History

An unique collection of photographs from the turn of last century, rescued from decay and neglect, give an rare insight into life in rural Cardiganshire.

Tom Mathias (1866–1940)

Luck often plays a big part in uncovering many important museum acquisitions, and this was certainly the case in the discovery of a fine collection of historic photographs, discovered in 1990 and obtained by Amgueddfa Cymru.

Only good luck could explain the fact that Maxi Davis, an experienced professional photographer, was told of the existence of boxes of very old glass negatives. What else but luck could explain the fact that those same negatives should have survived decades of neglect stored in kitchen cupboards and out-houses.

Aberdyfan, the house in question, was being cleared following the death of the owner, Mr James Mathias. The photographs had been taken by his father Tom Mathias during the turn of the last century.

Outstanding collection of photographs

Maxi Davis's passion for historical photography prompted him to salvage the negatives and to print those still in useable condition. What they revealed was an outstanding collection of photographs taken around Cilgeran and the Teifi Valley in west Wales at the turn of the century.

Thomas Mathias (1866–1940)

Tom Mathias was a self-taught photographer. He captured the daily life of his community with a keenness of eye and technical clarity rarely shown by better-known photographers using far more sophisticated equipment. He was born in Cilgerran in 1866, the son of a master mariner. Little is known of his early life, or what started his interest in photography. In 1897 he married Louise Paquier, a Swiss governess with a local gentry family, the Gowers of Castell Malgwyn.

The couple settled in Aberdyfan and Tom Mathias combined running the smallholding with his career as a photographer. They had two children, James, born in 1902, and Tilla, born in 1898.

Despite his lack of formal training, in 1897 he was confident enough to describe his occupation as 'photographer' on his marriage certificate. He is also listed as a photographer in local trade directories between 1901 and 1920. What happened in 1920 is unclear, but few of the surviving photographs appear to have been taken after that date.

Capturing Rural Life

Cilgerran coracle-men William Johnson and John Morgan with their haul of fish, 1905.

Like most rural photographers, Mathias made his livelihood recording important family occasions and over half the images in the collection feature weddings, christenings and family groups, demonstrating an originality of approach which frequently cuts through the formality of the poses to capture the humanity and personality of the subjects. According to those who knew him, Tom Mathias had infinite patience in setting up his shots and nowhere is this patience better rewarded than in his splendidly informal photographs of children.

Tom Mathias took many photographs of the general daily life in and around Cilgerran, documenting an unequalled record of the social and economic life of his community. Not only did he take an interest in special events such as the return of the local regiment from the Boer War, Sunday school outings and village celebrations, but his camera also recorded the mundane and ordinary aspects of life.

Working life

Unusually for a collection of historic photographs, the material is fully documented. As well as saving the negatives Maxi Davis and his wife Peggy staged a series of exhibitions of the photographs in Cilgerran and the neighbouring villages, managing to establish the location and date of almost every photograph, as well as the identity of virtually every individual who appears in them!

This remarkable collection was nearly lost forever had it not been for the set of circumstances that saw these photographs rescued from neglect and decay to become an important museum collection preserved for future generations.

Cilgerran High Street, taken in 1905.

This remarkable collection of photographs represents the work of two exceptionally gifted photographers from different eras and very different backgrounds.

The original photographs were taken by Tom Mathias, a self-taught photographer, at the turn of the 20th Century. Using simple equipment, Tom Mathias recorded the daily life around the Cilgerran district of Dyfed, west Wales.

Following Mathias's death in 1940 all his negatives were dumped in an outhouse, where they lay, forgotten, for more than thirty years.

James Maxwell (Maxi) Davis, a professional photographer living in the area, discovered them in the 1970s. The glass negatives were in a very poor condition. Many were broken and damaged beyond repair. Most of the reminder were very badly degraded, meaning a slow and painstaking process to print what images could be saved. Enough had survived however for Maxi to appreciate the importance of what he had found and set about the task of conserving and restoring the photographs.

It is thanks to these efforts that Tom Mathias's remarkable photographs have been saved for posterity.

