IT'S BEEN A GOOD THIRD WEEK IN WALES

We have worked hard and we have played a bit too. It was particularly nice to see our dear friends Gretta and David from Australia when they dove down from Birmingham. We had a lovely visit! We miss our friends in Australia and sending them on their way back was like parting from family. They introduced us to carverys which was great. We loved the food and will definitely return. And we took time to visit Caerphilly Castle which is one of the largest castles in Wales.

The four of us in front of a castle wall.

Beautiful tiny white flowers lining the bank of the moat.

The Dragon'a Lair

This was a very long hallway. Don't know what it was used for at all.

An Amazing structure!

David and Gretta being regal!

Steve pleading for  and receiving  pardon!

From the castle ramparts

Lunch at a carvery. Yorkshire pudding, roast beef, roast pork, roast turkey, roast gammon, etc plus various  potatoes dishes, pasta, and lots of veg. Yummy!

That same evening we had the opportunity to attend a monthly meeting of the Glamorgan Family History Society in a room adjacent to Insole Court. It was a very interesting meeting with a speaker who discussed the burial and cremation processes in the area including  interesting slides and stories. We also had the opportunity to meet  a pair of sisters who were interested in meeting with us. They were searching for Jenkins families in the Cowbridge area. Steve's 2nd great grandfather, Evan Jenkins and his wife Anne Davies immigrated from that area in the 1850's and we are searching for their ancestors. So we will meet with them at another date to see if there is any connection, keeping in mind that Jenkins is quite a common name.

Insole Court. I was amazed as I viewed this imposing structure on our way to our meeting.

We will reserve the opportunity to visit and explore this amazing building at a later date, perhaps when Steve's sister comes.

A welcome dinner invitation to the bishop's home provided us with an unexpected adventure. Our SatNav got us to their very narrow road or lane which we entered. But as we progressed down the road we could not find  #8 and soon found ourselves at a dead end, a very NARROW dead end, with no room to turn around. It was pouring rain! But a phone call helped us know we had driven past the correct house. So ALL we had to do was back up. With the pouring rain and only about 12-18 inches space on each side of the car it was a CHALLENGE. But we succeeded. Rather Steve succeeded because I am terrible at backing up! And we enjoyed a lovely evening after our challenge.

We worked very hard at the Glamorgan Archive in Cardiff. It seemed we were done working on the Bowen and Edmond families from Colwinston in that archive at least for now. In fact we even told the staff at the archive that we would not be back for awhile.  Friday I spent hours refining the reports on both families. We found three members of the Edmond family in the 1670 Hearth Tax records, but there were no Bowen or Owen names. It is definitely interesting to try to find the records the can prove who the ancestors really were.

Saturday we decided to take a day to explore to see the Llantrithyd and Colwinston parish churches that corresponded with these families. And it was supposed to be sunny on Saturday! We set out and had a grand adventure.

This was so lovely but unless you have experienced driving on these narrow roads that are really only the width  of one lane and realize that there is oncoming traffic you cannot appreciate how it really is.

When there is an oncoming car it is necessary to snug right up against the left side of the lane and carefully allow passage.

Sometimes there is just not room for two cars to pass so one of us has to back up to a previously passed notch in the hedge. It is definitely interesting and I would not want to drive here at night.

We finally came to Llantrithyd said 'Clantrithyd' and then just had to look of the church.

The church was tucked away in a quiet serene spot with a narrow gate to enter the yard.

Such a lovely serene place.

Loved these trees and the vines that decorated their trunks. 

Beautiful detail of a side door

The entrance to the church.

The entrance in perspective. My husband stands 5 ' 9.5" so you  can see the entry is rather small.

Looking out the entrance.

A beautiful building which was begun in the 1200's with bits and pieces added on over the years. It was built by the estate owners.

There is something sad but very beautiful about old cemeteries.

The inside was small. Steve is checking out the material for the next Sunday's readings.

The christening font. I can only wonder if some of Steve's ancestors may have been christened there.

On the right side is a monument to the Edmond family. We are still trying to figure out if they are Steve's ancestors.

This is interesting as both entries are commemorating the burial of daughters. One in 1744  daughter of Thomas Edmond and one earlier a daughter of John Edmond. A brochure about the church said that John Edmonds was a steward of the Aubrey Estates and if that is so there should be records farther back. So we decided we should go back to the Glamorgan archive again on Monday.

