Captain Scott’s Welsh Flag Elen Phillips, 1 March 2012 The Terra Nova leaving Cardiff on 15 June 1910. The Welsh flag flies from the mizzen mast, while the White Ensign flies from the mizzen gaff. On the foremast is the flag of the City of Cardiff. The Welsh flag made by Howell & Co and presented to Captain Scott's Antarctic Expedition. Full-page advertisement for James Howell & Co - featured in a guide to the National Pageant of Wales, 1909. Published by the Great Western Railway Co. The textile collection of Amgueddfa Cymru includes several Welsh flags. Most were originally hoisted above civic buildings; one has even flown in outer space! The oldest and largest example in the collection is associated with another daring mission — Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s 1910–13 British Antarctic Expedition.The flag in question was displayed at a departure dinner held for Captain Scott and his officers in Cardiff on 13 June 1910 and was flown on the Terra Nova as the ship sailed from Cardiff and when she returned in 1913.On St David’s Day 1911 and 1912, the flag was hoisted in Antarctica at Scott’s expedition base hut.Made from a coarse woollen fabric, with selvages at the top and bottom edges, the flag measures an impressive 3.45m x 1.83m. The dragon motif is a cut-out which has been machine stitched to the green and white ground fabric. Details — such as its claws, tongue and eyes — have been achieved using black and white paint.James Howell & Co. of CardiffWe do not know who stitched and painted the flag, but we do know that it was made by James Howell & Co in Cardiff, probably by its dressmaking department.During a lunch held for Lieutenant E. R. G. R. Evans of Scott’s expedition on 1 November 1909, Howell’s offered to make a large Welsh flag for him ‘to take to the South Pole’. Evans had given up plans for his own Welsh Antarctic Expedition and had joined Scott as second-in-command.Evans was particularly influential in drumming up publicity and donations to the expedition, largely through the editor of the Western Mail, Willie Davies — it was Davies’s wife who came up with the idea of presenting a Welsh flag to the expedition.Cardiff ‘one of the most enterprising cities in the Empire’The inhabitants of Cardiff, in particular, had embraced the British Antarctic Expedition like no other region. Having achieved city status in 1905, Cardiff’s civic leaders were on a re-branding mission. They wanted, in the words of the Town Clark, J. L. Wheatley, to promote Cardiff ‘as one of the most enterprising cities in the Empire’.Closely associating the city with Scott’s voyage to Antarctica — one of the last great frontiers — was indicative of this newfound civic confidence.James Howell was a prominent figure within Cardiff’s business community. His department store, James Howell & Co., established in 1865, was the largest of its kind in Wales. It is of no surprise that James Howell felt compelled to contribute in some way to Scott’s venture. He had a track-record of ‘sponsoring’ civic events in Cardiff. In early 1909, he supplied one of his buildings on Wharton Street free-of-charge to the National Pageant of Wales. Postcard issued to commemorate the National Pageant of Wales, 1909 The Marchioness of Bute as 'Dame Wales' at the National Pageant of Wales, July 1909. In the summer of 1914, the Museum held a temporary exhibition of Edward Wilson's Antarctic watercolours and sketches. Wilson was Chief Scientist on Scott's expedition and died with him on the return journey from the South Pole in 1912. The exhibition was held in the City Hall as the Museum building was still under construction at that time. The Welsh flag and the flag of the City of Cardiff, both flown on the Terra Nova were displayed on the wall at the back of the exhibition. The two penguins in the display case are still in the Museum's collections. National Pageant of WalesThe National Pageant was essentially the great and the good of high society re-enacted scenes from Wales’s heroic past. The Pageant organisers required 40,000 items of costume and a team of 800 ‘lady workers’ were drafted in to help. For six months, the ladies set up camp in Wharton Street. As a Pageant sponsor, Howell would have also supplied professional dressmakers from his own workforce. Indeed, the iconic ‘Dame Wales’ dress worn in the Pageant’s opening scene on 26 July 1909 is remarkably similar in execution to the Terra Nova flag.Both the dress and the flag have similar, naïvely