Stories – Hanes

Bwca Ty-Fri / The Bwca of Ty-Fri

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Fi glwas nw’n gwed 1bod bwca yn TyFri blenydda mawr yn ol. Bwca TyFri on nw’n i alw fa. Yr ‘en fachgan odd y bwca ag odd a’n nithur pob mæth o sdranca 2. Gyda ryw wæs dæth a i DyFri gynta, ryw wæs odd wedi werthu unan i’r ‘en fachgan. Odd y gwæs ynny’n gallu nithur mwy o waith mwn dwernod na neb arall mwn wthnos, achos bod y bwca’n i elpu fa. Tasa’r gwæs yn troi perth ni’n ceuad bwlch, odd y bwca’n elcyd 3y drain iddo; pin odd y gwæs wthdi’n gwitho, di welsat 4gol o ddrain ym mynd iddi lle yn y belcha o ran i unyn, galsat feddwl; dim ond isha i’r gwæs fod ar bwys odd. Odd y gwæs yn folon iawn, bit siwr, nis odd i ry ddiweddar, a marw næth a.

Fe dæth gwæs arall nawr i DyFri, ag odd wnnw ddim mwin bod yn ffrind i’r bwca. A beth næth a ond tynnu ffræ shag e, fel’yn: fe wetws wth y bwca fod i drwyn e’n irach na trwyn y bwca, a nw bendarfenson, y gwæs a’r bwca, y basan nw’n mesur trwyna’r noswith’ny yn TyFri, a felly fu. Pin odd y teulu wedi cren’ou gylch y tæn, fe æth y gwæs i’r lofft i fesur i drwyn. Odd twll yn un o blanca llawr y lofft a fe orweddws y gwæs ar y llawr a doti i drwyn yn y twll. Odd y bwca wedi aros ar y parth i gæl mesur trwyn y gwæs ag wth bod wnnw a’i drwyn yn y twll, fe deimlws y bwca’n sdrico i drwyn a’n dawal fæch. Pin dæth tro’r bwca i ddoti i drwyn yn y twll, beth næth y gwæs ond mynd i ben y giatar a gwæn 5dwy oel fawr iddi drwyn a, gin feddwl i ddoti fa’n sownd yn y twll cyd a bod y ffermwr a fenta’n ritag i’r lofft iddi lædd a. Fe rews 6y bwca sgrech anearol pin gwanwd yr oilin iddi drwyn a, pin credws y ffermwr a’r gwæs y loffd, odd neb’no.

Ar ol ‘ynny, odd y bwca’n dial arnyn nw. Odd popith ar y fferm ym mynd i’r with 7, a neb yn gallu cysgu yn y nos gin swn fel swn tchains yn cæl i llusgo bothdi’r lle. Odd braw ar y menwod efyd, waeth odd dim dal pryd clwsan nw laish y bwca. On nw, un tro, wth y tæn, ar ol cwplo i gwaith, yn dadla bothdi pin odd a’r dilo perta. Yn sytan, ma laish y bwca’n gwed: gin y bwca ma’r dilo perta! A dyma law wen, refadd o bert, ag yn llawn modrwya i gyd, yn dod i genol  dilo’r merchyd.

              Yn y diwadd, fe gesbwd y gwenitog i ddod ‘co iddo ymlyd a i ffwr’. Hws o’r Gros odd y gwenitog, sbo. Fe dæth wnnw a llyfyr y bywyd a mynnyd iddyn nw ddoti llesdri’n llawn o ddwr yn gylch ar llawr y parth. Fe safws ynta yn y cylch y darllyn ranna o’r sgrethyr a gweddio a gwardd y lle iddo ddiwadd amsar. Ac fe dæth swn mawr, fel ta’r ty m’mynd yn yfflon, a fe æth y bwca, a bu dim ‘acor o sôn am y fwca TyFri.

I heard them say that there was a demon – a bwca – at Ty-Fri many years back. Bwca Ty-Fri they called him. He was a demon who could perform all kinds of feats and tricks. He first came along to Ty-Fri with a farm labourer, someone who had sold himself to the devil. This servant was able to do more work in a day than others could do in a whole week, because the bwca assisted him. If the servant was turning hedges to close a gap, the bwca would fetch brambles for him; when the servant was busy working, you could see a load of brushwood in the field moving along on its own into the gaps, it would seem; the servant only needed to be close at hand. To be sure, the farmhand readily accepted this assistance, until it was too late to save his soul.

