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
"Shann, Ty Clai died lately, at the age of 90 without leaving
a child to bewail her loss, except Abel, her grandson, a lad
of 18 years of age, who was crying sorrowfully after the only
friend he had in the whole world. There was there a very strange
Wake-night kept at the house. They got some beer there from
Nanny Dan-yr-Allt's Inn, and the time was spent until midnight
in telling stories about Twm Shon Catty, and in drinking. Then a
rope was let down secretly through the chimney by some fellows,
while their companions inside were singing 'Ysgyfarnog pen Crug
y Balog.' Poor Abel was sitting in the corner of the hearth in
sorrow, with his hand under his head, and crying by himself,
and Evan, Blaen Cwm, close by him comforting him and saying,
'Don't cry, dear Abel; drink a drop more; you must try and be calm,
and we will do our best for thee. Yes, by jove, we shall!' At the
same time the old rascal was tying a rope around the poor lad's
waist. Then, suddenly, the party outside cried 'Hirwen-gwd,'
and Evan from within, cried, 'Chwareu yn barod.'
"Almost instantly, Abel found himself being dragged up the chimney,
whereupon Evan asked 'Where are you going, dear Abel?' The latter
answered, 'I don't know where the d----l takes me to.' He was
pulled out through the chimney--a narrow old luffer as it was,
full of soot, and there was an awful sight on him afterwards....
"My father and the best men feel to the very life that such a
thing has taken place in the district, and they say that no such
thing has taken place before for 15 years."
It seems that many strange and mysterious events took place sometimes
at the Wake-nights in Pembrokeshire, if all the stories we hear are
true. Miss Martha Davies, Fishguard, informed me that her late uncle,
Mr. Howells, Cilgwyn, vouched for the truth of the following account
of an event which happened about a hundred years ago or more. Saith
she:--An old gentleman farmer, who was a notorious ungodly man, lived
at a farmhouse called Dolgaranog, in North Pembrokeshire. He at last
died, and was placed in his coffin, and the candles were lighted, and
people came together to the house and the 'gwylnos,' or wake-night went
on in the usual manner, according to the customs of those days. Some
of the young men and young maidens were talking together, whispering
words of love to each other, and were rather merry, it seems. As these
things went on, they were suddenly surprised by hearing the sound of
horses' feet, as if a large concourse of people were approaching the
house on horses and driving full speed. The next moment the sound of
men's footsteps was heard entering in through the door and into the
very room where the wakenight went on; but nothing could be seen.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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