Click on the thumbnails below for more infomration.

Tom Mathias Photographs

Tom Mathias (1866 - 1940)

Aberdyfan, Pont-rhyd-y-ceirt, the Mathias family home.
It was here that the negatives of Tom Mathias's photographs were discovered thirty years after his death.

Tom James Mathias, son of Tom Mathias, feeding a robin.

Tilla, Tom Mathias' daughter

Tom's niece, Helen Baud. Helen and her sister Paulette were frequent visitors to Aberdyfan and feature in several of the photographs.

Tom Mathias holding a sparrow hawk. Tom was renowned locally for his knowledge of natural history

Tom examining one of the apple trees in his orchard. He is credited with improving the keeping qualities of some local varieties of apple

An early photograph of Tom Mathias hard at work shearing

Tom Mathias' son, James, hard at work making a garden shed

The workshops at Cefn Quarry. Note the turned slate pillars

Quarrymen at work, Cefn Quarry

A steam crane in operation at Forest Quarry, 1910

Dolbadau Quarry, 1907. Cilgerran was the centre of a small-scale slate quarrying industry from the late eighteenth century to the early 1930's. Tom Mathias took many photographs of the quarries, but unfortunately, because of their condition, only a few were able to be reproduced.

Cilgerran coracle-men William Johnson and John Morgan with their haul of fish, 1905.

So few coracle photographs have survived that this one has been included despite its poor quality. It shows William Griffiths of Llechryd finishing off the frame of a Teifi coracle whilst his children, Moses and Sarah, look on. 1916.

Local coopers Griffith and Thomas Thomas, with baby, Johnny Michael Thomas, taken in 1892.

Timber was brought to Cilgerran Sawmill for conversion into planks. This photograph shows the arrival of the largest tree trunk ever to be brought to the sawmill.

Forestry was another important local industry which Tom Mathias diligently recorded.

Kathryn Davies operating a stocking-making machine

Mother and daughter Hannah and Elizabeth Davies, the local quilters.

Boy holding a child's hay rake

Tom's grand-daughter Nesta playing with her toys.

The brothers Hugh and Myrddin Jones, Cilfowyr, loading hay onto a donkey cart

Girl Guide patrol leader, Maggie Thomas, Plas-y-Berllan, Llechryd. 1925

Four generations of the Davies family of Banc-y-felin, Llechryd. 1913

Richard Morris of Cefn Lodge, Cilgerran on his horse 'White Bud'.

Miss Olivia Griffiths, Neuadd, Cilgerran, shortly after her graduation with first class honours in German from the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, 1910.

Evan Peter Morgan of Church Street, Cilgerran, photographed with his wife Elizabeth Jane and son David whilst he was home on leave during the First World War (1914-1918)

A convoy of policemen from Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Glamorgan on their way to Cardiganshire to assist the local constabulary during the anti-tithe agitation which broke out in the county between 1888-94

Butcher's delivery van, 1910

Baker's van with delivery boy, Willie Davies, 1910.

David Wilson, fishmonger's delivery boy photographed in 1905. He was later to loose a leg in combat in the First World War. He used his compensation to establish his own business in Bridge Street, Cardigan, thereby earning himself the nickname 'Lucky Leg Wilson'

Three local women photographed in a pony and trap, 1916. Tom Mathias made his living taking photos of local people, but he never owned a studio, so all his photographs were were taken outside or at his clients' homes.

Mrs Ann Williams, 1910.

Repairing the spire of Llandygwydd Church.

A row of labourers' cottages at Lancych. They stand in marked contrast to the gentry houses that Tom Mathias also photographed.

A ride in a donkey cart.

Tom Mathias's patience as a photographer is displayed at its best in his pictures of children. This is Teifryn Thomas, the son of Llechryd's postmaster, proudly showing off his new tricycle.

An unidentified girl carrying a baby in a shawl 'Welsh fashion'.

James Mathias (no relation) taken with his family c.1910. Morgan Mathias, the young man shown in the photograph, was later killed in the First World War.