Another farmhand came to work at Ty-Fri, but this one was not willing to befriend the bwca. What he did was to scheme a confrontation like this: he said to the bwca that his own nose was longer than bwca’s and they decided they would measure noses that night at Ty-Fri, and so it was. When the family were gathered around the fire downstairs, the servant went up into the loft to measure his nose. There was a hole in one of the floorboards and he lay on the floor and pushed his nose into it. The bwca was downstairs ready to measure the servant’s nose and as he put his nose through he could feel the bwca giving it a gentle stroke. Now, when it was the bwca’s turn to stick his nose through the hole, what the servant did was to stand on top of the chair and hammered two long nails right through the bwca’s nose, planning to keep it stuck fast while he and the farmer ran upstairs to kill him. The bwca gave an dreadful unearthly screech as the nails peirced through his nose, but when the farmer and servant went up to the loft no-one was there.

After that, the bwca took his vengence on them; everything at the farm was out of place and no-one could sleep at night as there was the sound of chains being dragged around the place. The women were scared too as there was no knowing when they would hear the voice of the bwca. One time, they were by the fire after finishing work, arguing about which of them had the prettiest hands, suddenly the bwca calls out ‘the bwca has the prettiest hands!’ and a white hand appears among the ladies hands, strangely beautiful with a ring on each finger. In the end a minister was called to come over and to banish the bwca away. Huws o’r Gros was probably the minister. He brought the Bible with him and asked the houshold to place bowls full of water in a circle on the stone floor. He stood inside the circle and began to read the Scriptures and called for the place would be forbidden to him for eternity. There was a loud noise as if the house were being ripped apart. The bwca left and there has never been a sighting of bwca Ty-Fri since.

Source: Tafodiaith Nantgarw; Ceinwen Thomas; 1993. Translated from phonetic script.

  1. Fe glywais i nhw’n gweud[↩]
  2. oedd e’n neud pob math o driciau[↩]
  3. nôl[↩]
  4. fasat ti’n gweld[↩]
  5. trywanu[↩]
  6. rhoddodd[↩]
  7. chwith= mas o le[↩]

Ianto’r Shortar (Fachgian o Fro Morganwg.) Ysgrif I. — Golygfa Mewn Ffair (3)

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Tudalen cyntaf / First Page (1)

(3) Nawr wi’n mynd i wed ticyn o’n hanas yn hunan wthoch chi lle bo chi’n meddwl bod dim cewc ddrwg 1gin i 2at Ianto’r Shortar a’i dylu 3. Bachgian i ffarmwr yn mro Morganwg otw i 4. Boiti 5 bum’ mlynadd yn ol i ath 6yn nhad tua ffair Penybont i gituno a’r morwn 7, a’r noswath hyny fe ddath yn ol a’r forwn gita fa 8. Mwn 9cwpwl o fishodd wetiny 10, fe fu row fudur 11achos bo fi a’r forwn yn ciaru 12. Ma’r ffarmwrs yn gros budur 13iddi plant i neud dim tocs a’r gwishon a’r morwnon, achos ma’n nhw’n styriad 14bod hyny, yn u ishelhau i’r gwarth a’r cwilydd mwya. Diwadd y row fu, beth bena 15, i nhiad ddarllen y Riot Act i ni’n dou; ta tro cynta gwelsa ne glywsa fa yn bod ni’n ciaru wet’ny y basa fa yn waco 16Nel off mwn mynad 17ag yn gneud i wllys i ngendar, ag am i Nel byrtoi i matal 18ar ben y tymor.

I’ll share a little of my own story in case you think I have some petty grievance against Ianto Shortar. I’m a farmer’s son from the Vale of Glamorgan. Five years ago my father set off to the Penybont fair to hire labour for the farm and returned that evening with a maid. After couple of months we had an awful row with my father as the maid and I had become close to each other. Now, farmers are severe with sons and daughters having relationships with any of the farm hands and maids as they consider it brings them into disgrace in the parish. At the end of the row however, he read the riot act to the two of us: next time he saw or heard of us together, he would throw Nel out in an instant and alter the name on his will from myself, over to my cousin. He then sternly told Nel to prepare to leave at the end of the season.