This was just stunning with the sunlight streaming through it.

This most interesting tomb depicts the Basset family kneeling. John Basset died in 1554 and his wife. They lived on the estate until 1596 when they left it to her daughter who married Antony Mansel. Their daughter Mary, married Sir Thomas Aubrey in 1586 and the land remained in the Aubrey family until 1910.

The figures lying on the coffin are Antony Mansel in full armor and his wife Elizabeth. Seven of their children are depicted as 'weepers' along the bottom of the tomb.

A very old moment in the wall of the church.

This is a drawing of LLantrithyd Place and the Church from 1830. It was so beautiful and it breaks my heart that the estate was allowed to deteriorate. But I suppose it just cost too much to keep it up. The roof of the house fell in 1832 and everything went downhill from there. The ruins are still there and there is something hauntingly beautiful in them

It is hard to imagine where the rooms would have been.

Note the thickness of the walls.

On this back side of the church I noticed a variance of the stone patterns. Upon closer inspection I realIzed the new stone  was put in to  close an entrance  from a door or perhaps earlier wondows.

So lovely!

It looks like a christening font but I do not understand why it would have been outside.

The yard had been newly mowed but only up to the edges  protecting these beautiful wild flowers.

Bluebells.

Detail of a grave enclosure.

Leaving the church yard. It was so beautiful and we were heralded with such lovely bird song. A peaceful place to be sure.

Back to our car and on to the next stop.

After our time in Llantrithyd we set our SatNav for Colwinston. Steve's 4th great grandfather, Evan Jenkin [without an 's'] married his 4th great grandmother Anne Bowen in this church in 1765. Our work in the past three weeks has solidified that her father David Bowen Jr lived there with his wife Jennet Edmond and that his father David Bowen, the elder or Sr. lived there  but by 1700 he was often called David ap/ab Owen or just David Owen. David Bowen Sr. died in 1774. We are now needing to find out more about him which we hope to do through estate records the next time we go to the National Archives in Aberystwyth. 

This is St. Michael's church in Colwinston. Note the stone wall.

The entry door.

Beautiful stained glass.

A very interesting christening font. How many of Steve's ancestors were christened right here???

Perspective view of font.

The chapel.

An interesting monument to the Bowen family. Edward Bowen has long been placed as a child of David Bowen and a brother to Anne Bowen. But recent research seems to indicate he was not a son of David and does not belong to that family. But where does he belong? that is the question.

Wall monuments.

Lovely stained glass, especially when the sun shines!

Chapel detail.

More 

More stained glass.

Entry door.

St, Michael's in Colwinston.

It was a grand adventure! And then we had Sunday to refuel. It is always good to be with members and to feel the sweet Spirit during the meetings. There is just something warm and comfortable.  We are getting acquainted with more of the ward members and love the simplicity of their testimonies of the Gospel.

But it has been a long week too. We are tired and not as young as we were in our 50's even. Steve's eyes are hurting today and I am exhausted and hoping not to get a cold. Yesterday was kind of hard day and for the first time I felt a little home sick. We did not have any anticipated success at the archive which was disappointing and then we drove an hour to attend a meeting in Swansea. The meeting of the Glamorgan Family History Society, Swansea, branch,  although  interesting did nothing to help us in our research. The highlight of that drive was eating sandwiches along the boardwalk and enjoying the ambience of the beach side. I do love ether ocean  

So today we are staying home.  Steve is taking a nap hoping that his eyes will be less irritated when he awakes.

I have washed our towels and just hung them out to dry. We have a washer but not a dryer. On a sunny day things usually get dry in one day but when it is rainy it will take up to 2 days for my jeans to get dry. So I need plan ahead.

And I could not resist the potting plants at the store. So I bought a couple of geraniums and a cherry tomato plant, a couple of painters and some dirt. Today I will repot the flowers and the tomatoes and hope for the best. Spring time really is planting time.

When I have posted this blog I will try to organize the family history materials to figure out our next step. Tomorrow we will drive to the London temple. I feel like we need the sweet peace and renewal found here. And we need the Lord's help in our further work on the family history.

We are blessed to have this time in this beautiful place to research Steve's ancestors. It is our hope and prayer that we can find them and offer them the saving temple ordinances.

View out our back door over to the neighbors.

Don't know if you can tell but there are SO many blue/purple flowers on the hills to the west of us. Don't know what kind of flowers they re but the hillside definitely has a LOT.