Three generations of a Cilgerran family.

The Band of the Cardigan Volunteer Corps waiting at Cilgerran station to welcome Lt. Colby of Ffynone home from the Boer War, c.1902

Onnen-deg, Llechryd.

The number of photographs of houses in the collection suggest that there was a lucrative market for them. This is Fernhill, Llechryd.

The Band of the Cardigan Volunteer Corps marching down Cilgerran High Street 1902, accompanied by members of the Cardigan Naval Reserve.

Cilgerran High Street, taken in 1905

Skating on the old canal connecting the river Teifi and the now abandoned Castle Malgwyn tinworks.

Villagers skating on the frozen Teifi during the cold winter of 1891

Cilgerran High Street, taken in 1910

...These photographs of momen in 'traditional' Welsh costume possibly illustrate Tom Mathias's attempt to break into this lucrative market.

...The most popular postcards were scenes of women knitting, going to the market or having tea...

Towards the end of the nineteenth century it became fashionable to publish postcards of women in 'traditional' Welsh costume...

Repairing the bridge at Glanarberth in 1912

Repairing the bridge at Pont-rhyd-y-ceirt, 1920. Johnny Michael, the conductor of Cilgerran Children's choir, can be seen standing on the left with his children, Teifryn and Tegwyn.

The children of Blaen-ffos School, 1915. The patriotic garb suggests that the photograph was taken on St. David's Day. The title of the Welsh national anthem 'Land of my Fathers', is written on the blackboard in the window.

The ladies of Llwyn Adda Chapel Sunday School sporting their 'Welsh costumes'

Cilgerran Children's Choir with conductor Johnny Michael

A Sunday School class at Glanolmarch House, Llechryd, with the owner, Mrs. Stephens

A ladies' Sunday School class, Babell Chapel, Cilgerran, 1906

Penuel Baptist Chapel's annual Sunday School outing to Poppit Sands, 1913.

A Sunday School class at Llwyn Adda Calvinistic Methodist Chapel, Llechryd. Tom Mathias (on the right) was a lifelong member of the chapel and a Sunday School teacher for many years. The other teacher is Margaret Ann Thomas

Penrhiw Supply Stores, Aber-cuch, with owner W.J. Lewis, wearing the white apron.

Penrhiw Arms, Aber-cuch, 1914. The landlord, David Owens, and his wife Elizabeth, can be seen standing on the steps. The building has since been demolished as part of a road widening scheme.

The Newcastle Emlyn to Cardigan stagecoach outside the Tivy-side Inn, Llechryd, in 1906.

Pantdŵr, Llechryd, c. 1900

Bridge House, Cilgerran, 1910. The occupant, Miss Kathryn Davies, is standing in the doorway whilst her brother sits on the parapet of the railway bridge (since demolished).

Flooding on the River Teifi, Lechryd, c. 1910. The Tivy-side inn is visible in the middle of the shot.

Looking across the river Teifi at Llechryd towards the Tivy-side Inn. The inn, or 'tavarn' has long since closed.
A number of the photographs in the collection feature local views and record important or unusual events in the district.

The new footbridge at Aber-cuch, 1908

Constructing a new footbridge across the River Teifi at Aber-cuch, 1908

Miss Rita Morgan Richardson fencing with her brother whilst Dr. Stephens, Glanolmarch, looks on.

Miss Rita Morgan Richardson, Rhos-y-gilwen, Cilgerran with her German governess and exotic dogs

The Lewis-Bowen family of Clyn-fiw, Boncath

Mrs Lewis-Bowen, Clyn-fiw, Boncath (on the right), with her children, Dorothea and William, and the family's nurse and governess. The young girl on the left is Rita Morgan Richardson

The Rhos-y-gilwen herd proudly displayed in front of the house.

