Set in the ironmaking town of Merthyr Tydfil, The Fire People is the story of Dic Penderyn who in 1831 became the first Welsh Martyr of the working class. Hanged for a crime that he did not commit, his story is told in this powerful novel which describes the events which took place during the famous Merthyr Tydfil riots of 1831.
To meet William Morgan is to encounter the eighteenth-century world of finance, science and politics. Born in Bridgend in 1750, his heritage was Welsh but his influence extended far beyond national borders, and the legacy of his work continues to shape life in the twenty-first century. Aged only twenty-five and with no formal training, Morgan became actuary at the Equitable, which was then a fledgling life assurance company. Known today as 'the father of actuarial science', his pioneering work e...
The history of women in medieval Wales before the English conquest of 1282 is one largely shrouded in mystery. For the Age of Princes, an era defined by ever-increased threats of foreign hegemony, internal dynastic strife and constant warfare, the comings and goings of women are little noted in sources. This misfortune touches even the most well-known royal woman of the time, Joan of England (d. 1237), the wife of Llywelyn the Great of Gwynedd, illegitimate daughter of King John and half-sister...
"Mothers! Women! When the years pass by and the wounds of war are stanched; when the memory of the sad and bloody days dissipates in a present of liberty, of peace and of wellbeing...speak to your children. Tell them of these men of the International Brigades." Dolores Ibarruri, 'La Pasionaria, ' Madrid 1938. Almost 200 Welshmen volunteered to join the International Brigade and travelled to Spain to fight fascism with the Republicans during the 1936-1939 Spanish Civil War. Whilst over 150 return...
A portrait of how people lived in the pre-industrial age describes how a lack of electric lighting separated daytime and evening into more contrasting worlds, explaining how superstition, work, fire, crime, religion, slavery, and other factors were different before the advent of electric lighting.
Following in the Footsteps of Edward II (Following in the Footsteps)
by Kathryn Warner
First comprehensive study of the 1966 Aberfan disaster using documents previously kept secret under the 30 years rule. Also examines other major disasters such as: Zeebrugge, Hillsborough, Pipa Alpha.
Following in the Footsteps of Henry Tudor (Following in the Footsteps)
by Phil Carradice
The first in-depth biography of the American actress and humanitarian campaigner who married Prince Harry in May 2018, written by the world’s best-known royal biographer.When Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were set up by a mutual friend on a blind date in June 2016, little could they know that just sixteen months later the resulting whirlwind romance would lead to their engagement in November 2017 and marriage in May 2018.Since then, our fascination with the woman who has smashed the royal mould...
Railways and Industry in the Tondu Valleys (South Wales Valleys)
by John Hodge and Stuart Davies
The books give a history of the railway, coal mining and other industrial aspects of each Valley that combine to make up the Tondu Valleys with detailed comments on the operation of the railway, passenger and freight, and details of each colliery within the area and their place within the South Wales coalfield. Details are provided on individual aspects of railway operation. Each location is studied in detail with abundant photographs of railway and colliery activity. This is the first time such...
The Thread of Evidence (The Sixties Crime, #2) (Sixties Mysteries, #2)
by Bernard Knight
A classic murder mystery by acclaimed author Bernard Knight.When some boys find a human bone in a cave in Cardiganshire, Wales, a case that has gone unresolved for over thirty years suddenly springs back into life. For that grisly find is only the start of things...When the rest of the skeleton is soon discovered, the disappearance of a local woman decades earlier comes back to public attention. The woman’s husband has recently returned to the area after years out of the country, and he has no e...
A collection of letters written by John Barnard Jenkins while in prison for masterminding MAC's Welsh bombing campaign - reprint of the original Y Lolfa edition from 1981.
Previously published as The Summer Season and The Canal Girl. For fans of Katie Flynn and Dilly Court, The Canal Boat Girl is a heartwarming novel from the queen of family saga, and author of The Nursemaid's Secret. Wales, 1883. Young Ruth Owen, a talented musician with a scholarship to a prestigious music school, has a sparkling career ahead of her. But after a run-in with her mysterious tutor she flees to London, leaving everything and everyone behind. London, 1897. Fourteen years lat...
The history of women in medieval Wales before the English conquest of 1282 is one largely shrouded in mystery. For the Age of Princes, an era defined by ever-increased threats of foreign hegemony, internal dynastic strife and constant warfare, the comings and goings of women are little noted in sources. This misfortune touches even the most well-known royal woman of the time, Joan of England (d. 1237), the wife of Llywelyn the Great of Gwynedd, illegitimate daughter of King John and half-sister...
Railways in North and Mid Wales in the Late 20th Century
by Green, Peter J
The coastal and mountain scenery around the railway lines of North and Mid Wales is among the best in Great Britain. Here we look at the British Railways lines and the trains that ran on them in the years between 1980 and 2000, as recorded by my cameras during my many visits to the area. A few photographs from earlier years are also included to help to complete the picture. During this period of time, quite a lot of mechanical signalling and many old station buildings still remained, all adding...
A BBC Radio 4 season exploring the history and future of the United KingdomIn this remarkable collection exploring the state of the United Kingdom and the future of its union, five presenters examine the identities, history and struggles of the nations, and ask what keeps them together as a united country. In the first episode, Jonathan Freedland and a team of historians and BBC correspondents take The Long View of the Union of the United Kingdom, at the constitutional, economic and cultural bon...
The evangelical or Methodist revival had a major impact on Welsh religion, society and culture, leading to the unprecedented growth of Nonconformity by the nineteenth century, which established a very clear difference between Wales and England in religious terms. Since the Welsh Calvinistic Methodist movement did not split from the Church to form a separate denomination until 1811, it existed in its early years solely as a collection of local society meetings. By focusing on the early societies...
Since its establishment in 1866 by prominent businessmen and the gentry of south Wales, the Cardiff and County Club has played a central role in the commercial, political and sporting life of Cardiff, as it developed from a burgeoning Victorian coal metropolis into the dynamic Welsh capital city of today. Led by local solicitor Henry Heard, the Club's founders had moved to Cardiff to work in the rapidly expanding town and, as the trade of the docks, businesses and shops all flourished, the men o...
This fascinating collection of archive images captures the essence of community life in Porth during the last century and the town’s intrinsic role in the industrial and commercial history of the Rhondda. The rural character of this part of South Wales is recalled in images of farmers ploughing their fields and timeless views of the surrounding valleys, while snapshots of the Hetty engine and soot-covered miners reveal the industrial heritage of the district. From local shops and businesses, roy...
DID YOU KNOW?The city's coat of arms reads Deffro, mae'n ddydd - 'Awake, it is day'Cardiff City Football Club played in chocolate-and-amber colours before they became the 'Bluebirds'Brains Beer, said to be Wales' most famous drink, was first brewed in Cardiff during the 1800sAuthors David and Gareth take a trip through the places, peculiarities and past practices of Cardiff, stopping off to sample the culinary (and alcoholic) delights of the city along the way. From Clark's Pies and a heaped he...
William the Conqueror was the first Norman King of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 1087. The descendant of Viking raiders, he had been Duke of Normandy since 1035 under the style William II. After a long struggle to establish his power, by 1060 his hold on Normandy was secure, and he launched the Norman conquest of England in 1066. The rest of his life was marked by struggles to consolidate his hold over England. William's final years were marked by difficulties in his continental...