Christmas in the Victorian era differed considerably from the Christmas we celebrate today as these extracts from the Glamorgan Gazette reveal. In 1876 the Gazette reported that: ‘The Sunday Schools belonging to the Calvinistic Methodists in this district held a meeting on Christmas Day at Cornelly, to recite portions of “Hyfforddwr Charles.” The following schools took part: … Continue reading A Victorian Christmas – Mansel Jones
Several poems attributed to the sixth century poet Taliesin also refer to Arthur. These poems include ‘Kadeir Teyrnon’ (‘The Chair of the Prince’), making reference to ‘Arthur the Blessed’, ‘Preiddeu Annwn’ (‘The Spoils of Annwn’), which recounts Arthur’s expedition to the Otherworld, and ‘Marwnat Vthyr Pendragon’ (‘The Elegy of Uther Pendragon’), a poem that refers … Continue reading Arthur of the Britons
In May 1604 Robert Catesby rented rooms adjacent to the House of Lords and, along with over a dozen conspirators, instigated a plot to kill James I and replace him on the throne with Elizabeth, James’ nine year old daughter. One of the conspirators was Guido Fawkes, an explosives expert. The conspirators learned that the … Continue reading The Gunpowder Plot