designed, appliquéd Welsh dragon motifs. Made probably only months apart in workrooms associated with James Howell & Co., could they have been stitched by the same hands?The Welsh Dragon of the 1890sThe dragon on the Terra Nova flag is noticeably different from that on today’s flag. It is more upright, a dragon segreant, rather than a dragon passant. This style of dragon was common during the 1890s and early 1900s. It can be seen, in various guises, on eisteddfod bardic chairs from this period, as well as on a host of other national insignia. The dressmakers of Howell’s probably adapted the Terra Nova dragon from such sources.Standardising the Welsh FlagIn 1910, the National Eisteddfod of Wales wrote to the Museum asking for advice on the design of the dragon: ‘We are anxious to have as near as possible the true form of the device’. A curator replied: ‘I regret to say that we have no authentic specimen of the animal in the National Museum’. The letter was handed to Mr Thomas Henry Thomas, a recognized authority on these matters, who had for many years attempted to standardise the Welsh dragon. His sketches and papers are now deposited at the Museum.The flag gets cut up for souvenirsWhen the Terra Nova returned to Cardiff in June 1913, with this Welsh flag flying from the mainmast, the Western Mail noted that it was ‘considerably smaller than when first hoisted three years ago. While the Terra Nova was berthed at Lyttleton, in New Zealand, the representatives of the Welsh societies at that port were allowed to cut away portions of the flag and to keep them as mementoes of the expedition’.At a dinner held in the Royal Hotel on 16 June 1913 to mark the expedition’s return to Cardiff, Teddy Evans announced that the flag was to be given to the National Museum of Wales. However, following the festivities there seems to have been some confusion as to what Evans had done with the flag. He thought he had given it to the Lord Mayor, but in fact it was found in the Royal Hotel some four months later!
A Roman belt-buckle that escaped the Edwardians Evan Chapman, 14 September 2010 Late Roman Belt-buckle from Caerwent The only other example known from Wales — from Pen y Corddyn hillfort, Conwy. Decorated with fish and a pair of peacocks facing a stylised tree. Excavation at Caerwent in the early 20th-century Re-excavating the Edwardian trenches at Caerwent Archaeologists first excavated the forum-basilica at Caerwent in Monmouthshire early in the twentieth-century. When Museum staff returned to excavate the site again they found items that had previously been overlooked, including this late fourth-century copper alloy buckle and plate. The buckle loop has a pair of dolphins' heads facing inward and a pair of horses' heads facing out. The sheet metal plate was originally fastened to a leather belt with two rivets at the end. It is decorated with a cable pattern border and three circular motifs with marigold-rosettes on a dotted background. The curving projections rising from these look like the heads and necks of birds, suggesting that the motifs could be peacocks. Peacocks can be seen on the buckle plate from Pen y Corddyn hillfort, Conwy, the only other example of this type of buckle-plate known from Wales That example is decorated with fish and a pair of peacocks facing a stylised tree. Immortal peacocks and a tree-of-life Peacocks as a symbol of immortality (their flesh was said to be incorruptible), fish and trees-of-life can all be interpreted as Christian symbols. This has led some to connect these buckle-plates with Christianity, but they could simply be conventional decorative motifs. Roman Military Belt Buckle-plates like this have been seen as official issue military equipment. The 'military belt' was an important symbol of rank, although the style of belt was clearly adopted more widely. This example could be a more broadly official 'civil service' issue, rather than purely military. It seems likely, however, that their spread was wider, possibly as a sign of status among people who merely fancied that they were servants of the state. They have been found in a few female burials, which suggests they were worn by women. The Caerwent belt-buckle should probably be regarded as no more than an item of dress that reveals the personal tastes of the owner. It does not directly reflect its owner's rank or even sex, although it may tell us a little about the wearer's aspirations to look like one of 'the Great and the Good' in society.
