TIMES PAST Life in the Vale – part 3
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| By Betty Alden from Cowbridge History Society’s digital archive
The Glamorgan Star is grateful to the Cowbridge Local History Society, who have made a digital archive, including these press clippings from the past. Please note – this piece contains language in common usage at the time which may cause present day offence.
Don’t Look Up
1884, 26th January. Letter from Daniel Owen of Ash Hall, Ystradowen about seeing a comet to the west from his garden ‘very distinctly with the naked eye’. It was apparently about 20 times larger than the stars surrounding it, and the tail seemed from 30 to 40 times the diameter of the comet. He watched it until 8 pm when it was more brilliant than before.
Weekly Mail
Watercress ladies ‘assaulted’ by ribald song
1885, 10th January. William Naylor charged with assault of Joanna Santry & Mary Ann Cokeley. They were returning late Saturday night from Cowbridge, laden with watercress, and near Sweldon Farm heard the prisoner & another man singing a ribald son.
Cardiff Times
Histrionics as ladies make stage debut
1890, 31st January. The Cowbridge Histrionic Club gave another entertainment at the Town Hall on Tuesday evening last. The pieces were ‘His Last Legs’ and ‘Stolen, £20 Reward’. Mr CJ Gwyn, solicitor, as ‘O’Callaghan’ in the comedy was a triumph, and the introduction of ladies into the characters was a source of gratification.
Barry Dock News
Aberthaw Railway Terror is jailed
1891, 30th January. On Wednesday night, the signal box near the Cowbridge Station was discovered to be on fire. The outbreak is supposed to have originated through the upsetting of a lamp. The box was almost entirely destroyed, but the points suffered little damage. At Cowbridge Police Court, George Holvey, a navvy working on the Cowbridge & Aberthaw Railway, and known as ‘the Aberthaw Railway Terror’, was sentenced to one month’s imprisonment for being drunk & disorderly & assaulting PC Bailey the previous Wednesday night.
Barry Dock News
Employer’s Christmas gift to staff
1892, 1st January. During this Christmas season, Mr RT Bassett of Crossways killed a prime ox & distributed it amongst his employees and the inhabitants of the parish. Each was the recipient of from 15lb to 20lb. The animal failing Mr Bassett’s anticipations, he purchased a large quantity of meat from the Cowbridge butchers. Mrs RT Bassett presented all the poor & working classes with warm clothing.
Barry Dock News
Skulls found in St Mary Church
1892, 2nd January. Mr RJ. Mathias, manager for Mr WH Mathias, the contractor of the Cowbridge & Aberthaw Railway, found a human skull, one of four, at Kingsland (St Mary Church) midway between Cowbridge and Aberthaw. The bodies were lying with their heads towards the east & would seem to have been interred many centuries ago. The teeth were perfect. It seems a great battle took place at a spot about 5 or 6 miles from the excavation shortly before the Norman Conquest. Mr Daniel Owen JP, Ash Hall, brought the skull to Cardiff. Evening Express
Marcross Church is refurbished
1894, 22nd January. Re-opening of Marcross church. The work of restoration includes magnificent roofs to the nave, chancel & porch, new floors & windows, renovation of walls & tower, new sittings, pulpit, altar, reading desk etc. The cost was around £900 and the contactor (very satisfactory) was WA James of Cowbridge.
Cowbridge Grammar head dies
1895, 10th January. Death of the Rev Hugo Harper, DD, Principal of Jesus College, Oxford, who was made headmaster of Cowbridge Grammar School three years after taking his degree, remaining there for three years. He was heard to say he would have remained there for much longer had Jesus College seen its way to make the buildings what he wished them to be.
South Wales Daily News
Cinderella does go to the ball
1897, 29th January. A successful Cinderella dance took place at Cowbridge Town Hall on Wednesday evening. The hon secretary, Dr A Wilberforce Sheperd, acted as MC.
