Wales

Contents

Cardiganshire Towns & Parishes

CARDIGANSHIRE [CEREDIGION]

"The County of CARDIGAN is 94 Miles in Circumference, contains about 520,000 Acres, divided into 5 Hundreds or Cantres, in which are above 3163 Houses, 73 Parishes, & 4 Market Towns, one of which Cardigan sends a Member to Parliament. The Air is Pleasanter and Milder here than in some parts of Wales, being advantaged by its bordering upon ye Sea, and ye Low & Level Ground; not much exposed to ye Winds & Storms. The Southern & Western parts are Plain & Fruitful producing much Corn but ye Northern & Eastern parts are more Hilly and Barren, yet here also are many Fruitfull Valleys. This County is noted for its Lead & Silver Mines. " [Emanuel Bowen, Britannia Depicta, 1720]

INFORMATION RELATED TO ALL OF CARDIGANSHIRE

Archives and Libraries

The National Library of Wales. Aberystwyth. The major repository of information relevant to Welsh genealogy, such as Bishop's Transcripts of Parish Registers, Marriage Bonds and Allegations, Nonconformist Records, Probate Records, Tithe Maps and Apportionment Schedules, Legal and Administrative Records, Estate Records and Personal Papers, Pedigree Books, Newspapers, etc.

Ceredigion Archives. Aberystwyth. E-mail Ceredigion Archives . Full details of their holdings on their site.

Local History Resources at Ceredigion Library

Ceredigion Museum

The National Archives has details of many archive repositories in the UK with links to their web sites, if any.

Familia- list of genealogical resources in Public Libraries in Great Britain and Ireland

The Royal Commission on the Ancient & Historical Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW)
Apart from their online Archive Catalogue there is the ;
Chapels database; The computerised database will eventually list all known nonconformist chapels in Wales. This initial list covers the pre-1974 county of Cardiganshire; further counties will be added as and when the database for these areas is completed. The record lists basic information about each chapel together with key dates.

Freeman, Michael. The History of Museums in Ceredigion. Ceredigion, Vol XIII/3 1999.
"The first plans for a public museum in Aberystwyth were discussed in 1871 - exactly 100 years before the first meetings took place to form the present Ceredigion Museum...........this paper describes the history of museums in Ceredigion during those first 100 years........."

Vincentelli, Moira. The U C W Arts and Crafts Museum. Ceredigion, Vol IX/1 1980.
"The period between 1918 and 1936 saw the formation of an important craft collection in Aberystwyth, founded by the Davies sisters of Llandinam "(Margaret and Gwendoline, grand daughters of David Davies of Llandinam).

Bibliography

It is acknowledged that the principal source of the details of books etc included  on these pages is the online catalogues of the National Library of Wales

There is a bibliography for Cardiganshire on the Ceredigion.gov.uk site -  also a section styled  Authors and Characters

Anon. Bibliography of the printed literature relating to the parishes of Cardiganshire. Card. Antq. Soc Trans, Vol III

Jones, Glyn Lewis (ed.) A Bibliography of Cardiganshire 1600-1968 (2 vols.) Ceredigion Library (1967, 1970) [BM 2719.x.16218]

Williams, Moelwyn I. Cardiganshire in Periodical Literature. Ceredigion, Vol IV/3 1962.
"The following bibliographical list brings together under one general heading over three hundred articles and notes relating to the history of Cardiganshire and its people........."

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Biography

Held at the NLW ;

• Papers of John William Evans, Felindre [ John Y Gwas ], c 1880-c 1960, local historian, with much biographical data relating to Cardiganshire and Carmarthenshire.

Anon. William Evans. ( Alaw Afan). Y Cerddor, Medi 1900

Anon. John Jones, Aberaeron. Y Cerddor, Ebrill 1908.

Anon. David Jenkin Morgan, Llechryd (1751/2?-1814). Y Cerddor, Gorph 1889

Davies, R I. Twm Shon Gati (Thomas Jones c 1530-1609). Card. Antq. Soc Trans, Vol V

Evans, D E. David Lewis, Llanrhystud. Y Cerddor, Ebrill 1902 & Tach 1908

Evans, D E. Parch John Roberts ( Ieuan Gwyllt). Y Cerddor, Hyd 1892

Evans, H R. Thomas Pritchard, rector of Llandysul. NLW journal, Vol XII

Hughes, Mary. Idwal Jones, Llanbedr. Llawlyfr Cym. Cered. Llundain. Vol IV

Jenkins, David.  Edward Edwards ( Pencerdd Ceredigion), Aberystwyth. Y Cerddor, Tach 1897

Jenkins, David.  R S Hughes. Y Cerddor, Ebrill 1893

Jones, Francis. The old families of south-west Wales. Ceredigion, Vol IV

Jones, Francis. Two illustrious sons of Cardiganshire (Sir David Davies 1792-1865; and Sir Robert Henry Davies). Card. Antq. Soc Trans, Vol XIII

Jones, G . (Glan Menai) Enwogion Sir Aberteifi . Dolgellau,  1868.

Jones, T Hughes.  Daniel Rowland, Llangeitho. Llawlyfr. Cym. Cered. Llundain. Vol V

Jones, Thomas Dr.  David Alban Davies. Llawlyfr Cym. Cered. Llundain, Vol VIII

Lewis, W J. 'Yr Hen Syr' (John Williams, Ystrad Meurig). Ceredigion, Vol IV

Lloyd-Johnes, Herbert. John Johnes (1800-1876). Ceredigion, Vol III

Morgan, Gerald. A Welsh House and its Family : the Vaughans of Trawsgoed [Crosswood].1999.A study of the largest landowners in Cardiganshire, from the C14 to C20. The Trawsgoed estate extended over 22 Cardiganshire parishes.

Morgan, J J.  Hanes bywyd Twom o'r Bryn, sef Thomas Williams, o'r Bryn, Sir Aberteifi. Cylch. Cymd. Hanes. Meth. Calf., Vol XVIII

Williams, Benjamin     [Gwynionydd] .   Enwogion Ceredigion. 1869.

Williams, J Gwyn.  Sir John Vaughan of Trawscoed. NLW journal, Vol VIII

Business and Commerce Records

Details of extant records on Archives Network Wales for the following;

• Business Records, Cardiganshire 1558-1995 (accumulated 1975-2001)   - various
• Record Office Business Survey Documents   "In 1977-1978, Carmarthenshire Record Office carried out a survey of businesses in Carmarthenshire, Cardiganshire and Pembrokeshire, producing synopses of their history and survey lists of their records."

Held at the NLW ;

• Material preserved from salvage collected in campaigns organised by The Cambrian News during the Second World War : includes  many tradesmen's and business records, largely of Cardiganshire interests, 1818-1941.

Held at Ceredigion Archives;

• Ledgers and day books of several C19 businesses in the county.

Y CYMMRODOR,  XXXIX (1928) Peate: A North Cardiganshire Woollen Yarn Factory .

 

Green, F.  Early Banks in West Wales. Trans. Historical Society of West Wales, 1916.

Cemeteries

Graveyard Welsh - a guide to interpreting Memorial Inscriptions.

M.I. Surveys of a number of burial grounds are available on microfiche from Dyfed FHS

Dyfed FHS  have started [Feb 2001] to produce new pages on their site which will provide access to name indexes for the Monumental Inscriptions at the Burial Grounds where transcripts are already available from the Society .

Dyfed FHS  have started [Feb 2001] to produce new pages on their site which will provide access to name indexes for the nonconformist chapel records and monumental inscriptions where transcripts are already available from the Society .

Cardiganshire FHS have MI survey indexes (Anglican churches) for sale on microfiche. All the Cardiganshire hundreds are covered for two separate periods, i.e 1813-1837 and 1838-1865. They also have an Index (10,000 + entries) to deaths and burials from non-conformist records, various dates which are detailed on the relevant parish pages here.

James, Auronwy. The First Graves in the Cemeteries of Ceredigion. Cardiganshire FHS journal, Vol 4/2, June 2005.

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Census

The UK BMD web site offers links to over 400 web sites that provide on-line information for UK births, marriages and deaths and censuses.

Cardiganshire FHS have various censuses included in their research service

The 1881 census index is online on LDS Family Search

1891 census for the  whole of Cardiganshire.  Dave Wilson has produced a cd which consists of the images of the original pages, an alphabetical index of the people in the census, and a parish map for the county with a list of the parishes, etc. The cds are available for purchase via the  Stone Science site

Benjamin, E. Alwyn. Human Afflictions : a study of the North Ceredigion census returns, 1851-71. Ceredigion, x 2 : 155-60 (1985)

Gibson, J.S.W. and Medlycott, M.T. Local Census Listings 1522-1930 (2nd ed.), Birmingham, Fed. of Fam. Hist. Soc. (1994) 52 pp. [ISBN 1-872094-75-9]. Extracted  are details of local censuses in Wales, listed by county

Wilson, Dave. Cardiganshire Census Statistics. Cardiganshire FHS journal vol 3/8 June 2004

Church History

Cardiganshire Chapels Database project - a parish based database (with a single county index)

You may also find it worthwhile searching in the GENUKI church database.

The Union of Welsh Independents

The Presbyterian Church of Wales site  has a pdf file showing lists of CM chapels still open (with addresses) in each county (under Documents/General Info/Churches and Secretaries). This data has been noted on each chapel entry within these parish pages so it is implied that a chapel is closed if not said to be open in 2006

Various church and chapel photographs can be viewed on Dyfed FHS

Parishes of Dyfed. This section of the Dyfed FHS site lists the parishes, churches, and chapels, within the three counties of Dyfed. It contains all those currently identified, by the National Library of Wales, where the location of registers is known. Each entry gives the OS National Grid Reference and name of the church or chapel, if known, (religious denomination), parish, county code and (page name).

Details of extant records on Archives Network Wales for the following;

• Gomer M. Roberts, Hanes Capeli, Books and Papers
  "The leading authority on the history of the Calvinistic Methodist Connexion, the Rev. Dr Gomer M. Roberts (1904-1993) came from the farm of Cwmbach, Llandybie, Carmarthenshire. ......... [he] collected a large amount of archival material for the Calvinistic Methodist archives, and books relating to Capel Isaf, Llechryd, Capel Mair, Llanfair Clydogau, Capel Dewi, Llandysul, Capel Mair, Cardigan and Capel Tabernacl, Cardigan all in Cardiganshire"

Barker, T.W. Particulars Relating to Endowments etc of Livings .Diocese of St David's Vol3: Archdeaconry of Cardigan. 1907

Barrow, Julia. [Ed]. St Davids Episcopal Acta 1085-1280. South Wales Record Society, 1998. Contains the Latin text of all the charters known to have been issued by the bishops of St Davids down to the death of Richard de Carew in 1280, with English summaries and notes.

Beynon, Tom.   Howell Harris's visits to Cardiganshire. Cylch Cym Hanes Meth Calf Cymru. Vol XXIX, XXX, XXXI, XXXII. and his  'Last visits etc 1766, 1769, 1770'  XXXII

Ellis, Mari. Thomas Beynon, Archddiacon Ceredigion 1745-1833.   Ceredigion: Journal of the Cardiganshire Antiquarian Society. Vol. XIII, No. 1 (1997]

Evans, George Eyre. Cardiganshire, a Survey of its Antiquities, Chapels, Churches .1903

Evans, J.T. The Church Plate of Cardiganshire.   Stow-on-the-Wold, 1914

Gray, Madeleine. The diocese of St Davids in 1563. Journal of Welsh Religious History 5 (1997), p. 29-56

Greenway, W. The Election of David Martin, Bishop of St David's, 1293-6.  Journal of the Historical Society of the Church in Wales Vol. X, No. 15 (1960)

'Hanes Capeli'r Enwad yn Sir Aberteifi' [History of the Chapels of the Denomination in Cardiganshire]. Yr Ymofynydd : Cylchgrawn Misol Cymdeithas Undodiad Deheudir Cymru [The Enquirer: The monthly magazine of the Unitarian Society of South Wales], 1928-33

Hughes, Ieuan T. and Jenkins, J.Raymond. The Church of St Tysul, Llandysul. Ceredigion (Journal of the Cardiganshire Antiquarian Society) Vol 5 No 4 [ 1967].
"Early in the fifth century there came from the North of Britain a people of thrust and drive, sweeping down as far as the river Teifi. One of these was Ceredig, a member of the Cunedda family, who gave his name to Cardiganshire (Ceredigion).......On a dry patch near a fordable place on the Teifi, the meeting place of a number of tracks, Tysul (462-544) son of Corun, grandson of Ceredig ..... and cousin of David our patron saint, established his Landa. His retreat, and that of his successors was Cwmmeudwy..... The ancient altar with its early Christian incisions is still at this church......It must be regarded as an unique relic of Early Christianity in the country......"

