It is extraordinary to think that a small place like the mining village of Aberaman, between Aberdare and Mountain Ash, should produce four world class cyclists at the end of the nineteenth century. There were the three Linton brothers – Arthur, Tom and Samuel – and their great rival Jimmy Michael. For a short time…
Author: gbadmin
Frances Power-Cobbe
Perhaps one of the most remarkable women of the nineteenth century was Francis Power Cobbe. When she died in April 1904, the terms of Frances Power Cobbe’s Will were very specific. She left instructions for a surgeon “to perform on my body the operation of completely and thoroughly severing the arteries of the neck and…
Jenny Jones
I will never leave you nor forsake thee She is buried in the untidy cemetery at the end of the lake, where the water flows out into the Afon Dysynni. Drive along the B4405 and you will find it quite easily. A squat and ancient church, and there, immediately on the right hand side as…
Allen Raine – Novelist
She is a sadly neglected figure today and yet towards the end of her life she was one of the best-selling authors in the world, selling over two million copies of her novels, all of which are set in Cardiganshire. And that is where Allen Raine is buried, in one of the most beautiful places…
Cranogwen – Navigator Lady
The grave of Sarah Jane Rees stands in a prominent position at the very back of St. Cranog’s churchyard in Llangrannog, right in the centre of the village. Between Aberystwyth and Cardigan, down a steep hill from the busy A487 the village looks out at the sea. Hers is an imposing tomb topped by a…
The Cowbridge Murder 1885
I had to move away the tired tentacle of a creeping bramble littering the tomb just to make sure. But there was no doubt. This was indeed the burial place of David Thomas and the grave in St. Tydfils Church, represents a terrible crime which reached a truly horrible conclusion, quite at odds with the…
The Bassaleg Murders 1909
Tank Cottage in Bassaleg was a small property dominated by a large water tank in the front garden. It was the home of Charles and Mary Thomas. He was 82 and she was ten years younger. They had lived on the Tredegar Estate in Newport, where Charles had been a wood cutter but finally, just…
The Linthwaite Murder 1891
HORRIBLE MURDER OF A FLINT GIRL. ATTEMPTED OUTRAGE. THE MURDERER AT LARGE. We parked the car, walked through the gate of Christ Church, looked to the left, found the grave and then departed. After all, this was Linthwaite, just outside Huddersfield and we had no cause to linger. The things we do for Welsh Country…but…
The Robber’s Grave – Montgomery
We were in Montgomery to relax. The smallest county town in England or Wales. It is a beautiful market town with such a fine range of distinguished buildings. They were glowing in the warm sunshine. It is a peaceful place. There is a romantically ruined castle high above the town, the beautiful church of St…
Violet. Victor. Violence.
Drive through Tintern and Llandogo, then just before the bridge which crosses the Wye into Gloucestershire, turn left into the maze of narrow country lanes that entwine the Welsh side of the river. In Whitebrook find a dilapidated grave in the precipitous cemetery below the Baptist Chapel, now a holiday rent. If it was not…