C. E. G. Morgan Richardson of Rhos-y-gilwen, standing amongst his prize herd of Shorthorn cattle

Mrs Morgan Richardson outside Noyaddwilym, Llechryd. The family later moved or Rhos-y-gilwen

A coachman with an 'unusual' passenger outside Castle Malgwyn, presumably at Halloween

The wedding of Miss Grace Gower of Castle Malgwyn, and Staff Surgeon Gill R. N. at St. Llawddog Church, Cilgerran, 8 August 1907

Lodge, Castle Malgwyn

Castle Malgwyn, Llechryd, home of the Gower family. The house is now a hotel

Thomas Daniel posing with his bicycle

Thomas Daniel, the gardener at Glanolmarch, Llechryd, with a crop of onions.

An unidentified group of domestic servants. The area known as Tivyside, i.e. the Teifi valley between Llandysul and the sea at Cardigan, a distance of less than twenty miles, was famous for its gentry houses. The local gentry families were regular patrons of Tom Mathias.

The Tivyside Hunt was the focus of the gentry's social life. The hunt, one of the oldest in Wales, is seen here with the master, Spence Colby of Ffynone.

Miss Rita Morgan Richardson, Rhos-y-gilwen, Cilgerran

The staff at Clyn-fiw, 1906

An unidentified gamekeeper with his family

Pentre, Boncath, 1910

The Coedmore staff in their uniforms. Note how many display the tools of their trade

In their heyday the gentry houses provided employment for large numbers of people. This is the staff of the Coedmore estate taken in 1909

The domestic servants in the kitchen courtyard at Coedmore. The area known as Tivyside, i.e. the Teifi valley between Llandysul and the sea at Cardigan, a distance of less than twenty miles, was famous for its gentry houses. The local gentry families were regular patrons of Tom Mathias.

A Fowler traction engine on hire to the army from the local agricultural contractor, Dan Lladd of Clunderwen (right)

A hay press (an early form of baler) in use. The bound 'bales' can be seen in the background. The original machine found its way into the collection of vintage machinery enthusiast, Geler Jones of Cardigan. His collection has since been purchased by the National Trust for display at its property in Llannerch Aeron.

James Evans using a side-rake at Castle Malgwyn Home Farm, Llechryd.

Parcyneithw Farm. Mr. Griffith Davies standing in the yard with his wife, seven daughters - Sarah, Margaret, Edith, Ellen, Elizabeth, May and Catherine - their son, Ifan (right) and servant, Alfred.

This ingenious manually-operated hay-turning machine was invented by local farmer, Arthur John Davies, Penwenallt. The prototype was made for him by the village blacksmith, but a Dublin firm began manufacturing the machine commercially before Davies could take out a patent.

One of the first tractors and corn binders in the district in use at Castle Malgwyn Home Farm

The hay harvest was a time when neighbouring farmers combined together to bring in the crop. Often very large numbers of people came together and it was an important social occasion, as this photograph shows.

A haymaking scene at Aberdyfan, c.1910.
A large number of people were required for the harvest even on a small holding like Aberdyfan. Note the use of a pitching pole to lift the hay from the carts onto the stack.

Tractor in military use.

Soldiers at work bailing hay. It is probably that they are members of a 'Foraging Company' who travelled the country during the Great War obtaining fodder for military horses. The variety of cap badges show that they were drawn from several regiments. It is possible that they might also be conscientious objectors who had been assigned to non-combat duties.

There are many portraits of well-known Welsh figures in the art collections of Angueddfa Cymru. However, the Museum also collects portraits of lesser-known people as they can be important works of art in their own right. The study of these portraits often sheds new light on when and how their subjects lived and adds to our understanding of art in the past.

During the past 20 years several distinguished 18th and early 19th century portraits have been acquired by the Museum, including Henry Knight of Tythegston with his three children, painted by Johann Zoffany (1733-1810) in about 1770.