Jenkins, Geraint H.  The Established Church and Dissent in Eighteenth Century Cardiganshire.   Cardiganshire County History, Vol III

Jones, E D. Some aspects of the history of the church in north Cardiganshire in the eighteenth century. J Hist Soc Church Wales, Vol III/5

Jones, Ieuan Gwynedd. Church Reconstruction in North Cardiganshire in the Nineteenth Century.   National Library of Wales journal. 1978, Winter Volume XX/4

Jones, I G.      Church and Chapel in Cardiganshire, 1811-1914      Cardiganshire County History, Vol III

Morgan, W T.    Disciplinary Cases against Churchwardens in the Consistory Courts of St David's.  Journal of the Historical Society of the Church in Wales Vol. X, No. 15 (1960)

Morris, J. Dedications of Cardiganshire Churches. Card. Antq. Soc, Trans., Vol I/4

Rees, Thomas & John Thomas  Hanes Eglwysi Annibynnol Cymru (History of the Welsh Independent Churches), 4 volumes (published 1871+). The CGN section of these books (in Welsh) is being extracted - some with translations

Salter, Mike . The Old Parish Churches of South-West Wales. Malvern, 1994 .

Saunders, Erasmus. A view of the state of religion in the diocese of St.David's about the beginning of the 18th century : with some account of the causes of its decay,together with considerations of the reasonableness of augmenting the revenues of impropriate churches . Cardiff : University of Wales Press, 1721

The Episcopal Registers of the Diocese of St.Davids, 1397-1518 : from the original registers in the Diocesan Registry of Carmarthen.   London : The Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion, 1917. 3 v ; 25cm. Series title Cymmrodorion Record series ; No.6

The Welsh Church Year Book 1929. Published by The Representative Body of The Church in Wales. Cardiff, 1928. pp 624 including over 130 pages of biographies of clergy. A Cd containing a scanned copy of the book was published by Archives CD Books in 2002. With the permission of the latter part of the statistical data for parishes in the counties of Cardiganshire, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire has been extracted onto those GENUKI parish pages. The Explanatory notes state that;

• Where parishes have been grouped or divided then the acreage is unreliable, some town figures are not given.
• Population figures are according to the 1921 census returns.

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Church Records

Notes re parish pages. Explanatory details of abbreviations used on the parish pages under Church Records.

Dyfed FHS  have started [Feb 2001] to produce new pages on their site which will provide access to male name indexes for their Marriages Indexes (1813-1837) where transcripts are already available from the Society .

Dyfed FHS  have started [Feb 2001] to produce new pages on their site which will provide access to name indexes for the nonconformist chapel records and monumental inscriptions where transcripts are already available from the Society .

National Library of Wales  Manuscripts and Records. An online searchable index of Marriage Bonds and Allegations.It contains details of some 90,000 marriages by licence which took place in Wales between 1616 and 1837.

Listings of (present-day) Clerics, Benefices, and parishes  of the Diocese of St Davids.

Indexes to Burials for 1813-1837 for all the Cardiganshire hundreds are available for purchase on microfiche from Cardiganshire FHS, and also available within their Research Service, as are now the burials indexes for the period 1838-65 for Genau'r Glyn, Ilar(Upper) and Ilar(Lower) hundreds.

Cardiganshire pre 1813 Marriages.  The following are available within  their Research Service from Cardiganshire FHS

• north of the Aeron [Genau'r Glyn, Ilar Lower and Upper, Pennarth hundreds]

Monumental Inscriptions.   MIs for various cemeteries are available within their Research Service from Cardiganshire FHS, check with the site to see what exactly is covered.

Many Parish register indexes, and indexes of baptisms, marriages and burials are available for purchase on microfiche from Dyfed FHS.

The Dyfed FHS has indexed all marriages for the period 1812-1837. Published copies of the index, in sets of parishes grouped by hundreds, are available for purchase.

IGI and Familysearch  Here is the searchable LDS website
IGI Batch Numbers-British Isles
It is not always easy to locate your ancestors on the IGI using the search mechanisms provided at the above LDS site. Manually typing the batch numbers into the IGI search screen can be tedious. Hugh Wallis  has made an exhaustive search of the likely ranges of batch numbers and created a database of those numbers and the source records that they apply to. A very powerful feature included is a hotlink from each batch number to the actual search engine provided at the Family Search site, including the ability to enter the surname you are looking for. This makes it very easy to search all the batches for a particular geographic location using just the last name you are searching for - something that is not possible directly from the LDS site without doing a lot of typing. This is Hugh Wallis's site

Here are Parish Register Copies for Cardiganshire in the Library of the Society of Genealogists.

Ifans, Dafydd [ed]. Cofrestri Anghydfurol Cymru/ Nonconformist Registers of Wales. Aberystwyth, 1994. This book includes Ordnance Survey references for listed chapels.

Jones, I.G. & Williams, D. The Religious census of 1851 : A Calendar of the returns relating to Wales, Vol 1, South Wales.   Cardiff, 1976.

MacDonald, R W. The Parish Registers of Wales, National Library of Wales journal. 1976, Winter. Volume XIX/4

Rawlins, B.J. The Parish Churches and Nonconformist Chapels of Wales: Their Records and where to Find them, Vol. One, Cardigan - Carmarthen - Pembroke. P.O. Box 510652, Salt Lake City, UT 84151-0652, Celtic Heritage Research (1987). [Provides details of  [ but no personal names] parish registers at the National Library of Wales and at the Carmarthenshire Record Office, and very extensive details of the various types of nonconformist records, mainly held at the PRO or at the chapel concerned.This book has been used as a source of data of nonconformist records on the Genuki parish pages

Samuel, David. Schedule of Records and Printed Materials of the North Cardiganshire Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in Wales [Calvinistic Methodist Archives Collection]. Chapel histories are included for the chapels of ;

• Elim, Llanddeinol
• Swyddffynnon, Lledrod
• Tabor, Llangwyryfon
• Siloh, Aberystwyth
• Bethel, Llangwyryfon
• Blaenplwyf, Llanychaearn
• Rhiwfelen, Llanfihangel-y-Creuddyn

Williams, C.J. and Watts-Williams, J. Cofrestri Plwyf Cymru: Parish Registers of Wales (National Index of Parish Registers, Vol. 13).Aberystwyth: National Library of Wales, Second edition, 2000. This book has been used as a source of data of parish records and bishop's transcripts on the Genuki parish pages

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Civil Registration

North Wales BMD  Births, Marriages and Deaths on the internet. Clwyd and Gwynedd Family History Societies, and Montgomeryshire Genealogical Society are collaborating with the local Registration Services to make the indexes to these records freely searchable via the Internet. Although the indexes are not yet complete for all years and districts, it is hoped that the database will eventually cover all North Wales births, marriages and deaths for the years 1837 to 1950.
The database includes Machynlleth Registration District: Civil marriages 1838 to 1918 (3490 marriages) and this RD includes the following parishes; Machynlleth, Penegoes, Llanfihangel Genau'r Glyn (part), Tywyn, Llanwrin, Cemmaes, Darowen, Llanbrynmair

The UK BMD web site offers links to over 400 web sites that provide on-line information for UK births, marriages and deaths and censuses.

Detailed listing, by Brett Langston, of the places covered by the old and current Cardiganshire Registration districts.

A list of places in Cardiganshire  by Dyfed FHS showing which parish, hundred and Registration District they are in.

Certificates of birth, death and marriage can be obtained from the Superintendent Registrar at the following District Register Offices:

• Cardiganshire Central
• Cardiganshire South
• Cardiganshire North

If ordering from a District Office, please note the following: (a) the cost of a certificate is currently (2003) £7.00 - send a Sterling cheque payable to the Superintendent Registrar plus return postage or two International Reply Coupons; (b) the General Register Office (or "St Catherine's") Index references are of no value; (c) for marriage certificates, the precise place of marriage must be given; (d) Civil Registration in England and Wales began on July 1st 1837.

Court Records

Cardiganshire Constabulary Register of Criminals, 1897-1933 - on the NLW's Digital Mirror site.  Here is a name finding aid compiled by Joan Sims.

Details of extant records on Archives Network Wales for the following;

• Cardiganshire Petty Sessional and Magistrates Courts Records 1861-1988
• Police and Magistrates Records for Cardiganshire 1810-1983

Held at Ceredigion Archives;

• Cardiganshire Quarter Sessions. A set of otherwise poorly surviving records of the Quarter Sessions of Cardiganshire, comprising Order Books from 1739, session files from 1949, appeals from 1926, committee papers from 1952 and sundry pre 1900 documents.
• Some ( mostly 20th century ) petty sessions records.
• Printed treasurer's accounts for Cardiganshire Quarter Sessions 1861-1866.

Foley, R. The Practice of the Court of Great Sessions for Carmarthen, Pembroke and Cardigan. 1792

Griffiths, G. Milwyn. Glimpses of Cardiganshire in Sessions Records. Ceredigion: Journal of the Cardiganshire Antiquarian Society. . Vol V, No. 3 (1966)

Pre-1858 Welsh probate jurisdictions.South Wales & Monmouthshire : a genealogical research guide to probate courts having jurisdiction in the counties of Brecon, Cardigan, Carmarthen, Glamorgan, Monmouth (England), Pembroke, and Radnor. Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.A. : Genealogical Society of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Inc., 1970

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Description and Travel

Dyfed FHS has an online database of towns in Dyfed, includes trade directory descriptions and photographs

A Vision of Britain Through Time. "This site contains information about your home area from the 2001 census -- and from every earlier British census back to 1801. It can present this information both as maps of the whole country and as graphs showing change over time in your area. It truly offers a Vision of Britain through time"

Principal Markets and Fairs in South Wales. Extracted from Kelly's Directory South Wales 1910

Gazetteer of Markets and Fairs in England and Wales to 1516. The Gazetteer compiled by Dr Samantha Letters is a catalogue of markets and fairs in medieval England and Wales. This is the first comprehensive national survey.

UK Villages     A site for each UK village with a Post Office, local links, maps  and much else

A Description of the county of Cardiganshire from A Topographical Dictionary of Wales (1833) by Samuel Lewis.

Here is a listing of over 800 Cardiganshire place names with their associated parish pages in Genuki

Ceredigion Heritage  Official county site listing its attractions e.g museums, libraries etc

Books marked * have an entry on the separate 'Review/Contents' page.

'An old inhabitant'. Vanished and vanishing Cardiganshire; 1. Castle Lane, Aberystwyth. 2. Bont Cottage , Aberaeron. 3. Llanrhystud Church before restoration. 4. Nantcwnlle Church before restoration. 5. Llanfihangel-y-Creuddin in 1889. 6. Leaves from an old sketch book (relating to the Aeron valley). Card. Antq. Soc. Trans, Vol II

Chater, Arthur.     Inscriptions on Bridges in Ceredigion.    Ceredigion, 1978

Colyer, (Moore) R J. The Teifi: Scenery and Antiquities of a Welsh River. Llandysul, 1987

Davies, Dewi.  The Early Years of the Turnpike Trust in Cardiganshire.     Ceredigion, 2003

Davies, Paul. A Company of Forts, A Guide to the Medieval Castles of West Wales. Published by Gomer, site intro; "As in the rest of Wales, the western counties of Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion abound with reminders of a turbulent medieval past, - magnificent castles which grace the landscape, their inherent menace only somewhat subdued by the passing years. Paul R. Davies provides us here with an introduction to the history which led to the building of the medieval castles, and then divides the fortresses into three types - motte and bailey sites, stone-built castles and fortified manor-houses. The text is lavishly illustrated with photographs and line-drawn reconstructions, which vividly show the range of castles, both large and small, in West Wales, from mighty Pembroke and Carreg Cennen to the fortified manor-houses of Green Castle and Eastington and the atmospheric mounds such as Pencader and Llangadog......."

