The Ancient History Of Barry, South Wales: Part Two

On August 9, 2010, In Uncategorized, By Owen Jones

In the Twelfth Century, William de Barri owned Barry Castle, but it was attacked and destroyed by Llewellyn Bren in 1316. It is said that the Cavaliers rebuilt it, but that it was subsequently destroyed again by the Roundheads, never to be rebuilt.

The Norman interlopers were thoroughly hated by the local people and they had to build large mansions to defend themselves from the not infrequent raids on them by the people of the valleys and the mountains. During the time of the reign of Henry III, there were 12 castles within six miles of Barry; in Glamorgan, there were 30 castles and in South Wales as a whole there were 150 of those symbols of oppression.

Porthkerry and its church which lies on the wooded hill to the west of it are said to have taken their name from Ceri, who, in turn, is said to have founded a port there, ie ‘Port Ceri’. People say that Ceri ap Caid, the King of Essyllwg, lived in Porthkerry before the Christian era and that his bard, Corvinor, was the first to build a ship with sails and a rudder for the ‘race of Cymru’. Some believe that Ceri was a nephew or grandson of Caractacus (Caradog) and that he took over the leadership of the government in South Wales when Caractacus had to journey to Rome.

John Wesley preached in the Porthkerry Church pulpit, and sometimes outside too, between 1741 and 1743. There are two very old churches still in use today in Barry, St. Cadocs Church in Cadoxton and Merthyr Dyfan Church in Merthyr Dyfan. One-hundred-and-fifty years ago, Cadoxton was the largest village in the Barry area: for example, in 1844 the Parliamentary register contained 25 names: 20 from Cadoxton and five from Barry. The one church was dedicated to St. Cadoc, who used to spend Lent on Flat Holm and Barry Island. The village took its name from the church, which was founded in 800 AD.

Merthyr Dyfan Church, situated in the north of Barry, was founded in 600 AD and the name means Dyfan The Martyr. There were two saints of this name: one journeyed to Barry to convert the inhabitants to Christianity; the second lived in the Sixth Century and was the son of a Welsh chieftain. His sister was also martyred and the town of Merthyr Tydfil is named after her.

The Christian faith grew very quickly in the Vale of Glamorgan and in the middle of the second century, the Prince of Siluria, Llewrwg, became the first king, of any country in the world in all history, to be baptized into the Christian faith. He sent to Rome for more Chritian teachers and was sent two monks named Dyfan and Fagan. Dyfan was martyred near the church and the Fagan was canonized. St. Fagan’s situated between Barry and Cardiff was named after him.

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Barry, South Wales: Ancient History: Part 2

On August 5, 2010, In Uncategorized, By Owen Jones

In the Eighteenth Century, they found dishes, saws, knives, flints, a scraper, a prehistoric horn celt with strange markings, a spokeshave and some arrowheads from the Neolithic Period. These artifacts are safely ensconced in the Museum of Wales in Cardiff, but unfortunately, no one at the time thought the find significant enough to warrant a dig and now there are houses on it.

An ancient Roman kitchen, complete with remains and utensils underwent a similar fate. In 1533, Leland was made the Kings Antiquary and was directed to make a tour of all places where records were held. This took him nine years and his description of the island was:

“It is about a mile in circumference and has good corn, grass and some wood, and there is no dwelling on the Island, but in the midst of it is a fair little Chapel of St. Baruch which is visited by many pilgrims. It took the name Barri from this holy man who was buried there and whose remains are yet on the Island”. (The Welsh name for Barry is Y Barri).

Vikings raided the coastline of south Wales in the Tenth Century often taking hostages from the monasteries, but they did not seek to settle the area. The island was known as the ‘Saints’ Retreat’ or the ‘Island of Saints’ for a long time. Later, in the Sixteenth Century, the island was used by smugglers and pirates and was known locally as the ‘Smugglers’ Fortress’. This occurred at the same time as Bristol, Britain’s second largest port, was growing rapidly.

Barry Island soon became the centre of piracy and smuggling in the Bristol Channel. In 1784, the island became known as the “Fortress of Knight”. Knight was the most prolific pirate and smuggler in the channel and people were to terrified to speak out in court against him., although he was also considered a bit of a local hero. His armed ship was called ‘John O’ Combe’. He was eventually forced out to Lundy, which he also fortified. He and his successor, Arthur, returned to Barry so frequently that H.M. Customs asked the government to station a cutter in Penarth and 60 troops to Barry.

The small seaside village of Rhoose, five miles from Barry, was so well-known for its wreckers that George II sent troops to break up them up. They landed at Aberthaw, just up the coast a bit further, “the Rhoose men’s favourite landing zone, from where they could easily transport the contraband along Port Road to Cardiff, the main market for such things”. While digging out for the docks at Barry in the late nineteenth century, several large caves were filled in. They had probably been used by the pirates who were moved on in about 1850.