Henry Knight of Tythegston with his three children by Johann Zoffany

Johann Zoffany (1733-1810)
Henry Knight of Tythegston (1738-1772) with his Children. c.1770 - oil on canvas

The portrait shows the Glamorganshire squire Henry Knight (1738-1772) with his three children Henry, Robert and Ethelreda. Henry was a soldier in the 15th Light Dragoons, and his older son is shown trying on a helmet of that regiment. Henry Knight's father, Robert Knight (1711-1765), inherited the Tythegston estate of the Lougher family through his mother in 1732. Henry divorced from his wife in 1771, then a difficult and expensive process requiring a private Act of Parliament. The painting might have been commissioned to represent Henry Knight's decision to leave the military in order to care for his children. In the picture, he is dressed in civilian clothes, but he holds an infantry officer's spontoon, thrust blade-first into the ground. His sons hold his sword, gorget and helmet. The picture's seaside setting is probably a reference to Tythegston, a couple of miles from the coast, between Bridgend and Porthcawl. The tree motif, frequently used in Zoffany's family groups, allows all the figures to be given equal importance. Showing the boys playing with arms and armour belongs to a tradition that can be traced back to the Renaissance.

Johann Zoffany

This is one of Zoffany's largest family portraits (measuring 240 cm x 149 cm), and is a surprisingly ambitious commission for a Welsh squire of modest means. Zoffany, one of the most distinguished British painters of the reign of George III, was famous for his informal styles. One of his best-known pictures, Sir Lawrence Dundas with his grandson, shows the 17th century Dutch masterpiece The Calm by Jan van de Cappelle, also in the Museum's collections.

Born near Frankfurt and trained in Rome, Zoffany moved to London in 1760. Lord Bute, George III's first prime minister, probably introduced him to the Royal Family, where he became the favourite painter of Queen Charlotte. The King nominated him a member of the Royal Academy in 1769. The appeal of Zofanny's work lies in his ability to catch a likeness and his astonishing attention to detail. His perspective, however, can be faulty, and here the helmet held by the older son is clearly too large.

Purchasing the portrait for the Museum

The picture is in a remarkably good state of preservation. X-ray examination reveals that the artist reworked the head of Robert Knight (the younger son dressed in red), but there are only a few other minor changes to the design, and most of the composition was laid on quite thinly. The picture was loaned to the Museum from 1940 until 1958. When it was offered for sale at Sotheby's in 1999 its acquisition by the Museum was a priority. The purchase was made possible by generous donations from the bequest of June Tiley, the Heritage Lottery Fund and the National Art Collections Fund.

St Teilo's Church, Llandeilo Tal-y-bont, in situ in 1984

Stone mullioned medieval window uncovered from beneath layers of lime wash and render during the dismantling process

Wall-painting of St Catherine, 'in situ', found on the east wall of the south transept, believed to have been painted c.1400

From Llandeilo Tal-y-bont to Cardiff

St Teilo's church was built during the 13th century. There was probably an earlier church on the site. Abandoned in the 1960s, it was scheduled as an Ancient Monument by Cadw: Welsh Historic Monuments in the 1980s. As the decaying church could not be saved at its original site, it was offered to the Museum in 1984 for dismantling and re-erecting at St Fagans.

As the careful process of dismantling the Church began, two amazing wall-paintings from the 15th and 16th centuries were discovered, as well as numerous texts and areas of decorative patterns. These were all carefully recorded, removed and conserved.

The delicate removal of layers of lime-wash from the surface of the wall-paintings provided vital clues to the date of the original building. The removal of mortar from the outside walls enabled any Victorian or later alterations to be filtered out. After dismantling, the foundations were excavated, uncovering further clues to the Church's construction.

The history of the Church

The first surviving church was probably a small building consisting of a nave and chancel, a pattern that was standard throughout Wales at this time, thought to be 13th to 14th century. The next addition would have been the north transept, with the south transept probably built shortly after, as both are of similar construction. These probably date from the 14th or early 15th century, which corresponds to the dating of a wall-painting on the east wall of the south transept.

An extension of the south transept to form an aisle probably occurred during the late 15th century, the old south wall being replaced by an arcade of two arches, with another two cutting into both transepts. The final addition was a porch leading to the south aisle.