  1. argraff ddrwg[↩]
  2. gen i[↩]
  3. teulu[↩]
  4. ydw i[↩]
  5. tua, ambeutu[↩]
  6. aeth[↩]
  7. cytuno gyda’r morwyn[↩]
  8. gyda fe[↩]
  9. mewn[↩]
  10. misoedd wedi hynny[↩]
  11. ofnadwy[↩]
  12. caru ticyn[↩]
  13. llym iawn[↩]
  14. ystyried[↩]
  15. beth bynnag[↩]
  16. cerdded[↩]
  17. mewn funud[↩]
  18. paratoi i ymadael[↩]

Ianto’r Shortar (Fachgian o Fro Morganwg.) Ysgrif I. — Golygfa Mewn Ffair (2)

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Tudalen cyntaf / First Page (1)

(2) Ma rhai yn gallid scwto 1’u hunen mlan yn well na’u gilydd lwar 2, ag ma nhw’n gwed 3fod Ianto’r Shorter, trw 4’i glecs a’i gelwdd 5,weti scwto ‘i blant a’i hunan ymlan yn dda diginig 6, hyny hed hibo 7a thros ben llwar ddylsa fod o’u blan 8nhw. Ma rhai’n gwed hed bod Ianto’n bribo’r Giaffar trw dalu am lot o wishci iddo fa ag ala amball i scwarnog iddo fa; ond wi ddim yn creti 9hyny, achas 10ma Ianto yn ormod am y wishci hynny i hunan. Am y scwarnocod ‘ny yto 11welws mo 12’u milgi nhw ond un scwarnog yriod 13, wth 14 drio’i dala, fe rytws 15i farwolath. Wara 16 teg i Ianto’r Shortar hed. Na, na, welws 17MacCinli (dyna enw’r milgi)ond un scwarnog yriod, withach 18dala rhai. Nit 19 dala scwarnogod odd 20i waith a, i waith a odd ciatw ciatha 21off orwth 22y ty, ac yr oedd y ci yn dallt 23i waith hed yn dda diginig.

Some can promote themselves better than others, and they say, through smooth talk and guile Ianto’r Shorter pushed himself and his family ahead very nicely indeed. They also say Ianto bribed the gaffer, plying him with plenty of whisky and catching the occasional rabbit for him. I don’t believe that as Ianto was too fond of the whiskey himself! Fair play to Ianto’r Shortar. His greyhound MacCinli only ever saw one rabbit and in an keen attempt to catch it ran headlong to his death. He was trained to keep cats out the house, not chase rabbits.

Tudalen nesa / Next Page >

  1. gallu gwthio[↩]
  2. llawer[↩]
  3. gweud[↩]
  4. trwy[↩]
  5. celwydd[↩]
  6. da iawn[↩]
  7. hefyd heibio[↩]
  8. blaen[↩]
  9. credu[↩]
  10. achos[↩]
  11. eto[↩]
  12. gwelodd e ddim[↩]
  13. erioed[↩]
  14. wrth[↩]
  15. rhedodd[↩]
  16. chwarae[↩]
  17. gwelodd[↩]
  18. gwaethach[↩]
  19. nid[↩]
  20. oedd[↩]
  21. cadw cathod[↩]
  22. oddi wrth[↩]
  23. deall[↩]

Ianto’r Shortar (Fachgian o Fro Morganwg.) Ysgrif I. — Golygfa Mewn Ffair (1)

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(1) Pan bo crotyn biach 1yn dechra gwitho 2yn y gwaith Tin, peth cynta ma fa’n gial 3neud yw simi’r 4col rowls, a ma fa wetin 5yn cial i symud ymlan 6o hyd fel bo lle yn dwad 7, a falla 8cyn bo fa’n ddeg ar ucan od 9, gita ticyn 10o scwt, y bydd a weti 11wpo i hunan mlan 12yn shortar i enill 7s 6c ne whigan 13dydd. Run peth wetin 14yw hi gyta’r merchad 15yn gwmws. Ma nwnta’n cial ‘u wpo mlan 16hed o ticyn 17i dicyn i acor 18plets, ag i enill douswllt, ne hannar 19coron y dydd wth hyny 20.