Evening Express
Local author who ended life in a pauper’s grave
1897, 30th January. ‘Reminiscences of Iolo Fardd Glas’ by a Cowbridge boy – ‘He was a cooper by trade and had once kept the South Gate in Cowbridge. In 1843, 4 and 5, I knew him as an old man past work, living with his married daughter in a cottage behind Mr Matthew Donne’s house on the bridge (5 High St). He was a spare built man of 70 or 75, with a rather thin, long face, high intellectual forehead & long grey hair. Now and then he used to drop in upon Mr Donne during school ours and have a chat over bardic matters – always in Welsh. A man of highly nervous temperament and very energetic in conversation, I remember that his walking stick was made of iron, spirally twisted, tapering to a point, a wooden cork or knob being fixed on the head to support the hand. … he eventually died at Bridgend Workhouse, and is laid in a pauper’s grave in Coity churchyard. His ‘Cyneir lyfr’, published at Brecon in 1826, is a work of considerable research, and is a marvellous production as the outcome of the literary efforts of a simple craftsman. This work is 2 volumes … & containing nearly 900 pages. It is now very scarce, & highly valued by those who possess a copy of it.’ Cardiff Times
New village hall for St Nicholas
1897, 29th January. Opened on Thursday, a new village hall at St Nicholas on the main road to Cowbridge, erected by Mr John Cory at a cost of £1,200. Built of Duffryn stone & covered with red Brosely tiles, the building consists of a hall accommodating 250 persons. A retiring-room is provided at the resident caretaker the platform, and also a general coffee and reading room, with a private tea-room and a house for the resident caretaker.
Unwelcome visitors from ‘the hills’
1900, 26th January. Cadrawd, writing his ‘Welsh Tit Bits’ – ‘a hundred years ago, iron bars made in “the hills” were brought down on horseback, through Penlline and Cowbridge, to be taken to Aberthaw for shipment. As soon as summer was well on, every Sunday and often in the week, crowds of people riding on horseback from the hills were seen going through Penlline down to the seaside for a few days for bathing. The Vale people treated these rough mountaineers with but scant courtesy, for in their estimation their visit was due to their being afflicted with that nasty and infectious complaint called the scabbies…’
South Wales Daily News
Blood Brothers
1906, 12th January. Two brothers at Cowbridge (15 and 17 Eastgate), who had been at feud for some time, quarrelled on Sunday night over the possession of a ferret, and one shot the other fatally with a gun. Then placing the muzzle of the weapon in his own mouth, the murderer blew out his brain. The murderer was Edward David, labourer aged 34, and his brother Arthur by name was a working mason aged 30, married with two children. They were next-door neighbours. The remains of Edward David were buried in a corner of the Cowbridge church yard at 9 o’clock in the morning – a short committal service, instead of the Church of England’s burial service, was read by the vicar & the Rev. R J Lewis. All the relatives were present & some of the townspeople.
Evening Express
Fancy dress ball
1908, 3rd January. The fancy dress ball held at Cowbridge Town Hall was the first since the early part of 1904 and was judged very successful. The event opened at 6 o’clock, when a large number of juveniles attended and their fancy costumes were much admired …. the customary procession was led by the mayor, Mr TJ Yorwerth, and town clerk, Mr WT Gwyn. Dancing was vigorously continued to the strains of Mr Tom Hopkins’s (Bridgend) band until 2 o’clock. One of the most admired costumes was that of Mrs Torney – ‘Daughter of the Regiment’; Miss Muriel Evans went as ‘Smart Set’, and Miss Audrey Smith as ‘Carmen’; Mr H.J.I Dunn was ‘Mephistophales’, and the Masters Edmondes as ‘Red Indians’. The most original was that of Miss LM Gwyn as ‘Ye Ancient Borough of Cowbridge’. Worked on the sleeves were the maces of the Corporation, and the dress bore representations of the old stocks, photos of the mayor and mayoress, aldermen etc, while on her head she wore a model of the town hall.
Top prizes for ploughing and ditching match
1910, 28th January. At a ploughing and ditching match, to be held at Pencoed – first prize, a pair of breeches will be given by Mr H Levine, outfitter, Bridgend, for the best and neatest turned-out man, horses and harness; second prize, an oilcloth coat, given by the ex-mayor of Cowbridge.
| By Betty Alden (from Cowbridge History Society’s digital archive)
• | TIMES PAST Life in the Vale – part 2
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