Mrs. Margaretta Thomas reminiscing with Peter Kennedy about the Feri and Punch and Judy in Nantgarw, south-east Wales. Recorded on December 28, 1956. Nantgarw is about twenty miles due east of Brynmenyn, in the Taf valley. Read her daughter, Dr Ceinwen Thomas describe her mother and Nantgarw here http://dawnsio.com/en/dances/nantgarw-fair-dances/easter-course-address-english/
2 
Tondu Junction, the nearest railway to Brynmenyn
This version of Y Fari Lwyd was recorded in October 1953 at Brynmenyn, near Bridgend, Glamorganshire, South Wales from William Morgan Rees (railway worker, b. 1883), who recalled the annual visits of the Mari Lwyd in the area to the north–east of Bridgend up until around 1933. Brynmenyn, in the Garw valley, is about four miles south-east of Llangynnwyd, which is in the Llynfi.
10 
Sianco’r Castell and others with ‘Y Fari’ in Llangynwyd circa 1904
4
The Corner House, Llangynwyd taken at the turn of the last century. The memorial is to Wil Hopcyn, one of the local poets mentioned in the Mari Lwyd Gwashel recording, and Ann Thomas.
Wil Hopcyn is credited as being the composer of ‘The Maid of Cefn Ydfa’, the song which is mentioned in Tom Thomas’s description of Ted Ebley’s travelling theatre in a previous post.
Wil Hopcyn and Ann Thomas are buried in Llangynwyd cemetry.
1Mari Lwyd, or Y Feri, or Aderyn Bi y Llwyn. Recorded by Peter Kennedy at an unspecified farmhouse on December 24, 1956 in Llangynwyd, near Maesteg, Glamorganshire, south Wales. The singers are William David Thomas (outside) and David Jenkins (inside).
This type of singing is called ‘Canu Gwashel’ or ‘Cwnseila’ The contest is called ‘Pwnco’
More on the Mari Lwyd here http://www.folkwales.org.uk/arctd9.html
and here
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cymru/deddwyrain/safle/cwmllynfi/pages/archif_fari_lwyd.shtml
3 
This bowl was made at the Ewenny Pottery in Glamorgan. It is made of red clay with a yellow glaze over a white slip. Wassailing bowls were always decorated in the same way and this one has nearly all the expected traditional features.
The man on the lid sits with out-stretched arms and wears a tricorn hat. He originally sat on a barrel with a glass in his hand. Other lid decoration includes four handles, a fox, dogs, birds and sheaves of corn. On the very top stands a cockerel. The body had eighteen handles and is decorated with ‘sgraffito’ (scratched) decoration. Designs include a compass and some plants, possibly hop flowers.
The inscription reads: “Margt Thomas / Decr 9th 1841 / Bridgend”. Our Christmas tradition of carol singing door-to-door grew out of wassailing. The bowl contained mulled wine which the householder drank for good luck before adding more wine to the bowl.
In South Wales, a wassailing bowl often accompanied the traditional ‘Mari Lwyd’. The ‘Mari Lwyd’ (Grey Lady) is a horse’s skull covered with a white sheet and decorated with colourful ribbons. It was carried door-to-door by a man who operated the jaw and made it snap. It was accompanied by a party of followers who stood outside the door reciting poetry and songs until they were let into the house. Once inside, the ‘Mari Lwyd’ ran about wildly after any girls, snapping at them until they gave it food and drink.
This Item is located at Swansea Museum in the Cabinet of Curiosities
For more information on Mummers plays and Crwmpyn John in south Wales visit Mari Arts’ website. http://www.folkwales.org.uk/arctd2.html
For more information on Edward Ebley’s travelling theatre visit the National Fairground Archive here http://www.nfa.dept.shef.ac.uk/history/invited_articles/ebley.html
The Ebley family archive is held at Swansea University
1Tom Thomas of Treorchy tells of Mummers in the Barber shop and Ted Ebley’s travelling theatre
Eirwyn Jones (Eirwyn Dosha, Eirwyn Pontshan) Storyteller, 1922-1994
