Bosworth Blind?

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Today was the anniversary of the Battle of Bosworth ( August 22nd ). I waited all day for some reference on the web. I checked the usual suspects; Welsh groups on FB, Welsh political blogs etc. But...not a single mention. Read more here - Bosworth Blind?

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'Owain Glyndwr: Prince of Wales' by R.R. Davies published by Y Lolfa

Popular Version of Inspiring Glyn Dŵr Story Published

A new concise and accessible study of the life and legacy of Owain Glyn Dŵr, whose revolt against England’s rule of Wales in the early 15th century ensured his status as a national hero, is published this week by Y Lolfa. R R Davies, author of Owain Glyn Dŵr: Prince of Wales, was Chichele Professor of Medieval History at All Souls College, Oxford and was regarded as the main authority on Glyn Dŵr’s uprising before his death in 2005. In his introduction to the original Welsh version of the book he said,

“If there is any subject from Welsh history which deserves to be retold, then it is the story of Owain and his revolt. I have the privilege of having been born and reared in Glyn Dŵr’s own land. In a way this volume is some small repayment for the inheritance I received in that special countryside.”

Owain was voted the most influential Welsh person of the millennium in a BBC Wales poll and revolutionaries from around the world including Fidel Castro have been influenced by his pioneering guerrilla warfare tactics. There have been petitions and internet campaigns for a Braveheart style film on Owain Glyn Dŵr, with names such as Ioan Gruffudd and Matthew Rhys being touted to play the leading role. Publishers Y Lolfa hope that this accessible book will raise the profile of Glyn Dŵr introducing one of the most inspiring stories of Welsh history to thousands of new readers. Lefi Gruffudd, chief editor and former student of R R Davies said,

“We will be sending a copy of the book to Hollywood directors as well as to Welsh film producers.”

Gerald Morgan, who translated the book from Welsh, paid tribute to the author,

“Translating this book was for me an act of pietas and tribute to the Welsh historian of my time whom I admired above all others for his extraordinary combination of a razor-sharp mind with great personal warmth.”

Owain Glyn Dŵr: Prince of Wales, Wales Book of the Month for January, is available in bookshops and www.ylolfa.com for £5.95. Reviews of the Welsh edition:

“Readable narrative that’s more like an adventure novel than a history book.”

LORD DAFYDD ELIS-THOMAS

“Combining scholarship with accessibility, this book gives an eminently readable and inspired account of one of Wales’s most popular heroes.”

ERYN WHITE, PLANET MAGAZINE

St. Davids Day Menu

Click to Enlarge This was last years suggested three-course St Davids Day recipe from Americymru. This year we will be inviting Americymru members to try out the many recipe suggestions to be found on our Welsh Recipes Group. page. We will be publishing a new St Davids Day three course menu on Feb 21st. This will allow time for people to try out some of the recipes on the groups page and allow time for anyone to prepare should they wish to try out our recommendation on the day itself. Join Americymru HERE

Saint David's Day March 1st is Saint David's Day, the National Holiday of Wales, a day to celebrate for the Welsh and Americans of Welsh descent. In Wales, people celebrate Saint David's Day by attending church services, wearing leeks and daffodils (national symbols of Wales and St. David), holding parades and children's parties in the schools. Saint David, Dewi Sant in Welsh, lived in the 6th Century and is unique among British saints in that a surprising amount of information was recorded about his life. He was probably the son of Usai, the king of Ceredigion, and the daughter of a lord of what would later be called Pembrokeshire and was the student of another Welsh saint, Paulinus. Dewi Sant was renowned as a teacher who founded monastic settlements and churches in mostly pagan Wales, Cornwall and Brittany. Today, Saint David's Cathedral stands on the site of a monastery he founded in Glyn Rhosyn (Valley of Roses) in Pembrokeshire. The monastic rule of Dewi Sant taught humility, simplicity and asceticism and he practiced these himself: that monks ploughed, planted and tended their crops themselves, without draft animals; that they drank only water and ate only bread with salt and herbs and never meat or beer; that they spent their evenings in prayer, reading and writing; that no member of the monastery had any personal possessions, everything belonged to them all. Dewi Sant's last sermon was recorded as including the words, "Do the little things that you have seen me do and heard about.... Do the little things in life," and this phrase, "Gwnewch y pethau bychain mewn bywyd," ("Do the little things in life") is a phrase used today.