*Ellis, T.I. Crwydro Ceredigion.1952. Gives a fairly detailed background as to the history and geography of this mainly rural county some fifty years ago.  

Horsfall-Turner, E.R. Walks and Wanderings in County Cardigan, being a descriptive sketch of its Picturesque, Historic, Antiquarian, Romantic and Traditional Features. n.d. ca 1903. Appendices include :  lists of wrecks off Cardiganshire coast -1743/1901; Cardiganshire militia; nonconformist chapels (with some ministers' names).

Images of West Wales. Carmarthen Journal, 1999. Here is an index  by Ruth Broad

Inglis-Jones, Elisabeth. Memories of old Cardiganshire. Ceredigion, Vol IV

King, DJC. The castles of Cardiganshire. Ceredigion, Vol III

Padfield, Roger and Barrie Burgess.   The Teifi Valley Railway.   Haverfordwest, 1974

Rees, T. A topographical and historical description of Cardiganshire; containing an account of its towns, castles, antiquities, churches, monuments, public edifices, picturesque scenery, the residences of the nobility &c accompanied with biographical notes of eminent and learned men to whom this county has given birth. London, 1810. Based mainly on the ancient seats of the county.

Sarn Helen-A Roman Road in Wales. Morris Marples. Welsh Outlook Press, 1939

Victorian and Edwardian Wales from old photographs. Introduction and commentary by E D Jones. Batsford 1972. Here is a brief introduction and an index of the 154 photographs.

William-Davies, John. Tom Mathias, Folk Life Photographer. Gomer site intro; "A selection of photographs from the Tom Mathias Collection and a resume of the photographer's life and work.A fascinating record of daily life in south Ceredigion and north Pembrokeshire at the end of the nineteenth century and during the early years of the twentieth century. "

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Directories

Digital Library of Historical Directories            A Project by the University of Leicester.

Pigot & Co. South Wales directory for 1830. CD published by (Archive CD Books). The Cardiganshire related entries as follows have been extracted and can be seen on the relevant parish pages of Genuki;

• Aberystwith with Llanbadarn fawr and Neighbourhoods
• Aberayron
• Cardigan
• Lampeter

Pigot & Co. South Wales directory for 1844. CD published by (Archive CD Books). The Cardiganshire related entries as follows have been extracted and can be seen on the relevant parish pages of Genuki;

• Aberayron and Neighbourhood
• Aberystwith with Llanbadarn fawr and Neighbourhoods
• Cardigan with the village of St Dogmells and Neighbourhoods
• Lampeter
• Tregaron

Dyfed FHS has an online database of Pigot's 1830 Directory South Wales relating to the Dyfed counties only.

Held at Ceredigion Archives;

• Slater's Trade Directory 1858-9 for Monmouthshire, Gloucestershire, North and South Wales. And some other directories for the period 1830 - 1926.

 

Kelly's Directory of South Wales  1884 ,1910 , 1920.

Kelly's Directory of South Wales  1904

Pigot's Directory of South Wales  1835 . A classified directory of Nobility, Gentry, Clergy, Merchants, Bankers, Professional Gentlemen, Manufacturers and Traders - Not a listing of all residents or households.

Pigot's Directories of North Wales, South Wales and Monmouthshire 1822-3

Pigot's 1830 directory South Wales,  and , Pigot's 1830 directory North Wales; searches within  their Research Service from  Cardiganshire Family History Society

Slater's Directory of South Wales and Monmouthshire  1850

Slaters Directory of North and South Wales 1858-1859

Worrall's Directory of South Wales : comprising the counties of Glamorgan Carmarthen, Pembroke, Cardigan, Brecknock and Radnor, with Newport, Monmouthshire. Oldham : John Worrall, 1875. [18],436,174p. Includes 178p of advertisements.Includes index.

Emigration and Immigration

The Mormon Immigration Index is a database of approximately 93,000 immigrants who travelled from various international ports to the United States between the years 1840 and 1890.

For a database of useful web site links and much more, see the emigration section of Gareth's Help Page

Beddow, Deirdre . Eleanor James: Cardiganshire's only Female Transportee to Australia. Ceredigion : Journal of the Cardiganshire Antiquarian Society, Vol VIII, No 3, 1978

James, Evan L. Ceredigion Ancestors of Joe Tanner, Astronaut. Cardiganshire FHS journal, vol 3/9, Oct 2004

Knowles, Anne Kelly. Calvinists incorporated : Welsh immigrants on Ohio's industrial frontier  Chicago : University of Chicago Press,1997. Includes a section on emigration and immigration history  in 19th century Cardiganshire, and has bibliographical references  to Cardiganshire individuals, and  an index.

Morgan, Gerald & J Ann Davies. Americans in Cardiganshire in 1881. Cardiganshire FHS journal vol 4/1 Feb 2005

Owen, Bob. 'Ymfudo o Sir Aberteifi i Unol Daleithiau America o 1654 hyd 1860.   Ceredigion, 1954

Owen, Bob.  'O Sir Aberteifi i Jackson a Gallia, Ohio.   Llawlyfr Cymdeithas Ceredigion Llundain XI (1955/6)

Thomas, Peter. Strangers from a Secret Land.- the voyage of the brig "Albion" and the founding of the first Welsh Settlement in Canada.Gomer, 1st ed., 1986. 329pp. The story of the original emigration from west Wales, especially from the surroundings of Cardigan and the Teifi valley, in the early 1800s, and the fate of the emigrees in Canada.

Williams, Daniel Jenkins . The Welsh Community of  Waukesha County (Wisconsin).1926.   This book mentions over 600 individuals who came from the Teifi Valley to Wales/Genesee (Towns), Waukesha County, Eastern Wisconsin, USA in the 1840--1850's period. The abstract lists individuals by family, local nickname, marital relationships, children, shire and farm/parish (if available) in Wales, and some birth and death dates as well as Wisconsin moves.

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Gazetteers

Search the GENUKI Gazetteer.

The GENUKI Gazetteer covers the whole of England, Wales and Scotland and can be searched by place-name (or part of a place-name) or Ordnance Survey Grid Reference (six-figure, eg NZ183848). If there are multiple place-names matching the name you enter, you will initially be presented with a drop-down list of the matching place-names with their distances and bearings from Cardiff, Wales.

Tallis's Topographical Dictionary of England and Wales, published in 1860 in six vols, editor E. L. Blanchard.  See Welsh Family History Archive for all the excellent county maps (showing the hundreds) and those sections of the alphabetical gazetteer that have been uploaded to date.
From the preface;
"In the following pages will be found fully described the past history and present aspect of every place of any significance in England and Wales, forming a work of permanent importance to the commercial world, of ready service to the tourist of the day, and of constant interest to the general reader, who may derive from this source a large supply of entertainment, as well as of information for the amusement and instruction of a leisure hour."

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Genealogy

Wales Lookup Exchange

Cardiganshire Families - a project based on the Dyfed Mailing List

Timeline of genealogically interesting dates by Gareth Hicks

Welsh Surname List - an all Wales surnames list provided by John Ball on his Welsh Family History Archive site.

Online Welsh Names Directory by Graham Jaunay

Searches of these items available  within  their Research Service from  Cardiganshire Family History Society

• Register of One-Name Studies 1997
• British Isles Genealogical Register 1997 [complete]
• FFHS Strays 1996.

The Dyfed Mailing List  established in 1998 on Rootsweb is the original list for the county of Cardiganshire.

Held at the NLW ;

• Papers of John Henry Jones [1909-85], Director of Education for Cardiganshire, 1944-72, and author.
• Papers donated by the Rev. Canon Lewis Gilbertson relating to ecclesiastical matters in the diocese of St David's and the Gilbertson family of Dolycletwr, Cardiganshire, 1764-1813.[MSS 6203-4].
• Papers of Owen Thomas Jones [1878-1967], geologist, 1903-43 ;  these include research notes on north Cardiganshire and west Montgomeryshire lead mines.
• Papers of David Pryse Williams (Brythonydd, 1878-1952) , Baptist minister and local historian, with papers of others collected by him. Contain material on the history of the lower Teifi valley and the Rhondda. Include the papers of Benjamin Williams (Gwynionydd, 1821-91), author, grandfather of D.Pryse Williams, and the papers of several poets and ministers, mostly Baptist, among them David Jones (Defynnog, d.1928), Benjamin Thomas (Myfyr Emlyn, 1836-93), and Thomas Cynfelyn Benjamin (Cynfelyn, d. 1925).
• Papers of Mathew Lewis Vaughan-Davies, later 1st Baron Ystwyth(1840-1935), MP for Cardiganshire, 1895-1920.

Books marked * have an entry on the separate 'Review/Contents' page.

Ashworth, Norma.     My 'Illustrious' Ancestry.      Cardiganshire FHS journal, vol 3/2, June 2002. Explores the author's ancestors from  Llanarth, Henfynyw, Ciliau Aeron parishes links and Sir Richard Herbert of Coldbrook, Abergavenny.

Baker-Jones, D.L. Princelings, Privilege and Power: the Tivyside Gentry in their Community. Llandysul, 1999.This has many references to the parish, its main houses and their families [including a pedigree of the Brigstockes of Blaenpant] and an extensive bibliography.  Gomer 2002 Catalogue (1 85902 381 9);- "This sumptuously researched book charts the rise and fall of the Tivyside gentry from the beginning of the eighteenth century to the 1930s....."

Bridgeman, Rev. The Hon. George T. O. History of the Princes of South Wales. 1976 (Wigan) 310pp. + intro. 11 genealogical tables

Evan Thomas Rhys o Lanarth. Diliau'r awen; sef crynodeb o waith awenyddol y diweddar ardderchog brydydd Evan Thomas Rhys o Lanarth Ceredigion [yr hwn a flodeuodd tua chanol ddeunawfed ganrif] ac eraill, wedi ei gasglu gan William Hughes Griffiths, Tyhen Llandyssilio Gogo. Argraffwyd gan D Jenkins, Heol fawr, Aberystwyth 1842.  
(A series of collected poems of Evan Tomos Rhys; collected by William Hughes Griffiths, Tyhen Llandyssilio Gogo and printed by D Jenkins, Heol fawr, Aberystwyth 1842.
Here is the list of subscribers from this book

Evans, W (Parch). Cyfrol o Bregethau (Book of Sermons). 1st Ed. Aberayron 1893. D.D.Williams, Bookbinder, Merthyr Tydfil.
Here is the list of subscribers - with addresses - from this book;  mainly Cardiganshire but also Liverpool, London, Barry and Other Places.

Green , Francis [Ed] . West Wales Historical Records The Annual Magazine of the Historical Society of West Wales. c 1920 in 14 volumes.  Here is a listing of Contents

Hughes, H Harold. Some further notes on North Cardiganshire wills and deeds. Arch. Camb. 1919

Jones, Francis.      Gellidywyll: a Ceredigion Family South of the Teifi.     Ceredigion : Journal of the Cardiganshire Antiquarian Society, Vol VIII, No 4, 1979

*Jones, Francis. Historic Cardiganshire Homes and their Families. Brawdy Books, Newport, Pem; Nov 2000. Here is a list of parishes/houses appearing in the book.

Lloyd, Howell A.  The Gentry of South-West Wales 1540-1640.   Cardiff, 1968

Lowe, Vera. The Mortimers in Pembrokeshire and Cardiganshire and Related Families. Dyfed FHS journal, Vol 7/6 Dec 2001.

Morgan, Gerald.      Women's Wills in West Wales 1600-1700.   Trans of Hon Soc of Cymmrodorion , 1993

Morgan, Gerald.      Dowries for Daughters in West Wales 1500-1700.  Welsh History Review 17, (1995)

Phillips, Sir Thomas (ed.) Pedigrees of Caermarthenshire, Cardiganshire, and Pembrokeshire, in continuation of Lewis Dwnn [i.e. of the pedigrees recorded by him in his Heraldic Visitations], to about the years 1700-10, from the MS. of John P. A. L. Philipps, etc. Jacobus Rogers, Middle Hill (1859) pp. 4. 44. fol. [BM Tab.436.b.4.(3.)]

