Cylchgronau Cymru

Chwiliwch trwy dros 450 o deitlau a 1.2 miliwn o dudalennau

JHE gRIDGEND JLLUSTRATED J^AGAZINE. No. 2. FEBRUARY, 1883. Two Pence. OLD WELSH POETRY By Morgan Grtjffyth, who ivas a distinguished, Poet and a contemporary of Mr. David Williams, of Penlline, Itnoivn as " Dafydd o'r Nant." Born at Lla?itrisant and flourished from about 1660 to 1680. Coclais foreuddydd, Gyda'r Ehedydd, I rhodio'r gweynydd, Dolydd deiliog ; A merch a glywais Yn canu perlais, Yn gerdd arianllais Gydlais a'r Gog. Daeth gwres i'm dwyfron, A serch i'm calon, A'r eiliwr hinon, Warloer enwog; A theirnlo galaeth, A chwyn ysywaeth, Yn ddoluriog. Brysiais i'w gweled, Lluniais wrth fyned, Hi'n deg ail Luned O gred greidiog; Ond och ! pan welais, Y ferch eoslais, lawn y rhyf'eddais, Yn orfoddog. IV. Cloben anhyfryd, A chas wynebpryd ; Lliw y gwaed hefyd, Llygaid deifiog; Fe ddarfu'r cariad, A wnaeth i'm oernad A'i wae mor irad, A mawreiriog. Teimlais fy nghalon, Yn rydd i'm dwyfron; Am holl flinderon, Llymion llamog ; Yn ffoi fal niwlen Ar godiad haul wen, A'i wenau llawen Yn alluog. GLAMORGANSHIRE ANTIQUITIES. The following observations on the study of Glamorgan¬ shire Antiquities are extracted from a lengthy paper or rather series of papers which appeared in the Archosologia Cambrensis in 1869. Archaeological science it is true, has in the meantime made considerable strides, and some of the work suggested has been attempted—we will not say accomplished; but notwithstanding the somewhat changed aspect of affairs, the lines of study laid down are those which have yet to be followed. Our field of local antiquities being yet all but virgin soil to the explorer, we present him with these observations for his aid and guidance. Perhaps it may be as well to state that the great fact which Archaeological research has written these last twelve years, revealed to and settled for us is, that an important section of our pre-historic antiquities are of a very much earlier date than had hitherto been dreamt of. Not so very long ago we were inclined to divide the whole area of pre-historic antiquity with the broad division of British and Roman. A Danish interloper was indeed recognised as having left a few sparsely scattered marks behind him, but he counted for next to nothing in the reckoning. Now we know that ages before the " Briton " set his foot on the soil of this island, it was the home of races of men who had conflicting interests and who raised earthworks for tribal defence. The task which archoeology has put immediately before us, is that of determining an approximate date for the existence of these peoples, and of the order in which they must be classed. There are abundant traces of them in Glamorgan¬ shire, and the Bridgend student has not far to seek for them. The county of Glamorgan is one of the most important and interesting in all Wales, not only on account of its modern wealth and resources but also for its historical associations and antiquarian remains. On entering the county from the eastward its natural features make a division of territory, by which the anti¬ quary cannot avoid being influenced in his researches— the "Hills" and the "Vale." The former constitute a noble group of hills or rather mountains well defined by the Taff on the Bast and the Lough or on the West whilst the Vale fills up all the intervals between the hills and the sea. The former as being longest in an uncultivated state is full of memorials of its old British life ; the latter is rich in remains of all periods of British and English history, from the time of the Romans, at least, to those of the Commonwealth, but the hills have been much less explored than the vale. And yet the hills are easy of access, for they are all deeply indented by valleys running down from their summits to the flatter country. The table lands on the tops of the hills can now be visited with comparative ease ; railways penetrate most of the valleys, and the knowledge of the peculiar features may be gathered from the Ordnance maps and from local infor¬ mation. There must have been a sharp look-out always kept by the hill populations upon the proceedings of their more powerful neighbours in the vale ; and it is highly probable that a considerable chain of hill-fortresses, beacons, and j other rude military precautions may be found all along the tops of the hills from the banks of the Taff to the Loughor. Alonw the great valleys leading to the spots where Merthyr Tydfil is now situated we may expect to meet with similar, military outposts above the steep mountain sides, and especially towards the upper portion of these valleys may explorers direct their attention. All along the moors round Merthyr there are numerous indications of British occupation well worthy of careful exploration. There are, probably, several lines of ancient British roads to be made out here, such as the Heol Adda above Dowlais, the ancient road running over the Bwlch between the two Beacons of Brecon, &c. Indeed, every valley may be expected to be accompanied by an ancient British track¬ way running more or less parallel to it on the dry ground of the mountain top, and all this is well worth looking after for the traces of the early Britons. Thus on the mountain road now running beneath the westernmost of the Brecon Beacons, and not many miles from the '' Lamb and Flag," may be found numerous pits of no great size or depth, much resembling small lime-kilns cut out of the solid rock. They have no vents at the bottom, and it is probable they are the remains of ancient habitations such as have been observed on the moors of Dorsetshire. They are worth looking after if with no other object than that of determining their negative features. Again, further to the west, on the moors above Ystradgynlais and Cwm- Twrc, there is an ancient line of communication leading into Carmarthenshire, reputed to have been that by which the black cattle were driven up from the Vale _ of Glamorgan to the Vale of Towey. There is still a rich fund of tradition relating to the subject to be met with in the district. There are ancient trackways, used, indeed, in modern times about the upper part of the Loughor Valley, all well worth looking after; and along the vale , by the foot of the mountain ground early earth works have been, and will again, be found. But they all want connecting in a systematic survey. On the hills above Neath, Margam, and Llantrisant, the same class of antiquities abound, and are for the most part unnoted ; while upon the range of hills groups of stones, isolated stones, and other early remains are known to exist, and all require careful survey. (To be continued.)