FelRh034
20.4.2002 Kate Davies
In 1978 at the age of 92 Auntie Kate was twice interviewed by Glenys Roberts of Caernarfon - this producing 2 short items for a regular Sunday evening programme on Radio Cymru. The presenter was I.B.Griffith, whose wife had been a pupil of Auntie Kate’s in Porthmadog.The following is a condensed translation rather than a complete transcript. All additions in italics are mine. S.W.
I was born in Y Felenrhyd Fawr - the Felenrhyd of the Mabinogi (mentioned in the tale of “Math son of Mathonwy” are Cynfal, Felenrhyd, Bryn Cyfergyd and Maentwrog) My father had previously farmed at Cynfal Fawr - famous as the home of Huw Llwyd (a soldier and poet 1568?-1630? featured in Y Bywgraffiadur/Dictionary of National Biography) but lost the tenancy because he shot a pheasant.
My mother, Catherine Roberts, was from Trawsfynydd and her father too was turned off his farm, because he cast his vote for the Liberal candidate. So that’s what we could call “the children of oppression”
Some interesting facts are known of my great-grandfather. He lived in Bryn Cyfergyd in Cwm Cynfal and traded in stockings/socks. According to the book Hanes Plwyf Ffestiniog (History of the Parish of Ffestiniog) he used to tour the local community collecting home-knitted stockings which he then sold on at the fair in Bala. It’s said that his wife, my great-grandmother, could knit a stocking in a day.
My first school was in Maentwrog. It was a walk of 1½ miles from home but we had our mid-day meal with kind old Margiad Williams near the village. It was a church school under the patronage of Plas Tan y Bwlch which in the village of Maentwrog was all-powerful; the whole neighbourhood belonged to the owners of the Plas and everyone was employed by them in some capacity - as carpenters, gardeners, farm-hands or whatever.
The parson, a very genial man, had considerable influence and often visited the school accompanied by his wife to whom we would curtsey. It was a happy school and a good one too, especially at making little English(wo)men of the pupils and of course that made us very useful at helping to fill in the forms from the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries which were as good as Double-Dutch to our monoglot parents. The language of the school was English. Each day started with prayers and the Creed and ended with “Now the day is over” and woe betide anyone heard speaking Welsh. We’d get a spot of ink on our tongues if we were caught, although I don’t remember the “Welsh Not”.
Those wanting a further education had to progress to the Higher Grade School in Blaenau Ffestiniog, taking the narrow-gauge train from Tan y Bwlch to Diffwys. And so I went, first to the old British School and then to the new school on Maenofferen, where one of the teachers was a sister of the poet Moelwyn and the first woman graduate from Ffestiniog. I was then awarded a scholarship which covered the cost of my education and books for 3 years at the County School on Bryn Bowydd and from there I went to the university.
While at school in Blaenau I used to stay with my cousin (in Bryngoleu) and attended revivalist meetings in Bethel chapel in Tanygrisiau. On one occasion I felt I witnessed personally the answering of the prayer/hymn written by the Rev.R.R.Morris of Betws Garmon: Ysbryd byw y deffroadau, Disgyn yn dy nerth i lawr. Rhwyga’r awyr â’th daranau, Crea’r cyffroadau mawr.
and this experience has stayed with me all my life. Auntie Kate was devout but not a kill-joy. I.B.Griffith tells of her being invited to tea by his wife and saying “I’ve been made a deacon and had to ‘sign the pledge’. I don’t know what’s in this trifle but it’s quite delicious” And then a hearty laugh.
The year I went to college I was one of 12 pupils going to Bangor from Ffestiniog, proof of an excellent staff at the school, led by a young and enthusiastic Head. He was a classicist and also musically talented and his name was Frank Paul Dodd - one of the Dodds of Wrexham. In my group were some who made a name for themselves in later life. One was the physicist Prof. Edwin Lewis. Another, John Morris of Manod (a brother of the Archdruid William Morris) became a headmaster at Bangor and then an inspector of schools. As it happens I beat John Morris in the County School Entrance Exam. Some ended up going overseas to find work e.g. Morris Owen, another physicist.
Of the 12 pupils 4 were girls. Miriam Williams taught for a time in Blaenau and then moved to the South. K.W.Jones Roberts was a talented girl, excelling at hockey, tennis and rowing and also played the organ. The only other survivor (1978) is Mrs.Wilson Williams of Bangor - another who taught for a while, in Glanypwll. Two of the boys were lost in the Great War - John Roberts of Ysbyty Ifan and Richard Jones (Dick Doppog) of Tanygrisiau. He was a friend of Williams Parry and is commemorated by him:
Rhoes ei nerth a’i brydferthwch - dros ei wlad
Tros aelwydydd heddwch.
Gyfoedion oll, gofidiwch.
Lluniaidd lanc sy’n llonydd lwch.
I thoroughly enjoyed my student years once the homesickness of the first term was behind me. I lived in University Hall, sharing with Mrs. Wilson Williams. It was an interesting time, societies included the Lit&Deb, the Cymric, the Choral etc. There were rules of course - if one stayed out late one was gated as a punishment.
The staff included Sir Harry (Reichel) - a real gentleman. Sir Ifor Williams was also there. John Morris Jones took us for Welsh, J. E. Lloyd for History and Arnold for Latin. My main subject was History and I also took Philosophy. I did well in both in my 1st year but my marks came down the following year (did I work too hard?) and so I left and went to teach at the secondary school in Porthmadog, where I was very happy for 9 years. But then I lost my fiancé in the war and went home to Felenrhyd to work on the farm.