Porter, Edward T. The Olivers of Cardiganshire 1778-1993: their descendents in Wales, England and North America and some of their related Welsh families. Author, 1993(USA). Apart from family details, contains background history of the area, especially the lead mining district around Gwnnws. Here are some extracts from the CD of the book

Rowlands, John &  Sheila. Cardiganshire marriages. Ilar Hundred. Aberystwyth, 1991

Rowlands, John &  Sheila. Cardiganshire marriages  pre 1813, Pennarth Hundred : indexes and transcripts Aberystwyth, 1992

Theakston, Lucy E. Lloyd & Davies, John.   Some family records & pedigrees of the Lloyds of Allt yr Odyn, Castell Hywel, Ffos y Bleiddiaid, Gilfach Wen, Llan Llyr, Waun Ifor.Oxford: Fox, Jones & Co (1913).                   Counties - Cardiganshire, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire. Family names - Lloyd, Philipps, Allen Estates/properties - Allt yr Odyn, Castell Hywel, Ffos y Bleiddiaid, Gilfach  Wen, Llan Llyr, Waun Ifor, Llanfair Clydogau, Maes y Felin, Highmead, Pantstreimon.

*Thomas, David N. Dylan Thomas. A Farm, Two Mansions and a Bungalow. Seren, the book imprint of Poetry Wales Press, Bridgend, 2000 The area covered is around Talsarn, Talgarreg, Llanon, Aberaeron, Llanina, New Quay and Llangrannog.

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History

Cambria Archaeology    " ..... one of the four Welsh Archaeological Trusts working to help protect, record and interpret all aspects of the historic landscape"

Ceredigion Library have an index to the Ceredigion 'Papurau Bro': a list of historical articles.
Some of the classifications; Public Houses, Houses and farms, Maritime, Towns & villages, Eminent people and many others

Held at Ceredigion Archives;

• Scrap books compiled by Miss Florrie Hamer who worked at Nanteos and had a keen interest in local history.

See Not everyone knows this..  for  random historical snippets on various CGN parishes.

Books marked * have an entry on the separate 'Review/Contents' page.

Anon. Cardiganshire prices etc in 1601. Bye-Gones, 1874-5

Bird, A.J. The Menhir in Cardiganshire: a Re-assessment. Ceredigion : Journal of the Cardiganshire Antiquarian Society, Vol VII, No 1, 1972.

* Cardiganshire County History . Volume1: From the earliest times to the coming of the Normans , edited by Davies J.L and Kirby, D.P. Cardiff, 1994
 Volume 3: Cardiganshire in Modern Times, edited by Jenkins, Geraint H. and Jones, Ieuan Gwynedd. Published by the Cardiganshire Antiquarian Society in association with the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales: Cardiff [1998].

Briggs, C S.     The Bronze Age.      Cardiganshire County History . Volume1, 1994

Davies, D J. The Economic History of South Wales prior to 1800, Cardiff, 1933

Davies, Gwyn.      Ceredigion in the Second World War.   Ceredigion, 2000

Davies, J L & A H A Hogg.    The Iron Age.       Cardiganshire County History . Volume1, 1994

Davies, J L.      The Roman Period.      Cardiganshire County History . Volume1, 1994

Davies, T I.     The vale of Aeron in the making.    Ceredigion, Vol III

Davies, W H.     The Romans in Cardiganshire.    Ceredigion, Vol IV

Evans, Eyre. Cardiganshire; a personal survey of some of its Antiquities, Chapels, Churches, Fonts, Plate and Registers. 1903

Fleure, H J.    The people of Cardiganshire.     Card. Antq. Soc. Trans., Vol IV

Gaffney, Angela.      The Great War in Wales: Memory and Monuments in Ceredigion.    Ceredigion, 2001

Green , Francis [Ed] .    West Wales Historical Records     The Annual Magazine of the Historical Society of West Wales. c 1920 in 14 volumes.  Here is a listing of Contents

Griffiths, Ivor.         The Rebecca Riots.      Journal of Dyfed FHS, Vol 5, no 2, Dec 1994, pp 60-68

Griffiths, Ralph A.         Gentlemen and Rebels in later Medieval Cardiganshire.       Ceredigion: Journal of the Cardiganshire Antiquarian Society. Vol V, No. 2 (1965)

Houlder, C H.   The Stone Age.   Cardiganshire County History . Volume1, 1994

James, David. Ceredigion: a Natural History. Aberystwyth, 2001

Jenkins, Geraint H & Ieuan G Jones. Cardiganshire County History. Vol 3, Cardiganshire in Modern Times. 1998

Jenkins, J Geraint. Ceredigion: Interpreting an Ancient County. Gomer, 2005. ISBN 0-86381-961-3

John, A H. The Industrial Development of South Wales, 1750-1850. UWP, 1950

Jones, D.J.V. Distress and Discontent in Cardiganshire, 1814-1819. Ceredigion: Journal of the Cardiganshire Antiquarian Society. . Vol V, No. 3 (1966)

Jones, Ieuan G. The County and its History, 1909-1984. Ceredigion, x 1 : 1-17 (1984)

Jones, J.E.J.            Fairs in Cardiganshire           Card.Antiq.Soc.Trans.VIII,1930-33.

"Key of all Wales" in South-West Cardiganshire. Surprising relics of prehistory on old estuary-River Teifi, etc. Western Mail & Echo: Cardiff, 1932

King, D J C. The Castles of Cardiganshire.   Ceredigion, 1956

Lewis, W.J. Hanes Darluniadol o Geredigion (An illustrated history of Cardiganshire)  Vol 1. Cardiganshire. Aberystwyth, 1976. Also  by same author; An Illustrated History of Cardiganshire. 1970. bilingual text. numerous b/w illus., maps, drawing.            Here is data based on material in the book under the following headings;

• Chapter headings
• Description of Photographs
• Growth of Non-conformity
• Houses of the Early Gentry in Tudor times
• Occupations in Cardiganshire from the 1831 census
• Tai un nos on Mynydd Llanddewibrefi
• The Middle Ages, names of commotes, and explanation, from the book's map/diagram

Lloyd, J.E. The Story of Ceredigion 400-1277. Gregynog Lectures. U.W.P,Cardiff, 1937

*Meyrick, Sir Samuel Rush.(1783-1848) The History and Antiquities of the county of Cardigan. Collected from the few remaining documents which have escaped the ravages of time, as well as from actual observation. Longman: London ,1810.
The history and antiquities of the County of Cardigan ... to which are now added a parliamentary history, list of High Sheriffs, some notes on the present county families, &c., &c. repr. Brecon: 1907.
This 1907 print  has now been reprinted .
Here are extracts from the book;

• Outline history of mineral mining and  list of silver, copper and lead mines
• Wages and Price of Labour [Agriculture]
• Sheriffs of the County of Cardigan
• Members of Parliament for Cardiganshire and Cardigan

Moore, D[ed]. The Land of Dyfed in Early Times. Cardiff, 1964.

Morgan, Gerald. Helyntion y Cardi : ysgrifau ar hanes Ceredigion.        Aberystwyth : Cymdeithas Lyfrau Ceredigion,1997

*Morgan, Gerald. Ceredigion: a Wealth of History.  Gomer, 2005. ISBN 1 84323 501 3

Mynegai i Ceredigion 1-X / Index to Ceredigion 1-X,  edited by Howells,W.H.  1990

Rebecca Riots .  Commissioners Report (1844) into the conditions in South Wales which contains a lot of background evidence and comment by Dyfed people. Backed by contemporary press extracts relating to the Rebecca Riots in the Llanelly, Llannon and Pontardulais areas. Indexed by witnesses.

Rees, G. Sarn Helen: Olion y Rhufeiniaid yn Sir Aberteifi .c 1927 [Sarn Helen; Roman Remains in Cardiganshire]

Rees, S. A Guide to Ancient and Historic Wales : Dyfed. HMSO/CADW, 1992. 241p. A guide to c 150 archaelogical sites in the counties of Cardiganshire, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire.

Rowlands, J. Historical Notes of the Counties of Glamorgan, Carmarthen, & Cardigan, and a list of the Members of Parliament for South Wales, from Henry VIII, to Charles II., Cardiff, Hugh Bird (1866) 135 p. [BL 10109.t.51.]

Saer, D J. The Story of Cardiganshire. Educational Publishing Co, Cardiff, c 1911. 165 pp, one of "Welsh County" series.

Sanders, I J. Trade and industry in some Cardiganshire towns in the middle ages. Ceredigion, iii 4 : 319-36 (1959)

Williams, W Ogwen.    Some Notes on Tudor Cardiganshire.          Ceredigion : Journal of the Cardiganshire Antiquarian Society, Vol VI, No 2, 1969.
".....Until the reorganisation of the government of Wales by the Acts of Parliament passed in 1536 and 1543, Cardiganshire formed part of the principality as it existed after the Edwardian Conquest.....the principality consisted of the five counties of Anglesey, Caernarvon, Merioneth, Cardigan and Carmarthen and was divided for administrative and fiscal purposes into two parts... the principality of North Wales consisted of the three northern counties and the principality of West Wales, sometimes called the principality of South Wales, of the counties of Carmarthen and Cardigan. This division of the principality between 1284 and 1536 was not simply a matter of geography, though there was in the Dovey estuary a marked geographical divide such as might form a frontier between  two separate and independent states on the continent of Europe...."

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Land and Property

The Return of Owners of Land 1873  for all the Welsh counties on Richard Hopkins' site

Farms and Estates ; owners and occupiers from census and other records. These details have been submitted by members of Dyfed FHS and can be viewed on their site.

Searches of these items available  within  their Research Service from  Cardiganshire Family History Society

• Cardiganshire Freeholders 1760
• Cardiganshire Freeholders 1823
• Return of Owners of Land 1873, Cardiganshire and any other single Welsh county apart from Monmouthshire

Here is a list of records held at the National Library of Wales relating to various Cardiganshire estates

Land Tax Assessments for 1780-1871 for most of the county are in the National Library of Wales. A complete set for 1798 are in the Public Record Office.

 

Bowen, D Q, The Land of Cardiganshire. Cardiganshire County History, vol 1, 1994

Cave, R & B A Hains (eds). Geology of the country between Aberystwyth and Machynlleth.  HMSO 1986

Chater, A.O. Inscriptions on Bridges in Ceredigion. Ceredigion : Journal of the Cardiganshire Antiquarian Society, Vol VIII, No 3, 1978

Colyer, (Moore), R J.        The Landed Gentry of Ceredigion.        Cardiganshire County History . Volume III

Davies, Alun Eifug. Enclosures in Cardiganshire, 1750-1850. Ceredigion (Journal of the Cardiganshire Antiquarian Society) Vol VIII No 1 [1976].

Davies, J H.       Cardiganshire Freeholders in 1760.         West Wales Historical Records iii, 1913

Huws, Daniel .   The Lewes Family of Abernantbychan .     Ceredigion, Journal of the Cardiganshire Antiquarian Society Vol V1/2 1969. Estates of Sir John Lewes and James Lewes settled in 1650. Compiled by Gareth Hicks, the index of data in two deeds has been produced in table format showing properties, parishes, occupants and annual value

James, Brian Ll. The Great Landowners of Wales in 1873.   National Library of Wales journal. 1966, Summer Volume XIV/3

Jenkins, Dan.  Cartrefi Ceredigion.    Llawlyfr Cym. Cered. Llundain, Vol II, III & IV

Lewis, W J.   Some freeholders of Cardiganshire in 1632.    Ceredigion, Vol III

Lloyd-Johnes, Herbert.   The lesser country houses of Cardiganshire.   Ceredigion, VolII & III

Parkinson, A J.   Wheat, Peat and Lead : Settlement Patterns in West Wales, 1500-1800.    Ceredigion, x 2 : 111-30 (1985)

Richards, Melville.    Gwynionydd Is Cerdin in 1564.   Ceredigion : Journal of the Cardiganshire Antiquarian Society, VolV/2, 1965. This article is a listing of the rent roll  of the manor of Gwynionydd Is Cerdin in 1564, made by Howel John Lloyd. The parishes contained are Gwestva Llandyssill, Llangynllo, Llanvair olloyn, Llandyvriog, and Trevigod a Dihewyd. There are more than 150 properties listed, all in the format "Tir.............".  Refers very briefly to a later survey made in 1651 which the author published in the Ceredigion for 1963.