The Quilt Collection 17 April 2009 The collection of quilting and patchwork at Amgueddfa Cymru contains examples of bedcovers from the eighteenth to the twentieth centuries, together with smaller items such as cushion covers, linings from christening baskets, eighteenth-century petticoats and a christening gown worn by Peter Morgan of Golden Grove in 1722. The quilt collection at the Museum dates back to the 1930s. Although a few examples of quilts had been donated to the Museum in 1914, no systematic collecting had been undertaken prior to the establishment of the Department of Folk Culture and Industries in 1932. The collection is available to view by appointment. If you would like further information, please contact the curator using our Email Form. Scroll down through our collection of quilts which are listed in the following categories: Commemorative quilts Patchwork and appliqué quilt made by Mary Lloyd of Cardigan in 1840. A marriage quilt made by Mary Miles of Berthlwyd Farm, Quakers Yard, in 1886. Detail of a wholecloth marriage quilt made by Mary Miles of Berthlwyd Farm, Quakers Yard, in 1886. A sateen quilt decorated with printed signatures. It was sent to the Welsh War Relief Committee in 1942 from Edmonton, Canada. Detail of a sateen quilt decorated with printed signatures. It was sent to the Welsh War Relief Committee in 1942 from Edmonton, Canada. Detail of a marriage quilt made in Maesteg in the 1920s. A wholecloth wedding quilt made in Maesteg in the 1920s. A quilt made from a range of printed cottons. The central panel contains a portrait of Caroline of Brunswick, consort of King George IV. Made in Brecon in about 1820. An unlined patchwork bedcover. Made by the Richards family of Darowen, possibly to commemorate the building of their new parish church in 1863. Detail of a wholecloth quilt from Abergwawr made to commemorate Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee in 1887. A wholecloth quilt from Abergwawr made to commemorate Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee in 1887. Hexagonal patchwork A patchwork table cover used at Llwyn Onn Hall, Wrexham. Made from cotton dress fabrics and chintzes which date from about 1780-1820. A cotton patchwork bedcover made by a dairy-maid at Llanharan House, near Llanharan, in 1886. A bedcover of predominantly red and lilac cotton prints. Made mid-to-late 19th century by Esther David of Llanfabon. A 19th century patchwork bedcover from Cardiff. Mostly made from cotton chintzes. A bedcover of hexagonal cotton prints arranged in cables. Given as a wedding present in 1874 to A. C. Humphreys-Owen of Glansevern House, Welshpool. Detail of an unlined patchwork bedcover. Made in Llantrisant in 1886. An unlined patchwork bedcover made in 1886 in Llantrisant. A 19th century patchwork quilt from Wick. Made from a range of printed cottons. A quilt of red and white hexagons arranged in diagonal bands. Made by Elizabeth Edwards of Cardiff in 1870. Patchwork: Work in progress Detail of a 19th-century patchwork bedcover from Cardiff. Mostly made from cotton chintzes. An unfinished late 19th century patchwork bedcover from Port Talbot. Made from plain and printed cotton hexagons. The paper templates remain in parts. Detail of an unfinished late 19th century patchwork bedcover from Port Talbot. Made from plain and printed cotton hexagons. The paper templates remain in parts. An unfinished late 19th century patchwork from Cardiff. The 'log cabin' pattern has been achieved by dividing strips of cotton into light and dark shades. An unfinished late 19th century crazy patchwork of satin, velvet and ribbed silk. Oversewn with feather stitches and French knots. Made in Maentwrog. The reverse of an unfinished patchwork. The paper templates and tacking remain in position. Made in Mountain Ash in 1880. An unfinished patchwork of hexagonal printed cottons. The paper templates and tacking remain in position. Made in 1880 in Mountain Ash. An unfinished early 19th century patchwork from Dinas Powys. Made from printed cotton pieces arranged around an oval central panel. Prize-winning quilts A programme containing details of events and exhibitions held at St Fagans in conjunction with the Festival of Britain in 1951. A programme containing details of events and exhibitions held at St Fagans in conjunction with the Festival of Britain in 1951. A quilted bonnet made by Jane Davies of Pontardawe for the 1951 quilting competition held at St Fagans. A prize-winning poplin quilt made by Jessie Edwards, a quilting teacher from Merthyr. Exhibited at the Fagans during the 1951 Festival of Britain. Detail of a poplin quilt made by Jessie Edwards of Merthyr. The quilt won first prize at the 1951 quilting exhibition held at St Fagans. Quilts for children A silk cot quilt made by Miss Mabel Owen of Aberdare. It won first prize at the Royal Welsh Show held in Aberystwyth in 1933. A cot quilt made in 1987 at St Fagans National Museum of History by Katy Lewis of Caerphilly. Peach coloured cotton with polyester filling. A red and white patchwork cot quilt. Made and used in Carmarthen in 1914. A patchwork cot quilt from St David's, Pembrokeshire. A patchwork cot cover used in about 1850 by the infant William Hely Llewelyn of Cwrt Colman, Bridgend A cot quilt made from printed cotton and chintz squares. Made in 1856 for William Hely Llewelyn of Cwrt Colman, Bridgend, as a seven year old child. A cot cover of plain and ribbed silk patchwork arranged in the 'falling blocks' design. Made and used in St Asaph in 1870. Quilts: Earning a living Village quilters from Solva posing with