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The Welsh Terrier

On August 3, 2010, In Uncategorized, By Owen Jones

Originally, Welsh terriers were bred for hunting rabbits, foxes and badgers, but public opinion and the decline in the lust for blood in general have gone against blood sports and so this native breed of Wales has become a show dog and a pet. Breeders try to outdo each other by breeding the Welsh terrier to have a thicker wiry coat and deeper colouration. The Welsh terrier is also a popular pet because it is one of the most easy-going terriers.

The Welsh terrier is a fun loving dog. It just loves to run, chase and play, which makes it a smashing companion and a perfect pet. Welsh terriers require lots of exercise, so be prepared for plenty of walking, if you make your mind up to get one.

It is a good idea to ‘socialize’ your dog as early as possible. This means that you should introduce your Welsh terrier puppy to children and other dogs at an early age. The more you encourage your dog to play with other dogs as a puppy, the less trouble you will have with your dog fighting or barking at other dogs and cats. It’s the same story with children. Children can play very roughly, and a dog could be forgiven for biting back, but it can be avoided by introducing your Welsh terrier puppy to children while it is still young. The child might learn respect, but the dog will learn tolerance.

The Welsh terrier is easily trained, if you like your dog to do tricks. it is an intelligent breed and, being former hunters, they are good at learning commands and tricks. Train your Welsh terrier with kindheartedness and repetition. They like to retrieve sticks and play with a ball. Many people train their Welsh terriers to catch a flying Frisbee too.

A Welsh terrier will groom himself quite meticulously, but you can help out by brushing him once a week in order to eradicate the dead and loose hair. This will also help reduce the amount of hairs dropping inside your house, although terriers in general, and wire-haired dogs in particular do not shed as much hair as soft coated dogs. You could also lend a hand by wiping him over with a moist cloth from time to time in order to pick up any dust on his coat.

A Welsh terrier is very active and very curious, so it is prudent to keep your dog in a yard that has been fenced off. However, the fence needs to be realistically high, because the Welsh terrier has an exceptional ability to jump due to its long legs.

The Welsh terrier is Britain’s oldest breed of dog, but it is now under pressure. The British kennel club registers only 300 Welsh terrier puppies a year, whereas it registers tens of thousands of puppies of other, more popular, breeds. The Welsh terrier is a strong-willed animal, so it does need a strong-willed and patient owner.

However. if you want a Welsh terrier and you persevere with it, you will never look back. They have a lot to give and, as with so many things in life, you only get out what you are willing to put in.

If you are interested in Welsh corgi puppies, or Wales in general, go to our website at Welsh Products Online

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Clinical Depression? What Is That?

On July 13, 2010, In Uncategorized, By Colin Jones

Depression is a mental disorder that is quite often characterized by prolonged periods of sadness and melancholy, experts from the field of psychiatry say.

However, just because one person slopes around and hates the world in general, it doesn’t necessarily mean that he/she is suffering from depression, but if this kind of behaviour, that feeling of emptiness, loss of self-worth and absolute lack of hope for happiness continues , then, that person could be, indeed, depressed. Still, there are several types of depression too.

Manic or Bipolar depression is characterized by sudden and extreme mood swings – one minute he or she is euphoric while the next minute (day or week), he or she feels as if he or she is hell.

Postpartum depression is characterized by a prolonged sadness and a prolonged feeling of emptiness by a new mother where physical stress during child birth, an uncertain sense of responsibility towards the new born baby can be just some of the possible reasons why some new mothers suffer from this.

Dysthimia is characterized by a slight similarity with depression, although this type has been proven to be a great deal less severe, however. as with any case of depression, it should be sorted out immediately.

Cyclothemia – characterized by a nominal similarity with Manic or Bipolar depression wherein the individual suffering from this mental illness suffers from severe changes in mood.

Seasonal Affective Disorder is characterized by being depressed only during specific seasons (i.e. Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall). However, studies prove that more people actually fall ill during the Winter and Fall seasons. Or they could suffer from severe mood swings, wherein a person’s mood may shift from happy to sad to angry in quite a short period of time.

‘Clinical depression’ or as some might call it, ‘major depression’, is the actual medical term for depression. Actually, clinical depression is more of a disorder than an illness, because it refers only to those who are suffering from symptoms that cause depression.

However, despite it being a real disorder, clinical depression can be treated very successfully. Doctors are usually very optimistic that patients suffering from clinical depression will soon be well on their way to regaining good mental health as long as they receive treatment as soon as they have been diagnosed. Patients who have sought treatment for clinical depression have proven to be quite successful in their hopes, given that 80 percent of those treated have found relief from their illness.

If you are looking for answers to questions related to clinical depression, the depression section of the health centre can be highly recommended, as well as books on psychiatry and the Internet, which offers a great deal of helpful information, although self treatment is very much frowned upon. Clinical depression may not pose as much of a threat as the other types of mental illness, but it is best to leave to the professionals who can safely attend to and cure this disorder.

Medicsnow recognize the link between anger and depression, find out more on our site at: http://www.anger-management.the-real-way.com/ Check here for free reprint licence: Clinical Depression? What Is That?.

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