Rudeford, C C.     Soils and Land Use.    Cardiganshire County History, vol 1, 1994

Vaughan, H M.    Some historic houses of Cardiganshire.    Llawlyfr Cym. Cered. Llundain, Vol II(1935/6)

Vincent, J E.    The Land Question in South Wales.   London, 1897

Language and languages

Aitchison, J W & Harold Carter.   The Welsh Language in Cardiganshire 1891-1991.    Cardiganshire County History Vol, III

Anon.    Cardiganshire dialects.   Card. Antq. Soc. Trans., Vol I

Evans, Huw & Marian Davies.  Fyl'na Weden I: Blas ar dafodiaith canol Ceredigion.  Llanrwst, 2000

Jones, D Gwenallt.     Cyfieithwyr Ceredigion.     Llawlyfr Cym. Cered. Llundain, Vol III(1936-7)

Thomas, David.    Some of the remains of the 'lost' Goidelic language in Cardiganshire.     Card. Antq. Soc. Trans, Vol V

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Maps

Each parish page has a direct link to a map of the general area on the Multimap site, these are based on the nearest post code and therefore are not always pointed at the exact centre of the parish. In addition, once the required map is visible, clicking on the link Aerial Photos link in the  left hand Navigation Box will bring up an aerial photograph of the area.

See here to view a 'sketch map' indicating the position and relative size of each parish within its  hundred

Dyfed FHS has an early 20th century OS map of Dyfed

Map of Cardiganshire in 1821.

Welsh county maps by Samuel Lewis and published in 1833

Interactive mapping on the Ceredigion County Council site

 

Kain, R.J.P., Oliver, R.R., Historic Parishes of England and Wales: an Electronic Map of Boundaries before 1850 with a Gazetteer and Metadata [computer file]. Colchester, Essex: History Data Service, UK Data Archive [distributor], 17 May 2001. SN: 4348.    An exceptionally useful set of maps showing parish boundaries, on a one inch to the mile scale

Lewis, M. Gwyneth. The Printed Maps of Cardiganshire, 1578-1900, in the National Library of Wales. A descriptive list with a tabular index. National Library of Wales [BM Ac.5760]

Lewis, W. J. (William John). Atlas hanesyddol Ceredigion (Cardiganshire historical atlas )Aberystwyth : Cymdeithas Lyfrau Ceredigion, 1969

Merchant Marine

Lighthouse Personnel in England and Wales and the Channel Islands 1841-1910. Includes;- Table of  Keepers; Table of Stations by county; Location map of the lighthouse sites.

Pembrokeshire Archives have an index for "Shipping and Ships", they also hold the records for the port of Cardigan

Welsh Mariners  by Dr Reg Davies---includes a searchable database of over 17,000 Welsh born (or Wales resident) Master mariners, mates and engineers who held certificates of competency or service; in practice it is an index of men active from 1850 to 1945 in the merchant navy.

Swansea Mariners by Bryan Richards --- periods 1861 to 1871 and 1890 to 1894, a database of ratings such as un-certificated officers, bosun, able seaman, ordinary seaman, boy, cook, steward, etc in Glamorgan Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire, Cardiganshire, or from around the world. There are 32,000 detailed entries (9/2006).

Details of extant records on Archives Network Wales for the following;

• Shipping registers for Cardigan and Pembrokeshire  1824-1992    "The Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen was established by the Merchant Shipping Act 1872, when the Registrar General of Seamen took over responsibility for returns relating to the registration of ships from the Board of Customs' Chief Registrar of Shipping. In Pembrokeshire, the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen recorded merchant ships registered at the port of Cardigan and at the port of Milford Haven......"

Held at Ceredigion Archives;

• Marine Maps of the Board of Trade 1860-1970 [ maps relating to the Crown foreshore and the safety of navigation in local waters] transferred from the PRO

 

Campbell-Jones, Susan.      Welsh Sail.    Gomer 1976. Here is an index by Mary Jane Stephenson

Davies, A Stanley.   Cardiganshire salt-smugglers.   Arch Camb, 1936

Davies, E Beynon.     Llongau a llongwyr y bae.     Llawlyfr Cym. Cered. Llundain, Vol IV (1937-8)

Eames, Aled.     Ships and Seamen- Some Cardiganshire Examples.       Ceredigion : Journal of the Cardiganshire Antiquarian Society, Vol VIII, No 3, 1978

Heaton , P.M.     Welsh Shipping - Forgotten Fleets, 1989.      Biographical details restricted mainly to owners & managers, and details of ships owned. Here is an index by David Webb . 

Jenkins, David [principal author].    The Maritime Heritage of Dyfed . NLW: 1982

Jenkins, David.  Shipping and Shipbuilding.       Cardiganshire County History, vol III

Jenkins, David.   "Cardiff Tramps, Cardi Crews" : Cardiganshire shipowners and seamen in Cardiff, c.1870-1950      Ceredigion, x 4 : 405-30 (1987)

Jenkins, J.Geraint.        Maritime Heritage,The Ships & Seamen of Southern Ceredigion. Llandysul: 1982.14 maps and diagrams. 63 b/w photo illus. area covered is coastline between mouth of Teifi and village of Aberaeron. Two appendices give trade list of freights from Bristol to Cardigan and The Diary of Simon Jones of Llangrannog. Here is an index  and review by Mary Jane Stephenson.

Jenkins, J Geraint. The maritime heritage of some Southern Ceredigion villages. Ceredigion, ix 2 : 111-27 (1981)

Lloyd, Lewis. A Real Little Seaport : the port of Aberdyfi and its People, 1565-1920. 1996. Although Aberdyfi is in Merioneth, this book in the context of Cardigan Bay  has numerous references to Cardiganshire men and families.

Morgan, Gerald. Adeiladu llongau yng Ngogledd Ceredigion 1700-1880 (North Cardiganshire shipbuilding 1700-1880 ) Aberystwyth : Coleg Prifysgol Cymru, Adran Efrydiau Allanol,1992

Rowlands, John.    Trinity House Petitions - A Little Known Resource for Maritime Ancestors.          Cardiganshire FHS journal vol 3/5 June 2003. And vol 3/6 October 2003

The People of Dyfed and the sea.         Dyfed FHS journal  Vol 6/4 Aug 1998. An extensive article, pp 134/142 describing resources available and several examples found at the various county Archives. Other headings include ; Steam Packets, Pembroke Dockyard and Pembrokeshire Lighthouse Keepers on the 1891 census.

Troughton, W.  Ceredigion Shipwrecks.  2006,  Ystwyth Press   ISBNO-9552125-0-

Williams, Moelwyn.   Commercial Relations.    Cardiganshire County History, vol III

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Military History

Davies, Reginald[Dr]. Welshmen at the Battle of Trafalgar Was your ancestor a one legged survivor of the Battle ?. Part I. Dyfed FHS journal, Vol 5/5 Dec 1995. Concentrates on  the story of one man, James Davis of Pembroke.

Davies, Reginald[Dr]. Welshmen at the Battle of Trafalgar [21 Oct 1805]. Part II. Dyfed FHS journal, Vol 5/6 April 1996. The author refers to the index he has produced of all Welshman at the battle.

Owen, Bryn. History of the Welsh militia and volunteer corps, 1757-1908   Wrexham, Clywd: Bridge Books, 1989. Vol 4, pt. 2. Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire & Cardiganshire

Parfitt, Geoffrey Archer. Some notes on the Royal Cardigan Militia and its heirs and successors being the auxiliary forces of Cardiganshire . Shrewsbury: 1981

Retallack, John .     The Welsh Guards        Foreword by H R H The Prince if Wales.Published (1981) by Frederick Warne (Publishers) Ltd. London. Here is an index by Allen Powell

Sinnett, R J M[Lt Col].     The Royal Welch Fusiliers at the Battle of Waterloo.      Dyfed FHS journal, Vol 5/4 Aug 1995.    Lists 50 names of soldiers who came from the 3 Dyfed counties.

Names, Geographical

Place Names of Dyfed, provided by the Dyfed FHS, lists the parishes (plus a small number of other places) in Cardiganshire, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire, giving for each the name of its hundred, an OS map reference, and the civil registration district.

Place names in Cardiganshire that have alternative spellings, or have changed completely

Travellers World. Here is a list of towns and villages in Ceredigion with map references and some links to maps

Here is a listing of Cardiganshire place names with their associated parishes.

Davies, Elwyn.       Hafod, Hafoty and Lluest: Their Distribution, Features and Purpose.    Ceredigion, Vol IX/1 1980.
" Hafod and lluest are words of considerable antiquity. Both occur in manuscripts of the Welsh Laws written in the 13th century........... Hafoty does not appear in Welsh literature until 'as late as the 16th century'....." 

Wmffre, Iwan. The Place-Names of Cardiganshire. 3 vols. BAR British Series 379 2004. Oxford, British Archaeological Press, 2004

Wood, Juliette. The Mid-Wales Context of Hanes Taliesin: Local Place Names in the Manuscript Tales. Ceredigion, Vol IX/1 1980.
"According to the version of Hanes Taliesin copied by John Jones in 1609, the baby Taliesin is found by Elphin son of Gwyddno in his father's weir located 'yn y traeth rrwng Dyfi ag Aberystwyth garllaw ei gastell ei hun'....."

Names, Personal

Celtic Educational Ltd.  Welsh First Names for Children - Their meanings explained . 1978

Lloyd, Annie. Welsh Surnames and Given Names, 1996

Morgan, T J/Morgan, Prys. Welsh Surnames. UWP, 1985.

Newspapers

Dyfed newspapers. On Dyfed FHS  there is a list of the locations that hold copies of known publications

Ceredigion Library have online indexes of biographies from the Cardigan & Tivyside Advertiser 1866-1980

Held at Ceredigion Archives;

• Cardigan and Teivyside Advertiser ( which serves the south of the county ) from 1866 to date. The Welsh Gazette ( held by the NLW) is very important for news in mid-Cards. and very much worth a look where others fail.
• Cambrian News 1942.

Tivy-Side Advertiser  Email;    tivy_newsdesk@gwent-wales.co.uk

The Cambrian News was published from 1860 to date,[copies at the NLW], the Cambrian News group have the following local CGN websites , letters can be emailed offsite for publication;
Aberystwyth Today
Aberaeron Today
Cardigan Today  
Lampeter Today

A Guide to Local Newspapers in Dyfed. Dyfed County Council Archives Department.

Ballinger, John, 1860- . Gleanings from a printer's file. Aberystwyth, The National Library of Wales,1928 . Extracts from the records of the publisher of the Tivyside advertiser, Cardigan, from 1825 to 1865, illustrating the value from the point of view of local history of the products of local printing offices."The papers here reprinted were written for the Transactions of the West Wales Historical Society, and printed in vols. IX-XII."

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Occupations

Spirit of the Miners   - ".... is a community regeneration project that sets out to create an identity for northern Ceredigion using the legacy of metal mining as a theme for regeneration. The project will mainly focus on the human, social and community aspects of mining culture. In short, the very reason why many of these upland villages exist"

Victorian Professional Photographers in Wales 1850-1925 - a county based database compiled by Mari Alderman, includes sources and a bibliography

Mines in Mid Wales . Homepage for Mid Wales section of The British Mining Database; Cardiganshire Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire.Contains a general history and introduction to Welsh Mining and  a list of mines with map references.

A List of Mines in Pembrokeshire and the adjoining parts of Carmarthen and Ceredigion. Introduction.

Mining Landscape in Ceredigion ; A response to the Ceredigion Local Plan on behalf of the Welsh Mines Society. " The council fails to acknowledge the importance of the mining landscape in Special Landscape Areas - Dyfi, Rheidol, Teifi and Ystwyth Valleys, and The Cambrian Mountains........" 

List of Mines in Cardiganshire Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire

Cardiganshire's Mining Industry in 1896 - A List of Metalliferous Mines

Apprentices from Dyfed in Bristol in the C17 & C18. Fiche for sale from Dyfed FHS.

Lists of magistrates and police officials in the county of Cardiganshire  - extracted from Kelly's Directory of South Wales 1923 (published on CD by Archive CD Books)

Held at the NLW ;

• Papers relating to Cardiganshire lead mines, 1847-1937.
• The records of the Herbert family of Powis Castle, Pembrokeshire includes records of lead and silver mining in Cardiganshire, C18-C19.
  

