferry to Ireland, at 2.30 am or 2.30 pm, or go south towards Carmarthen. As there are only seven trains a … Continue reading →

Posted in Farming, History, Transport, Walking | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

One Christmas card that escaped the recycling

Posted on May 8, 2015 by bookvolunteer

This Christmas card was sent to my great aunt Paulina, probably some time in the late 1890s. By 1903 she was employed as a teaching assistant at Dinas school (paid £35* per year) and would shortly marry Thomas Maurice, the … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Religion | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Improving literature

Posted on May 5, 2015 by bookvolunteer

When the Welsh non-conformist chapels had congregations that filled the pews and most households  owned a family bible that was large enough to record the family’s births and deaths on blank pages, the other devotional book with which most chapel-goers were familiar … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, books, Religion, Welsh language | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Sea-change

Posted on May 1, 2015 by bookvolunteer
Posted in Sea | Tagged , , | 1 Comment