Cylchgronau Cymru

Chwiliwch trwy dros 450 o deitlau a 1.2 miliwn o dudalennau

56 CYMRU FU. October I2th, 1889. in his great straits,requested a certain blacksmith residing at Aberedw to shoe his borse the wrong way, so that in travelling tlie foot-prints of the animal might give the wrong clue to the enemies, and lead them nstray. Tlie blacksmith, however, proved himself unfaithful to the great Prince by informing the enemies what he had done. I need hardly mentíon that " Cefn-y- Bedd " is only a few miles from Aberedw. This fact seems to give the colour of truth to the story connected with the origin of the phrase I have noticed. J. Myfenydd Morgan. Llanvaelog, Anglesea. # QUERIES. " GENTLEMAN OF WALES."—Whence arose the prorerb which runs to the effect that every Welsh- man is a gentleman ? Cardigan. A Gentleman. SINGULAR PLACE NAMES.—What instances are there of singular or out-of-the-way names of Welsh villages and towns? I should be glad if your readers could aid me. Worcester. English Readeb. REPLIES. " ANN OF SWANSEA " (Sept, 7,1889).—" Ann of Swansea " was the 5fth daughter of Roger Eemble, by Sarah Ward, who was bcrn at Clonmell, in Ireland, September 2,1735. " Ann of Swansea's " eldest sister was the celebrated Mrs. Siddons. She wrote a novel entitled Cambrian Pictures: or, Everyone has Errors. In 1811 wa3 printed by John Bull, of Waterford, Poetic Trif.es, by " Ann of Swansea," a 12mo. yolume of 387 pages, with the following dedication :— "Tliis collection of potitry is respectfully dedi- cated to the officers of the Royal Western Regi- ment of Local Militia, by their most obedient and devoted seryant, Ann of Swansea. Swansen: College-street, June 6,1811." She was born at Worcester April, 1764, and was alive in 1834. I have been told that she died in Swansea, where she spent the greater portion of herlife. F. S. A. Brecon. This clever but very satirical writer was a sister of the famous actiess Mrs. Siddons. Her married name was Hatton, and she resided for many years at Swansea. She used the mm deplumt of " Ann of Swansea," and wrote several very amus- ing novels. One entitled Cambrian Pictures amused me greatly. When a schoolgirl I found it in the library of tny uncle, Major Rhys. It had been published many years, but interested me because I was told it contained sketclies of character drawn from real life at Swansea, and that some of tho original3 had been siily enough to fit the caps on their own heads, by writing to complain of the authoress to the Eembles. Mrs. Hatton wrote some very pretty *• fortune telling cards." I wonder if any of these packs are extant in Swansea now. I was given a pack by a relative, Miss Mansel, some years after I read " Ann of Swansea's " novels, and I met in comparatively late years, arelative of Mrs. Hatton, in town— Mrs. Horace Twiss, whose husband, a member of the House of Commons, and a man well-known at the bar, was a nephew of " Ann of Swansea." Berry Grove, Liss, Hants. Helen Watney. This was a pen name of Julia Ann, fifth daughter of Roger Eemble, and sister to Mrs. Sarah Siddons (the great actress) and John Eemble. She was born at Worcester, April 29,1764, and died at 15, Park-street, Swansea, December 26, 1838. She, in common with tlie other and greater and better known members of the Siddon faraily, possessed abilities of a high order, but being from the fírst unfortunate in her marriage relations, she gradu- ally sank into obscurity, receivingin her laterdays an income of £90 a year from her relatives. The following lines from her gifted pen speak for themselves:— " The restless waves that Iave the shore, Joining the tide's turaultuous roar, In hollow murmurs seem to say, ' Peace is not found in Swansea Bay.' In vain, by various griefs oppressed, I vagrant roam devoid of rest; With aching heart still lingering stray Around theshores of Swansea Bay." Considering the abject misery which early over- shadowed her life, she was a very voluminous writer, no less than fifteen or sixtcen novels— one of which attained considerable notoriety—and three volumes of poems, having proceeded from herpen. Tho3e who possess old copies of the Cambrian newspaper may still see some of her numerous contributions to its poets' corner. The song beginning, " Gaily still my moment's roll," was also written by her. One of her novels (The Chronicle of an Illustrious House, says one authority, while another givesits title as Cambrian Pictures), was regarded as a satire upon some Swansea folk, and it caused no little consternation among the scandal-loving portion of the inhabi- tants. Julia Ann Eemble married a Mr. Curtis, in Lcndon, who, after it was proved that he had entered into a prior marriage, soon decamped,