Books marked * have an entry on the separate 'Review/Contents' page.

Anon.     Cardiganshire silver.    See 'A relic of the Mackworth works' in Trans Neath Antq Soc, Vol VII

Anon.    The passing of the Coracle.    P.D. Review, 1948, no 76

An Abstract of the Proposals of Sir Carbery Pryse and his present Partners, concerning their Famous Lead-Mines called Bwlchireskirhir, in the County of Cardigan. (A Short Account of Sir Carbery Pryse's Lead-Work, given in the First of June, 1693, by William Waller, Steward there.). 1693

Bateman, D I.    Cardiganshire Agriculture in the Twentieth Century: an Economic Perspective.    Cardiganshire County History . Volume III

Bick, David E. The Old Metal Mines of Mid-Wales . Parts 1-4 in a new paper back, 1978..

Bick, David Ewart and Davies, Philip Wyn . Lewis Morris and the Cardiganshire mines Aberystwyth : National Library of Wales, 1994

Bick, David.     Remnants of Mining in Ceredigion before the C19. Ceredigion : Journal of the Cardiganshire Antiquarian Society, Vol VIII, No 3, 1978

Bick, David.   Waller's Descriptions of the Mines in Cardiganshire.  Black Dwarf, 2004

Boon, George C.      Cardiganshire silver and the Aberystwyth Mint in peace & war   Cardiff : National Museum of Wales,1981

Burt, Roger & Peter Waite & Ray Burnley.  The Mines of Cardiganshire.    Exeter, n.d

Carr, Tina & Schöne, Annemarie.     Pigs & ingots : the lead/silver mines of Cardiganshire .    Talybont,Y Lolfa, 1993

Carpenter, Kathleen Edith.     Notes on the history of Cardiganshire lead mines. Aberystwyth ,1923

Colyer, Richard. The Welsh Cattle Drovers (1976). Here is a contents listing/introduction and  an index by Catherine Davies-Shiel. Reissued in 2002 by Landmark Publishing Co, with  revision of some chapters, now p192.

Colyer, (Moore), R J.  A Land of Pure Delight.  Landysul, 1992

Colyer, R. J. Moore.Further References to the Welsh Cattle Trade. National Library of Wales journal. Volume XXV/3 Summer, 1988. Extract of this article by Bill Griffith-Jones 2002

Colyer, Richard. Welsh Cattle Drovers in the Nineteenth Century - 1   National Library of Wales journal. 1972, Winter Volume XVII/4

Colyer, Richard. Welsh Cattle Drovers in the Nineteenth Century - 2   National Library of Wales journal. 1974, Summer. Volume XVIII/3

Colyer, Richard. Welsh Cattle Drovers in the Nineteenth Century - 3 National Library of Wales journal. 1975, Summer. Volume XIX/1

Colyer, (Moore), R J.     Agriculture and Land Occupation in Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Ceredigion.         Cardiganshire County History . Volume III

Davies, Arthur Stanley. Cardiganshire Salt Smugglers, etc. Archaeologia Cambrensis, 1936. [BM 7711.c.30.(9.)]

Davies, Elwyn.      Hafod, Hafoty and Lluest: Their Distribution, Features and Purpose.     Ceredigion, vol IX/1 1980/

Davies, J Ll. The Livestock Trade in West Wales in the C19th. Aberystwyth Studies, XIV, 1936, pp99 and 108

Davies, J Ll. The diary of a Cardiganshire farmer, 1870-1900. Welsh Journal of Agriculture, Vol X.

Foster-Smith.  The Mines of Cardiganshire N.M.R.S. British Mining No. 12

Francis, Absalom, 1823-1891. History of the Cardiganshire mines from the earliest ages, and authenticated history to A.D. 1874, with their present position and prospect.1987. Mining facsimiles ; reprint no. 14

Francis-Jones, Gwyneth. Cows, Cardis and Cockneys,1984, Welsh Books Centre

Hall, George. A Note on the Decline of Mining in Cardiganshire.        Ceredigion : Journal of the Cardiganshire Antiquarian Society, Vol VII, No 1, 1972.

Hall, G W. Metal Mines of Southern Wales, Kington, 2nd. edn., published privately, 1993 - A detailed account of mining in the pre Carboniferous rocks of south Cardiganshire, Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Brecknockshire

Howell, David. The Agricultural Community of Cardiganshire in the C18. Ceredigion [new paper back format] : Cardiganshire Antiquarian Society, Vol 2, No 1, 1993

Howells, Brian.  Social and Agrarian Change in the Early Modern Cardioganshire.    Ceredigion 1974/5

Hughes, Simon John Southworth. Cardiganshire, its mines and miners. Ceredigion, Talybont, The author (1976) [BM X.429/10150]

Jenkins, D. The Agricultural Community in South-West Wales at the turn of the 20th Century. Cardiff, 1971

Jenkins, David.      Land and Community around the Close of the Nineteenth Century      Cardiganshire County History . Volume III

Jenkins, J Geraint.        Rural Industry in Cardiganshire.        Ceredigion : Journal of the Cardiganshire Antiquarian Society, Vol VI, No 1, 1968. A most detailed article; - 'Cardiganshire had a great variety of rural industry in the nineteenth century, they may be divided into categories............Extractive industries such as... stone quarrying and mining for non-ferrous metals; .............Processing industries such as ... corn milling, lime-burning, malthouses, tanning hides, woollen industry.............. Service industries such as... the joiner and the cobbler...............Creative industries such as...bowl turning and spoon carving, clog sole making, fishing, stone cutting and lead smelting, brick making, hat making, woollen manufacturing, saddlery, founding, sail/rope makers, shipwrights, blacksmiths, butter/cheese making, brewing, quilting and needlework ..........'

Johnes, Thomas. A Cardiganshire landlord's advice to his tenants. Hafod: 1800

Jones, David Ceri.  The Board of Agriculture, Walter Davies ('Gwallter Mechain') and Cardiganshire, c 1794-1815.   Ceredigion, 2001

Jones, R L.       Changes in the pattern of Cardiganshire farming.        Roy.Welsh Agr. Soc. Trans., Vol XXVII

Jones, T J.          Farming Cameo: Central Cardiganshire.        Agriculture, Vol LXV

Lewis,W.J.        The condition of labour in mid-Cardiganshire in the early C19.         Ceredigion, IV, 1963

Lewis, W J.       Some aspects of lead mining in Cardiganshire in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.     Ceredigion, Vol I

Lewis W J.        A Welsh Salt Making Venture of the Sixteenth Century.      NLW journal Vol VIII/4 Winter 1954. Here is the article which relates the story of the salt works on the Cardiganshire side of the Dyfi.

Lewis, W J. The Cardiganshire miners' drinking song. Ceredigion, ii 1 : 53-4 (1952)

Liscombe and Co The Mines of Cardiganshire and Montgomeryshire S.J.S. Hughes Talybont

Lloyd, T & Turner, D. General View of the Agriculture of Cardiganshire. London: 1794

Macve, Jennifer.     The Search for Zinc Blende in Mid-Cardiganshire during WWII     Ceredigion, 1991

Morgan, D J.        The State of agriculture in the County of Cardigan towards the end of the eighteenth century.       J.U.C.W. Agric Dept, Vol VI

O'Brien R Barry.        Last of the coracle men.   Ship and Boat Builder, Nov 1950

Palmer, Marilyn. "The richest in all Wales" : the Welsh Potosi or Esgair Hir and Esgair Fraith lead and copper mines of Cardiganshire . Sheffield : Northern Mine Research Society,1983

Phillips, Richard.         Some aspects of the agricultural conditions in Cardiganshire in the 19th century.        Welsh J. Agric, Vol 1.

Pretty, David.  'Gwrthryfel y Gweithwyr Gwledig [The Revolt of the Rural Workers]  yng Ngheredigion 1889-1950'.    Ceredigion, 1989

Rees, D Morgan.         Industrial Archaeology in Cardiganshire.      Ceredigion : Journal of the Cardiganshire Antiquarian Society. Vol V/2, 1965. The article mentions the lead mines of Cwmystwyth, Bryn Llwyd [Bronfloyd], Llwyernog, Powell United, Clara Consols, Bryndyfi [Neuaddlwyd]; also Furnace village, Eglwysfach furnace, Aberaeron forge, and a brief lead mining glossary

Rowlands, John.         Family connections and ship ownership.      Cardiganshire FHS journal, vol 3/7 Feb 2004. Includes details of the owners of the barque M A Evans first registered in Aberystwyth in 1864; demonstrates a high level of same family ship ownership, even by farmers.

Rowlands, Marc A.       Mining Plans of Cardiganshire; The Human Dimension.Ceredigion :       Journal of the Cardiganshire Antiquarian Society, Vol XIII, No 2, 1998.

Sanders, I J.        Trade and industry in some Cardiganshire towns in the Middle Ages.       Ceredigion, Vol III

*Toulson, Shirley/Forbes, Caroline. The Drovers' Road of Wales. II Pembrokeshire and the South. Whittet Books Ltd, 1992  This is the second book in the series and covers from the Englishry of Pembrokeshire around Angle and Castlemartin up through Carmarthenshire, across from Ceredigion through Gower into Glamorgan and over the Black Mountains into the Welsh Marches.

Tucker, Gordon and Mary. The Old Slate Industry of Pembrokeshire and Other Parts of South Wales. National Library of Wales journal. 1983, Winter. Volume XXIII/2. Extract by Bill Griffith-Jones

Tucker, Gordon & Mary.          Slate Working in North Cardiganshire with Particular Reference to Cwmerau.           Ceredigion, xi:1, 75-80 (1988-9)

Turner, D.         General View of the Agriculture of the County of Cardigan. 1794

Vaughan, H M.       Cardiganshire book-binders. J.         Welsh Bibliog. Soc, Vol II

Waller, William.   A description of the Mines of Cardiganshire (1704) Reprint

Williams, M I.         Seasonal Migration of Cardiganshire Harvest Gangs to the Vale of Glamorgan in the C19th.           Ceredigion, III, no 2, 1957, pp156-9.

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Periodicals

Relevant periodicals include Ceredigion  available at Ceredigion Archives or  NLW or Aberystwyth Library and  Archaeologica Cambrensis available selectively at  Ceredigion Archives and NLW.

Dyfed FHS produce a journal for members  three times yearly which contains many articles of general and specific interest to researchers in Cardiganshire etc. Details of past issues are listed on Dyfed FHS

Cardiganshire FHS produces a journal for members three times yearly which contains many articles of general and specific interest to researchers in Cardiganshire etc

Green, Francis (ed.) West Wales Historical Records: The Annual Magazine of the Historical Society of West Wales. Quintin Publications.

Politics and Government

Details of extant records on Archives Network Wales for the following;

• Cardiganshire Electoral Registers 1865-1999

Barber, Jill.     A Fair and Just Demand?  Tithe Unrest in Cardiganshire, 1796-1823.    Welsh History Review, 16 (1992)

Escott, Margaret M.    Parliamentary Representation from the French Revolution to the Passage of the Reform Bill, 1790-1832.     Cardiganshire County History, vol III

Hughes, John.    A History of the Parliamentary Representation of the County of Cardigan.   Aber, 1849

Jenkins, David,          Some Cardiganshire broadsides.        Ceredigion, Vol II

Jones, Ieuan Gwynedd. Cardiganshire Politics in the mid 19th Century. Ceredigion: Journal of the Cardiganshire Antiquarian Society. Vol. V. No. 1 (1964)

Jones, Francis. Cardiganshire Election Songs. Ceredigion: Journal of the Cardiganshire Antiquarian Society. Vol. V. No. 1 (1964)

Jones, Ieuan G. Cardiganshire politics in the mid-nineteenth century. Ceredigion, v 1 : 14-41 (1964)

Jones, J Graham. The Cardiganshire Election of 1959. Ceredigion, Vol XII/2 1994.
"During the 1950s Cardiganshire was widely regarded as the safest Liberal seat in the whole of Britain. Indeed the Liberals had first captured the seat in the epoch-making election of 1868, and from 1880 onwards the party had enjoyed a seemingly impregnable ascendancy...................."