Herbed Lamb Chops with Balsamic Glaze

Recipe And Ingredients 4 large lamb loin chops extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley 2 Tbs chopped fresh sage 2 Tbs chopped fresh rosemary 2 Tbs chopped fresh thyme 1 Tbs dark brown sugar 1 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper 1 tsp salt 2 large Walla-Walla onions, sliced thick 3 large cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped 1 cup Cabernet Sauvignon 2/3 cup Balsamic vinegar Preparation: Pour 2 Tbs olive oil into hot pan over medium heat. Season lamb chops on both sides with salt and pepper and add to pan. Pour onions over chops and cook until lamb is browned on both sides, about 5-7 minutes each side, stirring onions until they are clear. When lamb is cooked, remove chops and cover. Sprinkle brown sugar over onions and saute, stirring frequently until onions are browned and coated with sugar. Add garlic and herbs and saute for about a minute. Add vinegar and wine and boil in pan until reduced to glaze, about three minutes. Spoon over chops and serve. Welsh Pot Bread Welsh Pot Bread Serving Suggestion Recipe And Ingredients 2 new, unused, unglazed or painted, bare 6-inch terracotta flower pots Parchment paper 1 1/2 cups Spelt flour 1/2 cup milk warmed to room temperature 1/2 cup water warmed to room temperature 1/2 cup whole wheat flour 1/2 oz or two packets fresh or dried active yeast 1 egg 4 tbsp melted butter 2 Tbs finely chopped scallions 1 Tbs chopped fresh chives, chopped 1 1/2 tsp salt 1 Tbs honey 1 tsp chopped fresh sage 1 tsp crushed fresh rosemary leaves 1 clove crushed garlic Seasoning flower pots This step can be done in advance of preparing the bread, at any time. Pre-heat oven to 175F Thoroughly wash pots inside and out and dry well. Coat pots all over (including the rim and the bottom) with olive oil inside and out, using a basting brush or paper towel. Place pots in oven on a cookie sheet and bake at 175F for about 20-30 minutes, or until dry. Remove pots from oven and allow to cool. Repeat this process three times. Preparing Pot Bread Preheat oven to 400F. Slightly warm two tablespoons of the milk and dissolve the honey in it. Allow to cool to lukewarm and add the yeast and mix into a thin paste. Cover and set aside in a warm place for 15 minutes or until yeast is well grown and foamy. Sift together flours and salt in large bowl, make a well in the center and pour the yeast mixture into the well. Add water, butter, onions, herbs and garlic, mix together well and knead on floured surface about 5 minutes, adding additional spelt flour in small amounts until it becomes a smooth, elastic dough. Pat dough into a ball shape. Place dough ball in a lightly warmed, greased bowl and cover in a warm place for approximately one hour, until dough has risen to double in size. Turn dough out onto floured surface and punch down only to knock out all the air, kneading lightly. Separate dough into two equal-sized balls. Place a circle of parchment paper to cover the bottom of each pot and place a dough ball on it. Cover each ball of dough and put in a warm place for approximately a half hour to an hour, until dough balls have risen to double in size or until they stop rising. Gently brush tops of each loaf with well-beaten egg. Place pots on cookie sheet in oven preheated at 400F for 30-40 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from oven and turn out to cool. Strawberry-Rhubarb Caerphilly Crumble Caerphilly Castle Caerphilly Crumble Recipe And Ingredients This dessert is a sweet, early spring treat in the UK and the US and there are many versions of it to be found. Our version is simple and easily modified for larger or smaller groups. Today Caerphilly cheese is made in different parts of the UK but it originated, of course, in the area of the town of Caerphilly, in South Wales. Rhubarb was probably brought to the United Kingdom thousands of years ago and is today grown in Wales and popular in desserts, wines and other recipes. Serves 4 Filling 2 Tbs. orange juice 2 tsp. cornstarch 1 1/2 cup diced fresh or frozen rhubarb 1 1/2 cup hulled and sliced strawberries 1/3 cup sugar 1 tsp chopped crystallized ginger 1 Tsp. freshly grated orange zest Topping 1/2 cup uncooked rolled oats 1/4 cup whole wheat flour 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar 1/4 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. salt 1/3 cup orange juice 1/4 cup crumbled Caerphilly cheese 2 tbls butter OPTIONAL 2 Tbs. crushed almonds Preheat Oven to 350F and grease a 9-inch pie pan. Mix fruit with orange juice, crystallized ginger, sugar, cornstarch, and orange zest and pour into pie plate. Mix oats, flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and almonds. With your hands, mix in butter and Caerphilly cheese, pressing it into the dry ingredients until crumbly. Slowly add orange juice as needed until you achieve slightly smooth crumbles that hang together. Spread topping over fruit mix. Place pie dish in oven over cookie sheet or foil to catch any bubble over. Bake at 350F for 40 minutes or until top is well browned. Remove and let cool to room temperature. Serve alone or with vanilla ice cream or creme fraiche.

Welsh Tories Stand Up To Be Counted! Restore The Madoc Plaque!