Expanding congregations

The Museum decided to rebuild the Church as it could have appeared around 1510-30. Architectural clues from this period can be used to understand the social, religious and political framework within which the Church was constructed and furnished. This closely follows the extension of the south transept to form the south aisle, presumably to accommodate a larger congregation. This could fit in with the economic recovery in Wales, after the Welsh Tudor dynasty became Kings of England in the late 15th century. This brought a period of relative calm after long periods of political and social unrest - including civil war.

Various clues show the nature of worship during the period up to 1530. Most important of these are the pre-Reformation wall-paintings. They show themes from the life of Christ and many saints, including St Catherine and St Christopher. Corbel stones found in the masonry work of the chancel arch show that there were once a medieval rood screen and loft. Both the wall-paintings and the rood screen and loft would have been brightly painted.

The poor man's Bible

Wall-paintings in churches have been described as "the poor man's Bible". They were designed to show scenes from the Bible to a congregation unable to read or write. They were also painted to create a sense of awe, fear and obedience. In some cases, the wall-paintings like the ones found in St Teilo must have been the only means of communicating any religious message at all, as both reading the Bible and preaching were in Latin, which congregations did not understand.

An end to worship

The growing population of the area, the development of other larger churches and frequent acts of vandalism led to St Teilo's falling into disuse. These events reflect the social, religious and political history of the Church just as much as the pre-Reformation wall-paintings do. The re-erection of the Church at the Museum is but another phase in its history, where visitors in the 21st century will be just as valued as its medieval pilgrims! St Teilo's Church now has a good chance of surviving for many more years.

The clock above the entrance to the Welsh Slate Museum

A distinctive feature of the National Slate Museum building is the diamond-shaped face of a clock on the front of the Museum. On the roofline above it is a small pagoda-like structure containing a bell and hammer, connected to the clock by a wire rope.

The mechanism is installed on the second floor of the building. It was manufactured in Shropshire but it is not possible to read the date. Early photographs of the building, erected in 1870, do not show the clock, so it was probably not installed until the mid-1890s

Timekeeper for quarry explosions

The Museum is located within the Victorian workshops of the Dinorwig Quarry. The clock helped ensure the trains taking slate from the quarry to the Company's port at Port Dinorwic were always on time. The clock was more than simply a timekeeper for the workshops though. At some stage in its life, a series of electrical connections were added. At set intervals the clock transmitted an electrical signal to other parts of the Quarry's large site. This was to ensure that blasting happened on time. Such systems were usually marketed as 'pulsynetic clocks'. They were sold by well-known makers such as Gent, Leicester. At Dinorwig, however, a home-made, reliable solution was produced.

100-year-old graffiti

A power supply was required to provide the electrical signals. This was supplied via wet cells, or accumulators, stored alongside the clock. One of the discoveries made when renovating this part of the building, in the mid-1990s, was the original graffiti on adjacent walls and panels noting the dates of battery charges. On June 10, 1909, for example, Willie Owen Williams and George Hughes charged the batteries.

Cleaning the clock

Although well cared for over the years, by 2001 the clock required specialist attention. J.B. Joyce and Company, the manufacturers, were still in existence. They were established at Whitchurch in Shropshire, and are still there over three hundred years later. Unfortunately, they have no records of individual clocks manufactured, but were prepared to visit the Museum to inspect the clock. The mechanism ended up being returned to the Joyce workshops where it was cleaned and serviced. The clock was then reassembled, brought back to the Museum and commissioned. Today the clock works smoothly and to a good degree of accuracy.

Village timekeeper

At a time when few people possessed watches, the clock installed in the Dinorwig Quarry workshops was a timekeeper for its surrounding community, with its bell being audible to most of those living in and around Llanberis. To quote one local author:

'Torrai ar y distawrwydd yn nhrymder nos, a chlywyd aml i glaf yn cwyno yn y bore,"Chysgis i ddim gwerth neithiwr - clywed yr hen gloc yn taro pob awr nes iddi 'leuo"'

(It relieved the silence of the depth of night, and quite frequently one would hear of those who were unwell complaining the next morning, "I didn't sleep well last night - I could hear the old clock striking each hour until it dawned".)

The old clock continues to measure the passage of time into the 21st century at Llanberis.