Jones, J Graham.   Cardiganshire Politics, 1885-1974          Cardiganshire County History, vol III

Jones, J Graham.    The Cardiganshire County Council, 1889-1974           Cardiganshire County History, vol III

Kirkby, D P.  The Political Development of Ceredigion. c 400-1081      Cardiganshire County History . Volume1, 1994

Madgwick, P J & Non Griffiths, Valerie Walker. The Politics of Rural Wales - A study of Cardiganshire. Hutchinson, London, 1973. pp272

Morgan, Kenneth O. Cardiganshire Politics: The Liberal Ascendancy, 1885-1923. Ceredigion : Journal of the Cardiganshire Antiquarian Society, Vol V, No 4, 1967.
" 'There is a spirit of vassalage among the tillers of the soil, begotten by the tyranny of the past. The shadows of the oppression and evictions of 1868 have not lifted from among the people'. ( Royal Commission on Land in Wales and Monmouthshire, Evidence, 1895). This evidence given before the Welsh Land Commissioners at Aberaeron in 1894, evokes the spirit of the modern phase of Cardiganshire politics - the politics of nostalgia...."

Phillips, J R. A List of the Sheriffs of Cardiganshire. 1868

Richards, Melville. Local Government in Cardiganshire. Ceredigion, Vol IV/3 1962.
 ".....it is my purpose...to attempt to trace the outlines of the development of local government through the ages and to see what changes took place at three points of time, namely, medieval, early modern, and modern......."

Smith, Robert.  "Enlightened Radical Cardiganshire": David Ivon Jones and his Native County.   Ceredigion, 1995

Thomas, P D G. Parliamentary Representation from the Glorious Revolution to the French Revolution, 1688-1789.     Cardiganshire County History, vol III

Thomas, Peter D.G. The Cardigan Boroughs Election of 1741. Ceredigion : Journal of the Cardiganshire Antiquarian Society, Vol VI, No 1, 1968.
"The legislation of Henry VIII creating the borough constituencies of Wales was a masterpiece of vagueness......... the presumed intention that the borough groupings were to consist of all the 'ancient boroughs' of each county was rarely, if ever, fulfilled...........In Cardiganshire the ancient boroughs were Aberystwyth, Adpar, Cardigan, Lampeter, Llanddewibrefi, and Tregaron........ Evidence (from 1604) of the early composition of the Parliamentary constituency ... shows that Cardigan, Aberystwyth, Tregaron, Trefilan, Lampeter and Adpar had then comprised the constituency.......by the late 17th century Trefilan had disappeared from the list......"

Thorne, Roland G.    Parliamentary Representation from the First to the Third Reform Acts, 1832-1885          Cardiganshire County History, vol III

Williams, David.  Cardiganshire politics in the mid-eighteenth century. Ceredigion, Vol III

Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

There were seven Poor Law Unions covering Cardiganshire: Mychynlleth (also covering parts of Merionethshire and Montgomeryshire), Aberystwyth, Aberaeron, Tregaron, Cardigan (also covering part of Pembrokeshire), Newcastle Emlyn (also covering parts of Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire), and Lampeter (also covering part of Carmarthenshire). The records for all the Poor Law Unions are in the Cardiganshire Record Office, except some for Cardigan in the Pembrokeshire Record office, and those for Mychynlleth, which are in the Montgomeryshire Record Office.
The records of the Cardiganshire Boards of Guardians, from 1837, are at Cardiganshire Archives.

The County Library in Aberystwyth has an index to press cuttings on subjects of local interest including "workhouses" in Cardiganshire.

The Workhouse  - on Peter Higginbotham's site

Poor Law Unions in Cardiganshire - a breakdown by parish etc

Details of extant records on Archives Network Wales for the following;

• Cardiganshire Board of Guardians Records  1834-1936
  "Records relating to the Cardiganshire Board of Guardians, including Cardigan Union, 1834-1935; Newcastle Emlyn Union, 1916-1925; Lampeter Union, 1871-1930; Tregaron Union, 1912-1929; Aberayron Union, 1854-1922; and Aberystwyth Union, 1878-1936."

Benjamin, E. Alwyn. Of Paupers and Workhouses. Ceredigion, x: 2 147-54 (1985)

Davies, Alun Eirug. Some Aspects of the Operation of the old Poor Law in Cardiganshire, 1750-1834. Ceredigion : Journal of the Cardiganshire Antiquarian Society, Vol VI, No 1, 1968.
Introduction summary;-The principal evidence for the operation of the old Poor Law in Cardiganshire is found in three sources. Firstly, the minutes of   Vestry meetings and overseers' accounts, these are extant in some part for about 33 Cardiganshire  parishes. Secondly, there are  the Cardiganshire Quarter Sessions Order Books which exist from the year 1739. Thirdly, the Poor Law Enquiry Commission appointed in 1832 collected a good deal of information concerning the administration of the Old Poor Law in the form of reports and questionnaires; the Report itself was published in 1834. As far as Cardiganshire is concerned there were detailed questionnaires completed for only Aberystwyth, Lampeter and Llansanffraid.

Davies, Alun E. The New Poor Law in a Rural Area 1834-1850.  Ceredigion : Journal of the Cardiganshire Antiquarian Society, Vol VIII, no 3, p 245-290.

Evans, Alan Eurig.     Poor Law Administration in Cardiganshire 1750-1948. 1999

Jones, Dot.     Pauperism in the Aberystwyth Poor Law Union 1870-1914. Ceredigion, ix 1 : 78-101 (1980)

Martin, Shirley. The New Poor Law Act of 1834. Cardiganshire FHS journal Vol 2/3, p 62-3. Not a long article but a good bibliography included for further reading on the subject vis a vis Cardiganshire.

Morgan, Gerald.  "Bottom of the heap": identifying the poor in west Wales records 1600-1680.    Llafur VII, 9 (1996)

Palmer, Helen.    Documentary evidence on the lives of the poor in the later C19 in Cardiganshire.   Ceredigion : Journal of the Cardiganshire Antiquarian Society, Vol XIII, No 2, 1998.

Public Records

Details of extant records on Archives Network Wales for the following;

• Ceredigion District Council Records 1937-1994
• Cyngor Sir Ceredigion County Council Records [c. 1950]-1998 (accumulated 1996-1998)
• Cardiganshire County Roads Board Records 1770-1870

Agricultural Statistics  in 1908 for the counties of Cardiganshire, Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Glamorgan as shown in Kelly's Directory for South Wales, 1910

Searches of these items available within  their Research Service from  Cardiganshire Family History Society

• Hearth Tax 1670
• Association Oath Roll 1695

Held at the NLW ;

• Cardiganshire County Roads Board; the records of the Aberystwyth section, 1770-1845, and the Cardigan section, 1803-44, of the Cardiganshire Turnpike Trust, and of the Cardiganshire County Roads Board, 1844-70.
  Other records at Ceredigion Archives.

Held at Ceredigion Archives;

• Various Electoral Registers, many for the C20, and some for the C19 for part,  and in many cases, all of the county.
• Further records of the Ceredigion Girl Guides Association

 

Aitchison, J W. & Harold Carter.       The Population of Cardiganshire.       Cardiganshire County History Vol, III

Jones, ED.    Cardiganshire Quarter Sessions Order Books, 1739-1800.   Card. Antq. Soc. Trans, Vol XII

Jones, ED.    Court Leet Records.   Card. Antq. Soc. Trans, Vol XI

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Religion and Religious Life

Books marked * have an entry on the separate 'Review/Contents' page.

Anon. The Quakers in Cardiganshire.  Card. Antq. Soc. Trans., Vol I/2

Anon.  Quakers in Cardiganshire. Carmarthen Notes, Vol II

*Barnes, David Russell . People of Seion. A history of non-conformist religious movements in Cardiganshire and Carmarthenshire from the 1730's (Methodist Revival) to the mid C19.Llandysul: Gomer Press, 1995.

Bowen, E G.  The Celtic Saints in Cardiganshire.   Ceredigion, Vol I

Carter, Jane.  Santesau Ceredigion.   Ceredigion 1998

Cunnane, James. Ceredigion and the Old Faith. Ceredigion: Journal of the Cardiganshire Antiquarian Society. Vol. II, No. 2 (1994).
"This talk is about overt signs of Catholic belief or customs persisting in Ceredigion after the Reformation. It does not deal with physical reminders of the Old Faith - religious houses, churches, oratories, holy wells or pilgrim paths - nor Catholic place names, unless they come within my brief....."

Davies, T Eurig. Dyddiau bore Annibyniaeth yn Sir Aberteifi. Llawlyfr Cym Cered. Llundain, Vol III(1936-7)

Davies-Evans, Herbert. Life of Saint Nennock. Card Antq Soc Trans, Vol I/4

Evans, Henry. Holwyddoreg ar Hanes Dechreuad y Bedyddwyr yng Ngogledd, Ceredigon [Catechism on the History of the Baptist Origins in North Cardiganshire]. Aberystwyth, Gibson.

Evans, John, 1830-1917. Hanes Methodistiaeth, rhan ddeheuol Sir Aberteifi : oddechreuad y "Diwvgiad Methodistaidd" yn 1735 hyd 1900 .    Dolgellau , 1904. (Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Church History)

Evans, John, 1830-1917. Y trydydd byr-gofiant : yn cynwys hanes oddeutu cant o bregethau anordeiniedig a fu farw yn Sir Aberteifi o ddechreuad y cyfundeb hyd 1913 . Dolgellau, 1913

Hanes Creffydd yn Sir Aberteifi [History of Religion in Cardiganshire]. National Library of Wales, Add. Manuscript 361A

Himbury, D.M. Churches in fellowship: a short history of the English Baptist Associations in South Wales, Priory Press (1960) 27, [1] p.

James, Heather.      The Archaeology of Early Christianity in Cardiganshire.     Cardiganshire County History . Volume1, 1994

Jenkins, Kathryn.    'Pantycelyn a'r Cardis'   Ceredigion, 1993

Jones, David. Hanes y Bedyddwyr yn Neheubarth Cymru [History of the Baptists in South Wales].Carmarthen, 1839 [ LDS GS 994005]

Jones, E D. Ymneilltuaeth gynnar yng Ngheredigion. Ceredigion, Vol IV, 1961

Kirkby. D P.   The Coming of Christianity.  Cardiganshire County History . Volume1, 1994

Lewis, D Evan. Braslun o Hanes Henduriaeth Gogledd Aberteifi 1873-1972 [ A Brief Historical Sketch of the North Cardiganshire Presbytery, 1873-1972].Carnarfon : Llyfrfa'r M.C., 1972

Morgan T R. Bedyddwyr Parthau Uchaf Sir Aberteifi [Baptists in the Upper part of Cardiganshire]. Trafnodion Cymdeithas Hanes Bedyddwyr Cymru. Cardiff, 1924

Morgan, T R.     Y Bedyddwyr yng Ngheredigion.     Llawlyfr Cym Cered Llundain, Vol IV(1937-8)

O Riain, Padraig.         The Saints of Cardiganshire.      Cardiganshire County History . Volume1, 1994

Roberts, Gomer M . Methodistiaeth Gynnar Gwaelog Sir Aberteifi.      Ceredigion: Journal of the Cardiganshire Antiquarian Society. Vol. V. No. 1 (1964)

Thomas, W Gwyn.  The Early Christian Monuments.        Cardiganshire County History . Volume1, 1994

Thickens, John.    Ceredigion a'r Diwygiad Methodistaidd.    Llawlyfr Cym Cered Llundain, Vol I(1934-5)

Williams, David.     The Census of religious worship of 1851 in Cardiganshire.    Ceredigion, Vol IV

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Schools

The Blue Books of 1847.  An inquiry into the state of education in Wales - on the NLW's Digital Mirror site

Dyfed FHS has an online database of Schools and Colleges in the Dyfed counties, many with photographs

Alumni Oxonienses 1715 - 1886. This extract of Dyfed students from a reproduction on CD of the four volumes of Alumni Oxonienses 1715-1886 published by the (Archive CD Books) Project. Extracted and transcribed for the Dyfed FHS by Jonathan Pike. All references to the Dyfed students have been included plus individuals who are known to be connected to Dyfed familes.