When a lad starts at the tinworks he’ll first shift the cold rolls, then move as positions come up. Maybe, before he’s thirty and with drive, he’ll have pushed his way on to be a shortar earning 7 shillings, 6c a day. It’s similar with the women. They’ll be driven, bit by bit, to open plates and to earn 2 shillings or half a crown a day.

Tudalen nesa / Next Page (2)

Papur Pawb, Ebrill 10, 1897. IANTO’R SHORTAR [Gian Fachgian o Fro Morganwg.] (Cynwal)
  1. bachgen bach[↩]
  2. dechrau gweithio[↩]
  3. mae fe’n gael[↩]
  4. symud[↩]
  5. wedyn[↩]
  6. ymlaen [↩]
  7. dod[↩]
  8. efalle[↩]
  9. ugain oed[↩]
  10. gyda tipyn[↩]
  11. wedi[↩]
  12. gwthio i hunain ymlaen[↩]
  13. deg[↩]
  14. Yr un peth wedyn[↩]
  15. gyda’r merched[↩]
  16. ymlaen hefyd[↩]
  17. tipyn[↩]
  18. agor[↩]
  19. neu hanner[↩]
  20. wrth hynny[↩]

ANTIHUMBUG – Ystalyfera.1

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GWEITHWYR YN TROI YN GAFFERS.
Yn gymaint a bod y Darian a’i hamcan i amddiffyn y gweithwyr, y mae arnaf awydd dweyd gair neu ddau ar y pwnc uchod, sef y gweithiwr yn troi yn gaffer neu yn manager.
Cof gennyf am y tro yn neillduol, pan oedd cyfarfod y gweithwyr yn nhy y cyfaill a’r Undebwr selog, Rhosyn y Castell, yr oedd Bili Pell yn areithio ar y pryd yr oeddwn yn dyfod i mewn i’r ystafell. Y pwnc oedd rhyw ddimai yr oeddym yn dadleu amdani o hyd, ac yn ffaelu a’i chael; ond yr oedd Bili yn dweyd yn gryf iawn ar y pwnc y noson hono. Wedi ysbaido amser aeth y si ar led fod Bili i fod yn dipyn o stwmpyn: darfyddodd areithio, ac aeth Bili yn gynffonwr. Y mae llawer o’r dynionach hyn yn yr ardal yma. Rhag ofn i’r meistr glywed fod Bili yn areithio, ag iddo yntau ffaelu myn’d i’r swydd anrhydeddus, efe a aeth at ei dylwyth ei hun, y ‘cynffonwyr.’

WORKERS TURNED GAFFERS. As much as the Tarian 1defends the workers, I need to say a word or two about workers who become gaffers or managers. I have a particular memory about a workers meeting at the Friends House and Unionist supporting, Rhosyn y Castell, Bili Pell was speaking as I entered the room. The subject was some point they had been churning over and failing to come to a conclusion; but Bili spoke with such conviction that night on the subject. Some time after however, there was a rumour he’d given up public speaking altogether and become a lackey for the company. There’s plenty of petty men like him around here. In case the masters suspected he still had sympathy for the Union, he went on to socialise with his new friends, the ‘Turncoats’.

ANTIHUBUG. Tarian y Gweithiwr. Rhagfyr 1, 1876.
cario’mlæn – continue >
  1. Y Darian -newspaper[↩]

Tredegar: ‘Fachan Ifanc’ 1897

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PENSHWN I HEN DDYNON.
Ma’n dda gyta 1fi fod y dynon mawr yn yr House o Commons yn dechre acor i llyced bothti 2rho’ ticyn 3o help i hen ddynon ar ol ffaelu gwitho. Ma’n gwilydd na fysa nhw wedi dechra’n nghynt, wath 4 ma miloedd o hen withwrs caled wedi cal marw o isha bwyd, ar ol slafo’n galad 5trw’u bywyd. Ma llawar hen goliar clawd 6wedi ala hanar can mlynadd yn y pwll glo, a wedi ffaelu, mor ddigownt 7 a hen geffyla. Yn yr amsar ma nhw wedi gwitho ma nhw wedi doti ffortshwns yn boceti’r mishdri, a doti miloedd o buna yn mocad Budjat y wlad, a wetin yn cal i ala i’r workws i farw, a odd yno i’r bedd mwn hen gart.