Well OK so they were probably sitting down at the time but the important thing is that they signed up. Several Welsh Conservative AM's have added their support to the online petition and campaign to restore the Madoc Plaque in Mobile Bay and more importantly Nick Bourne ( Conservative AM leader ) has made it pretty clear that the party is officially behind this request. For this he is to be heartily thanked and congratulated by all those concerned to preserve the Welsh heritage internationally.

But this raises a few interesting questions. Why could the other parties in the Senedd not officially lend their weight to this campaign? Where is Plaid Cymru? Individual AM's from all of the major parties in Wales have signed but only the Tories have gone so far as to give official support.

Another closely related and equally interesting question is this. Why have the D.A.R. ( Daughters of The American Revolution ) not officially supported the restoration of their own plaque? Has America outsourced preservation of its heritage to the Welsh Parliament?

Sign The Petition HERE

There's History and There's Lies: Once More on the Madoc Plaque

( Sign the petition HERE )

Studying the roll of honor on the Alabama Welsh Associations petition site one notices the names of concerned individuals and representatives of Welsh Communities and ex-pat Societies from all around the world. One also notes a distinct lack of support from the Welsh academic community and in particular Welsh historians.

Yes I know that Gwyn Williams debunked the theory that Gutyn Owen referenced the Madoc saga before John Dee. I share the general view that the whole tale is so fantastical as to be at the very least highly improbable. But then I dont believe in Pryderi's pigs either!

The very same Gwyn Williams who may have given the Madoc legend the kiss of death was fond of referring to the 'Mabinoggion' as a 'foundation text'. In that sense he likened it to the Old Testament. I dont think any sane person would deny the historical significance of either work.

The 'Mabinoggion' is a book of fairy tales but none the less significant for that. If the Madoc legend is also a fairy tale, as it very well maybe, why is it singled out for special treatment? Why is it not considered significant? It has motivated writers, explorers and statesmen. Its role as a subsidiary factor in the motivations of many of those who explored the American West is a matter of established fact! It inspired Robert Southey and many other authors.

The history of Wales is littered with fantastical episodes and fanciful figures. Arthur, Merlin and Iolo Morgannwg spring readily to mind. Is it the business of historians to despise them or study them?

Please humour those of us who are not professional academic historians. It would be greatly appreciated.

Previous post (HERE)

An Act of Historical Vandalism! Restore The Madoc Plaque!

Sign the Petition
Storm Over Missing Madoc Plaque
Support The Alabama Welsh

Firstly let me say that I entirely support the Alabama Welsh Society in their efforts to have the plaque restored ( see above linked articles for background ). I am not a believer in the Madoc story. Of course I would like to believe it and am always ready to be convinced but currently there is no concrete evidence to support it and the whole episode seems too convenient for Tudor propaganda purposes not to have been fabricated. It is a fact, however, that many people have believed this story including Thomas Jefferson and Meriwether Lewis. Both men were of Welsh ancestry and one of the secondary goals of The Lewis and Clark expedition was to locate the lost tribe of Welsh speaking Indians possibly amongst the Mandans.

The following is a quote from the above-linked article. It outlines the official explanation for the plaque's removal:-

"But according to the site manager of Fort Morgan, Blanton Blankenship, the plaque has since been removed and is currently in storage because the site only "focuses on the United States military presence".

In a letter to the Welsh society, Mr Blankenship said: " This does not reflect prejudice against Prince Madoc or the Welsh, as we also do not interpret the prehistoric Native American nor historic Spanish, French and English occupations of this area. There are no plans to put it back on exhibit."

All of this entirely misses the point! The plaque is itself a part of American history. It is a manifestation of a belief ( mistaken or otherwise ) that has motivated men like Jefferson and Lewis and many others amongst the pioneers and explorers of the 19th century. In Hudson N.Y. there is a public park which, for various bizarre reasons, is home to a statue of St. Winifrede, a 7th century Welsh Saint. Should it be removed because the park focuses on recreational use and not religious or historical commemoration? Is it not conceivable that a site, historical or otherwise, can serve more than one purpose or provide a home for a variety of artifacts?

But let us indulge in a little reductio ad absurdum. I am a former resident of downtown Cardiff. Cardiff Castle is well known as a mish-mash of Roman, Norman, late Medieval and 19th Century structures. Let us suppose that it was decided that visitors should focus on the period of the Roman occupation. Do we then demolish the rest in order to remove any possible distractions? Surely the absurdity of this must impinge upon even the most beaurocratically warped mind?

The Alabama Welsh society want us to write to a number of people listed on this page. I for one will be heeding their call.

As a side note:- How come it took twenty years before anyone noticed it was gone?

(Image at the top of this page reproduced by kind permission of The Alabama Welsh Society. Why doesn't Blogger allow captions??)