Details of extant records on Archives Network Wales for the following;

• School Records for Cardiganshire 1862-1983

Held at   Ceredigion Archives ;

• Records of the Education Committee of Cardiganshire County Council, including School Board records and school log books.
• Completed questionaires by head teachers of Cardiganshire schools giving details of the history of their schools, 1932
  

Held at the NLW ;

• Papers of David Thomas [ 1866-1940], inspector of schools and folklorist ; include a valuable collection of folk-lore made by Cardiganshire schools, 1921-6.
  

Beynon, Tom. The Circulating Welsh Charity Schools in Cardiganshire. Cylch. Cymd. Hanes Meth. Calf. Cymru, Vol XX and XXI

Davies, B L. British Schools in South Wales, The Rev William Roberts (Nefydd), South Wales, Representative of the British and Foreign School Society, 1853-1863 , National Library of Wales journal. 1974, Winter. Volume XVIII/4

Edwards, John.  Rhai o hen ysgolion y Sir.   Llawlyfr Cymd. Cered. Llundain, Vol II (1935/6)

Evans, Leslie Wynne. Copper-Works Schools in South Wales during the Nineteenth Century. National Library of Wales journal. 1959, Summer Volume XI/1.There are 27 Appendices which contain data concerning individual schools in Kilvey, Hafod, Llanelly, Pembrey, Margam, Maesteg and Pontamman

Evans, W Gareth. The Aberdare Report and Cardiganshire.(An Assessment of Educational Conditions and Attitudes in 1881) Ceredigion, vol IX/3, 1982.
" 'At the present time Cardiganshire is to Wales what Scotland is to England. It is the county that has kept education to the front in Wales, and the spirit of education prevails in Cardiganshire more than in any other place. Therefore I think Cardiganshire has a claim, not as a question of justice or of right, but of expediency, as being the the county in Wales where education has been most appreciated, and therefore, we may infer, where it would still be most appreciated.' " ( Aberdare Report, p60)

Evans, W Gareth.   Education in Cardiganshire 1700-1974    Cardiganshire County History, vol III

Griffiths, Stuart. The Welsh Intermediate Education Act and Cardiganshire. Ceredigion : Journal of the Cardiganshire Antiquarian Society, Vol VIII, No 1, 1976

Jenkins, Gwyn.  Cultural Institutions in Cardiganshire.   Cardiganshire County History, vol III

Jones, Aidan.     Education in Cardiganshire 1846-47: The Blue Books.     Cardiganshire FHS journal vol 3/8 June 2004

Jones, E D. The Journal of William Roberts ('Nefydd'), 1853-62. National Library of Wales journal Vol VIII/2 Winter, 1953 et al.

Morgan, Gerald . Circulating schools in Cardiganshire, 1738-1777.   Aberystwyth : U.C.W.,1991

Report of Commission of Enquiry into the State of Education in Wales. 3 vols. 1847. This page has some of the Commissioners overview reports relating to Cardiganshire (and Brecknockshire, Radnorshire) as well as a list of the parishes in Cardiganshire that have the individual reports online.
But the whole thing is now online - The Blue Books of 1847.  An inquiry into the state of education in Wales - on the NLW's Digital Mirror site

Thomas, Dewi W. Addysg yng Ngheredigion [ Education in Ceredigion], 1800-1850, Yn Ol Y Cofiannau.    Ceredigion : Journal of the Cardiganshire Antiquarian Society, Vol VI, No 1, 1968

Thomas, Owen.         Log Books of Cardiganshire schools.      Card. Antq. Soc. Trans, Vol XIII

Trott, A L.      Educational charities in Cardiganshire in the period 1833-35: their origin and value.        Ceredigion, Vol IV

Trott, A L.        Elementary day schools for the children of the working classes in Cardiganshire  in 1847.        Ceredigion, Vol II

Trott, A L.         The Implementation of the 1870 Education Act in Cardiganshire during the period 1870-1880.    Ceredigion, vol3

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Social Life and Customs

The Gathering the Jewels site has material for this county, use the onsite search box

Held at Ceredigion Archives;

• Records of the Guides Association in the county 1915-1985.
• Minute Books of the Women's Institute Executive Committee 1921-1953.

Bevan, Teleri. Years of my time : glimpses of a Cardiganshire upbringing . Llandysul : Gomer,1997

Brennan, T et al. Social Change in South-West Wales. (First half of C20th). 1954, p200.

Cecil-Williams, John.       Y Cymmrodorion yng Ngheredigion.        Llawlyfr Cym Cered Llundain, Vol VII(1951-2)

Davies, Jonathan Ceredig C.   The Folklore of West and Mid Wales. Aberystwyth: Welsh Gazette 1911. There is a review of the book in the Cardiganshire FHS  journal vol 2/8, June 2001.

Davies, Llinos M.  Crochan Ceredigion.  Aber, 1992

De Lloyd, David.  Forty Welsh traditional tunes.... Arranged for two voices and piano. (Cardiganshire tunes). Card. Antq Soc Trans, Vol VI

Dodgson, R A.      Early Society and Economy.   Cardiganshire County History . Volume1, 1994

Ebenezer, Lyn.  Cerddi Ceredigion.   Llandysul, 2003

Edwards, Ifan ab Owen.      Urdd Gobaith Cymru yng Ngheredigion.       Llawlyfr Cym Cered Llundain, Vol V (1938-9)

Evans, Howell.  County of Cardigan: A Retrospect of the Nineteenth Century relating especially to Crime and its Prevention , the Administration of Justice, and the creation of the Police Force.  Aber, 1901

Evans, R M.       Folklore and customs in Cardiganshire.     Card. Antq. Soc. Trans., Vol XII

Griffiths, Rhidian.      Music and Popular Culture.      Cardiganshire County History, vol III

Griffiths, Ralph A.       Gentlemen and Rebels in Later Mediaeval Cardiganshire.   Ceredigion, Vol V/2 1965.
"I shall be concerned, firstly, with those gentlemen who, in time of peace or rebellion, were recognised as the leaders of society and the moulders of opinion in the county........................Secondly, I shall be concerned with those Cardiganshire men who led revolt and rebellion against the Crown in the later Middle Ages.....these I have called rebels...."

Howell, David W. Patriarchs & Parasites: The Gentry of South-West Wales in the 18th Century. 1986 (Cardiff: University of Wales Press) ix + 310pp. inc. appendixes, bibliography, notes and index. 2 maps - 1 foldout. the area covered is Cardiganshire, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire. an examination of the fortunes and character of the ruling class but much else besides.

Howells, Brian.       Social and Agrarian Change in Early Modern Cardiganshire.      Ceredigion : Journal of the Cardiganshire Antiquarian Society, Vol VII, No 3/4, 1974/5.

Jenkins, D.        Rhyfel y Sais Bach.   Ceredigion, i, 1951.        This relates an enclosure dispute in 1820 in an  area called Mynydd Bach, the hilly land between Lampeter and Aberystwyth, the 'Sais Bach' is an English gentleman called Augustus  Brackenbury.

Johnes, Thomas, 1748-1816     Edited by Moore-Colyer, Richard J.        A land of pure delight : selections from the letters of Thomas Johnes of Hafod, Cardiganshire,1748-1816 . Llandysul, Dyfed : Gomer,1992

Jones, D J V.        Distress and Discontent in Cardiganshire, 1814-1819.       Ceredigion, v, no 3, 1966

Jones, D J V.      More light on Rhyfel y Sais Bach.       Ceredigion, iv. 1965. [see Jenkins entry above]

Jones, David J V.      Crime and Policing in the Twentieth Century (The South Wales Experience). UWP

Jones, Emyr Wyn. Medical Glimpse of Early Nineteenth Century Cardiganshire . National Library of Wales journal. 1966, Summer Volume XIV/3

Jones, G Penrhyn       Cholera in Wales.   National Library of Wales journal Vol X/3 Summer 1958.

Jones, J E J.       Fairs in Cardiganshire.        Cardig. Antiq. Soc. Trans., Vol VII

Jones Pierce,T.       Medieval Cardiganshire ­ A Study in Social Origins',       Ceredigion, 1959

Jones, Rosemary A. N.     Popular Culture, Policing, and the Disappearance of the Ceffyl Pren in Cardigan, c. 1837-1850.     Ceredigion, xi:1, 19-40 (1998-9)

Knowles, Anne Kelly.      The Structure of Rural Society in North Cardiganshire, 1800-1850.        Cardiganshire County History . Volume III

Lewis , D .        Pobl Wrth Eu Gwaith/People at Work . Llandysul 1987.        Here  is an index by Jill Smith

Lewis, EA. The goods and chattels of a Cardiganshire esquire in 1663. Card. Antq. Soc. Trans, Vol XI

Lewis, G J.     Mobility, Locality and Demographic Change: the case of north Cardiganshire.    Welsh History Review 9, no 3 (1979)

Lewis, W J.    The Condition of Labour in Mid-Cardiganshire in the early nineteenth century.     Ceredigion, 1963

Lloyd, H A. The Gentry of South-West Wales 1540-1640. Cardiff, 1968

Millward, E.G.     Beirdd Ceredigion yn Oes Victoria.        Ceredigion : Journal of the Cardiganshire Antiquarian Society, Vol XI, No 2, 1990

Morgan, Gerald.       Women in Early Modern Cardiganshire.         Ceredigion, xiii:4, 1-19 (2000)

Owen, Trevor M.      Some aspects of the bidding in Cardiganshire.         Ceredigion, Vol IV

Palmer, Helen.       The Shadow in the Family.         Cardiganshire FHS Journal, Vol 2~ No 6, Oct 2000.The author's concluding words are ; " Let us remember when researching family history or social history, not only the physical conditions, but also the psychological conditions which our ancestors shared. The fear of consumption and the reality of the condition was a dark shadow at the edges of their lives."

Parry-Jones, D. A Welsh Country Upbringing. 1948 (Batsford) 139pp. + index. 88 b/w photo. illus. frontispiece in colour. views of Cards./Carms. border in early years 20th cent.

Peate, Iorwerth C. The Welsh House. A Study in Folk Culture First published in 1940, reprinted by Llanerch Publishers, Felinfach in 2000. ISBN 1 86143 112 0. Here is a review and  listing of Contents, Illustrations, Figures and houses/sites mentioned,  from the 1940 edition.

Pierce, T Jones.  Medieval Cardiganshire - a study in social origins. Ceredigion, Vol III, 1959

Price, Cecil. Some Welsh Theatres, 1844 - 1870,     National Library of Wales journal. 1961, Winter Volume XII/2.     The towns featured are; Aberystwyth, Abergavenny, Brecon, Carmarthen, Merthyr, Monmouth, Newport, Tredegar and Wrexham.

Scourfield , Elfyn . Welsh Rural Life in Photographs. Barry, 1979.       Here is an index by Jill Smith

Thomas, Colin.    Rural Society in 19th Century Wales: South Cardiganshire in 1851.    Ceredigion (Journal of the Cardiganshire Antiquarian Society) Vol VI No 4 [1971]

Vaughan, H M. The South Wales Squires. London, 1926

Walker, R F.    Tourism in Cardiganshire, 1774-1974            Cardiganshire County History, vol III

Williams, D. Rhyfel y Sais Bach. Ceredigion, ii, 1952. [See Jenkins above.]

Williams, Gareth W.     The Disenchantment of the World: Crisis and Change in Cardiganshire        Ceredigion; Vol. IX, No. 4 (1983).
"I originally undertook to address the Society on aspects of religion and recreation in Cardiganshire in the late nineteenth century and I proposed as a title 'Fighting Parsons'............the turbulent priests of my original title were those fifteen representative of the Lampeter College rugby team whose brawling ordinands were once memorably headlined in the Carmarthen Journal as 'Fighting Parsons'......... But if this was civilisation, the vast majority of the population of Cardiganshire was untouched by it. For one thing, less than a quarter of them were Anglicans (1851 census)..... for another Ceredigion to this day has remained obdurately, some might say perversely,  resistant to the game of rugby...... what mattered far more to ordinary people, and sustained them in their everyday lives, was a varied repertoire of magical beliefs and superstitions that were still held and practised in Cardiganshire well into the nineteenth century........."

Williams, Moelwyn I.        Glimpses of Life in C17 Cardiganshire.       Ceredigion [new paper back format] : Cardiganshire Antiquarian Society, Vol XII, No 4, 1996

Williams, M I.  Did Handel visit Cardiganshire ?   Ceredigion, Vol III

Willis-Bund, J W.  Cardiganshire Cons