PENSIONS FOR THE ELDERLY. I’m pleased to hear the grand men of the House of Commons are starting to open their eyes to giving some help to old men who can no longer work. It’s shameful they have done nothing until now, as thousands of old workers have already died of hunger after labouring hard all their lives. How many broken colliers have there been, weakened through working fifty years of labouring in the pit, were then treated with less worth than an old horse. While they worked, they put fortunes in the pockets of their masters, and thousands to the government. Afterwards, they’ve been sent to the workhouse to die and thrown to the grave from an old cart.

cario’mlæn – continue >
  1. gyda/ with[↩]
  2. o gwmpas/ about[↩]
  3. tipyn / bit[↩]
  4. achos/ because[↩]
  5. caled/ hard[↩]
  6. tlawd/ poor[↩]
  7. unimportant[↩]

Almost like Gorganzola – Fel Gorganzola bron

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Odd Næd yn lico caws cryf iawn ag ar ôl prynu’r caws at y gaea o’r ffermydd, odd Mam yn dewish un o nw ar gyfar Næd ag yn shico’r cosyn. Odd i’n citsho yn y cosyn a i ddala fa ar i ochor yn i erbyn ag yn ishgyd a’n sharp. I shico fa, fel odd i’n gwed. We’ny 1odd y cosyn na m’myn naill ochor or’wth 2y resd, ag erbyn basa Næd yn dechra i fyta fa, odd a’n llawn magots bach yr un lliw a’r caws a fob un a trwyn du. Ag odd gwynt cryf gin y cosyn a glasu yndo fel Gorganzola bron. Dim ond Næd odd yn byta’r caws’ny, alsa neb arall i fyta fa. I bopi fa o flæn y tæn odd Næd, a wi’n cofio nawr gymyd o fraw 3odd arno i wth weld y platid caws yn gyhwfyd o fagots o flæn y tæn a reini’n toddi’n ôl i’r caws, fel odd wnnw m’popi, eb atal dim sbota bach duon i trwyna yn blasdar drws y caws i ddangos ym’le on nw wedi bod!

Source: Tafodiaith Nantgarw; Ceinwen Thomas; 1993. Translated from phonetic script.

Dad liked very strong cheese and after buying some for the winter from the surrounding farms, Mam would choose one for him and would give it a shake, hold it on its side and strike it sharp. To ‘shico‘ it as they’d say. After that the cheese would be stored away from the rest, and by the time Dad would start to eat it, it was full of maggots, the same colour as the cheese and with a little black nose on each one. The cheese had a strong smell with blue running through it almost like Gorganzola. Only Dad would eat the cheese, no one else would! He’d toast it on the fire and I remember how afraid I was, seeing the plate of cheese moving with maggots in front of the fire. They melted into the cheese as it baked, without leaving any of their small black noses to show where they’d been!


  1. wedi hynny/ after that[↩]
  2. oddi wrth /away from[↩]
  3. cymaint o fraw / much of a fright[↩]

Send the fool onwards! -Anfonwch Iolyn ymellach!

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Tasa gwæs bæch newydd gin ffermwr, odd a’n lico wara ‘anfonwch Iolyn ymellach’ arno. Ar dydd fwl Ebrill, fe roisa lythyr iddo a gwed wthdo am fynd ag e i’r fferm a’r fferm. Yno basa’r ffermwr yn c’meryd arno 1 y llythyr ag yn gwed wth y crotyn bod isha mynd a’r llythyr nawr i ryw fferm arall eto. A dyna fel basa’r crotyn yn cæl i ela o fferm i fferm nis bo i’n 2ddeuddag o’r gloch, a pryt’ynny, fe fasa’r derbenydd dwedda 3yn dangos y llythyr i’r en grotyn a odd y llythyr yn gwed: ‘anfonwch Iolyn ymellach’.

If a farmer had taken on a new farm-hand, on the next April Fools Day he’d play ‘Send the fool onwards’. The farmer would instruct him to take a letter to next farm. Once received, the next farmer would pretend to read the letter and tell the lad he’d need to take it further to some other farm. And that’s how it would carry on, sent from farm to farm until midday. At that time, whoever had received the letter would show it to the lad and the contents read ‘Send the fool onwards!’

Source: Tafodiaith Nantgarw; Ceinwen Thomas; 1993. Translated from phonetic script.
  1. cymryd arno /pretend[↩]
  2. hyd nes bod hi’n /until[↩]
  3. diwetha, olaf /last[↩]