a frame in 1928. Central motif of a wholecloth quilt made in 1933 by a group of quilters from Porth, Rhondda. A cream cotton poplin quilt with carded wool filling. Made in 1933 by a group of quilters from Porth, Rhondda. A notebook filled with notes, pencil drawn patterns and payments for quilting. Complied by Irene Morgan (nee Davies) of Abderdare in the 1920s-30s. A notebook filled with notes, pencil drawn patterns and payments for quilting. Complied by Irene Morgan (nee Davies) of Abderdare in the 1920s-30s. A notebook filled with notes, pencil drawn patterns and payments for quilting. Complied by Irene Morgan (nee Davies) of Abderdare in the 1920s-30s. A reversible wholecloth quilt of pink and green cotton with a flounced edge. Made by Phoebe Walters, a professional quilter from Bancyfelin, in about 1906. Detail of a wholecloth quilt of pink and green cotton. Made by Phoebe Walters, a professional quilter from Bancyfelin, in about 1906. Quilts: Make do and mend A 19th century geometric patchwork quilt made from off-cuts of flannel from Ogof Woollen Mill, Drefach-Felindre. Probably made by the weaver Benjamin Jones, or a member of his family. A quilt made by the Borth based artist Becky Knight in 2006. Constructed from recycled Guinness cans, machine stitched to form the traditional 'drunkards path' design. Detail of a quilt made from recycled Guinness cans. Designed and made by Becky Knight of Borth in 2006. A 19th century patchwork quilt made from off-cuts of flannel from Ogof Woollen Mill, Drefach-Felindre. Probably made by the weaver Benjamin Jones, or a member of his family. An early 20th century bedcover. Made in Blaenau Ffestiniog from scraps of tweed and worsted suits worn by quarrymen. A patchwork quilt made from a range of printed cottons. Made by an unknown quilter from Rhydlafar in about 1850. A mid 20th century quilt from Cardiff. Made from rouched up silk ties. Lined with larger pieces of silk, possibly suit lining. A reversible late 19th century quilt from Llangamarch. Made from two recycled woven and printed paisley shawls. A patchwork quilt made from multicoloured printed cotton squares. The filling is probably an older quilt. Made by Esther David of Llanfabon. Mid to late 19th century. A bedcover made by James Williams, a tailor from Wrexham, between 1842-52. Made from 4,525 pieces of woollen cloth, mainly off-cuts from military uniforms.
A 'Real' Welsh Costume? 6 July 2007 The image of the 'Welsh Lady', in a tall black hat, red shawl and flannel skirt is very well known. It has become the national costume of Wales. But how does it compare with what was really worn in the past? Watercolour sketch of Welsh woman knitting, showing footless stockings, mid-19th century What is a national costume? Historians have to use a variety of different information to piece together what people actually wore every day. The created a national costume from clothing worn by women in the countryside. This image has ensured the survival of many elements of real Welsh dress. Early sources of information In order to discover the true nature of rural dress within Wales during the 18th and 19th centuries, it is necessary to investigate sources from the time. For the earlier period, the main sources are manuscript and published accounts, diaries and letters of travellers to Wales, together with paintings produced by artists who journeyed through Wales. From the 1830s, there are more frequent accounts from those who lived in Wales, and who had an interest in the Welsh language and traditional ways of life, not only artists and historians, but also enthusiasts such as Augusta Hall, Lady Llanover. Mass tourism Later in the century, the arrival of the railways brought the beginning of mass tourism, which generated souvenir prints, china and, finally, postcards. Fortunately, there were also numerous photographers with a real interest in traditional culture, rural crafts and agriculture. They have recorded a lost society, and, incidentally, their clothing. Finally, there is material culture; most of the existing garments in museum collections date from the middle of the 19th century onwards. Approach with caution All of these sources must be used with great caution. Most of the literary sources are outsiders' accounts which concentrate on the quaint and unusual. Paintings can be romanticised and photographs often staged. The huge interest in national identity at the beginning of the 19th century within Wales, which resulted in the creation of an artificial 'standard' national dress, has for many years hidden the true, varied image of the rural population. Rural costume Careful analysis however can provide evidence for the actual garments worn in everyday life, particularly with regard to working clothes. It is certainly possible to identify elements of rural dress, such as the general use of woollen fabric and the wearing of aprons, kerchiefs and men's hats. Some of this survived as part of rural dress even into the twentieth century. Workwear or national costume? Only aprons and shawls have survived in any number. Dresses and skirts were usually worn out or re-used as rags. This is hardly surprising when one considers the condition of some of those depicted in photographs. A number of flannel petticoats, however, have survived, perhaps because, as undergarments, they were protected by skirts. Many of these are kept in museum collections as examples of 'Welsh costume'. They are in fact not garments belonging to a conscious 'national' dress at all, but real 'peasant' or rural dress, part of the flannel-wearing tradition.
