Folk-Lore of West and Mid-WalesDavies, Jonathan Ceredig
History
Folk-Lore of West and Mid-Wales
Davies, Jonathan Ceredig
Folklore -- Wales; Wales -- Social life and customs
"You remember the story in Selden's Table-Talk of Sir Robert Cotton and
others disputing about Moses's shoe. Lady Cotton came in and asked,
'Gentlemen, are you sure it is a shoe?' So the first thing is to
convince mankind that there is a set of creatures, a degree or so
finer than we are, to whom we have given the name of "knockers" from
the sounds we hear in our mines. This is to be done by a collection
of their actions well attested, and that is what I have begun to do,
and then let everyone judge for himself."
We do not hear of "Knockers" in Cardiganshire now; in Cornwall,
however, it is said that they still haunt the mines, and sometimes,
with a sound of knocking and singing, they guide a lucky miner to
find good ore. The "Knockers" were, it was once thought, "the Souls
of the Jews who crucified our Saviour." At least it seems that that
was the belief in Cornwall. Perhaps it would be of interest to add
that there were Cornishmen among the miners of Cardiganshire when
Mr. Lewis Morris wrote the two letters I have just given.
A STORY OF PONT EINION (EINION BRIDGE) TREGARON.
Mr. John Jones, Pontrhydfendigaid, who is now about 95 years of age,
related to me the following tale seven years ago:--
Long ago, when much of the land where now stand the farms of
Ystrad-Caron, Penylan, and Penybont, was a Common, a gentleman named
Einion, and his wife, came from Abergwaun (Fishguard) and settled in
the neighbourhood of Tregaron. Einion inclosed much of the land on
the banks of the river Teivy in that part, and built a fine mansion
which he called Ystrad-Caron, and soon became a most influential
man in the neighbourhood, especially as he was well-to-do, and had
generously constructed at his own expense, a bridge over the river
for the convenience of the poor people of Tregaron and the surrounding
districts. He also loved above everything his wife, and his harp, and
was considered one of the best players on that instrument in Wales;
but, unfortunately, as time went on, he failed to derive any pleasure
from his surroundings and soon became subject to "melancholia,"
imagining that the place was haunted by some evil genius.
At last, he was persuaded by his medical adviser to seek a change
of scenery by going to stay for a while in Pembrokeshire, his native
place. Soon after his arrival at Fishguard, he took a short sea voyage
from that port, but after some adventures, he and others of his fellow
passengers were taken prisoners by a French Man of War.
After spending many years of his lifetime inside the strong walls of
a French prison, he at last succeeded to escape, and soon found his
way once more to the neighbourhood of Tregaron in Cardiganshire; but
to his great astonishment, as he neared his own house, Ystrad-Caron,
after so many years' absence, he heard some music and dancing.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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