English silks worn in Tredegar House 8 May 2007 Tredegar House and Park. The house and grounds are now in the ownership of Newport County Council. Many rooms have been restored and are open to the public. Image © Steve Burrow. Man's short coat, dating to the early 1720s. The fabric is white taffeta with a lace pattern. This coat was probably worn by Sir William Morgan. It is of yellow lace pattern silk, dated to about 1725, and is of either English or French origin. Silver embroidered blue damask court mantua (an open fronted gown with an elaborate train), made in the 1720s. An English silk robe and petticoat, dating to about 1745-47. Although this has been remade, the fabric survives in good condition. It has a yellow taffeta ground with white cannelè stripes and is brocaded with roses in coloured silks. In the 18th century a gentleman's rank in society could be discerned from the quality of his house or his clothing - status was declared by the wearing of costly silks, lace or gold thread. Silks woven in the flourishing silk industry of Spitalfields in London and elsewhere were bought by Welsh families and brought to Wales to furnish their homes, dress themselves, and impress their neighbours. The Morgans of Tredegar House, later Lords Tredegar, were one of the wealthiest families in Wales. They used rich silk furnishings in their home, as described in the inventory of 1698: "4 green Silke Damask chequer curtains flowred with gold colour and lined with white chequer silke with double valiance, foot valiance, teaster and quilte imbroidred with Silke frings." In the same bedroom there were four window curtains of white damask and seven silk cushions matching the bed hangings, all protected by a suite of orange dust covers. In addition, the Morgans dressed themselves in the finest and most fashionable woven damasks and brocaded silks, some of which are now housed at St Fagans National History Museum, donated in 1923 by Lord Tredegar. Most date to the middle of the 18th century. One robe and petticoat of French origin may have belonged to Martha Morgan, wife of Thomas Morgan, part of the Mansel family of Margam (and later of Penrice), one of the wealthiest families in the county. Thomas Morgan was succeeded by his brother, who considerably added to the estates. When his son, Sir William Morgan, inherited in 1719, he was able to embark upon a very flamboyant way of life. In 1724 Sir William married Lady Rachel Cavendish, daughter of the Duke of Devonshire, who brought with her a dowry of £20,000. A number of items from Tredegar House date from between 1720 and 1731, when Sir William died. All of these garments match Sir William's reputation for extravagance - his annual expenditure in 1725 amounted to £37,418 (over £3.8 million or .9 million in today's terms) - and all would almost certainly have been bought in London. Lady Rachel survived her husband for fifty years, and when her only son died unmarried in 1763, she lost a battle in the courts and her brother-in-law Thomas Morgan succeeded to the estate. Most of the remaining Tredegar garments belong to this period and were probably worn by Lady Rachel or Jane, the grand-daughter of John Morgan (born 1731), who had married in 1758 and was later to inherit the estate. Since none of the Tredegar silks post-date Lady Rachel's life it is tempting to conclude that they all belonged to her and were packed away after her time, only being rediscovered by the family for their fancy dress possibilities during the following century. A court mantua This pictured garment had been remade and worn as fancy dress, probably during the 19th century. In 1971 it was returned to its original form, with the help of the late Janet Arnold. The later stitching was removed, which involved unpicking bust darts and the removal of stitching where the train had been caught up in several places, presumably in order to hide the fact that part of it had been cut away. The petticoat itself had not been altered. This is a very grand robe which would have been worn for presentation at court. Lady Rachel Morgan was certainly sufficiently important to have worn it. Background Reading Social conditions at Tredegar House Newport in the 17th and 18th centuries, by M. R. Apted. In Monmouthshire Antiquarian, vol. 3:2, p124-54 (1972-3). Tredegar House by David Freeman. Published by Newport Leisure Services Department (1982, revised edition published 1998). Silk designs of the 18th century in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum by Natalie Rothstein. Published by the Victoria and Albert Museum (1990). Woven Textile Design in Britain to 1750 by Natalie Rothstein. Published by the Victoria and Albert Museum (1994). A court mantua of c. 1740 by Janet Arnold. In Costume (Journal of the Costume Society), vol. 6, p48-52 (1972).
