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!
Crocus countdown... Danielle Cowell, 23 February 2012 Back on the 23rd of January I posted that the Crocus flowers could be on the way, then the weather turned cold and we are still waiting.If the weather stays reasonably warm they really should be flowering next week. Normally, by now we would have some crocus flower sightings from schools, but our strange winter weather seems to have slowed down the growth.In the museum grounds however, some of my crocus have already opened! Whilst in my garden, I'm still waiting for flowers, although one daffodil that I planted in Autumn 2010 has tilted it's head. This is a sure sign that it's ready to flower.Fulwood and Cadley Primary School sent in a picture of their tallest bulb - measuring 9.5cm - see the picture attached.Be patient and the crocus flowers should open soon.Your Comments: Stanford in the Vale. Another strange week...Looking at the rainfall for Monday, I think this maybe because of the snow and rain we had over the weekend? We also observed 3mm of snow fall today. We really haven't had any rain for what seem's like in a long time?The bulbs we planted in the ground are slowly coming through, We wonded if this is because we may have planted them to deep? As the pot bulbs look as they are growing much faster? Ans: This is probably the case, if they are planted a too deep they can takke a little longer. They will come though - were they planted in more or less the same spot?Glyncollen Primary School. Our thermometer broke this week. Can you send us a new one please? Our plants are growing well and we can't wait to take them home. Yr.4 Glyncollen. Ans: Glad your plants are growing well and I've put a thermometer in the post for you.Woodplumpton Primary School. We have been listening to the weather warnings on the news. It feels really cold outside and yet the temperature has not dropped below freezing. We are surprised! We are learning a lot about temperature and getting really good at guessing what it is. Ans: This is great news glad you are getting really involved in the project. I know what you mean about it feeling really cold some days.Ysgol Porth Y Felin. The plants have almost sprouted and has been a lot of rain. All of the plants have sprouted some leaves by now and we have seen a mystery bulb. Ans: How exciting not long now!Earlston Primary School. Snow Monday & Tuesday. Ans: Well done for recording in the snow!www.museumwales.ac.uk/scan/bulbsFollow me on Twitter http://twitter.com/Professor_PlantFollow Professor Plant Facebook
Sourcing the Stonehenge Bluestones Richard Bevins, 21 February 2012 Pont Saeson, June 2011. Close up of the outcroppng rocks, Pont Saeson, June 2011. Microscopic view of the newly identified match to the Stonehenge bluestones The source of the Bluestones at Stonehenge has long been a subject of fascination and controversy. One type was traced to north Pembrokeshire in the early 1920s, but now geologists at Amgueddfa Cymru and University of Leicester have directly matched another type to a different part of north Pembrokeshire. Will this provide us with more ideas about how the stones might have been transported to Stonehenge? The Stonehenge monument Stonehenge, on Salisbury Plain, is one of the world's most iconic ancient monuments. It is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it is as recognisable worldwide as sites such as Machu Picchu in Peru and the Xian Terracotta Warriors in China. Stonehenge is a complex site. It is best known, of course, for the standing stones, which comprise the Outer Circle, the Inner Circle, the Inner Horseshoe and the Heel Stone and, within the structure, the so-called Altar Stone. Surrounding the stone circle are further structures, identified by mounds and ditches, and a series of 'holes' thought to have held standing stones of more henges. These holes, known as the Aubrey Holes, are important because they contain debris (or 'debitage' as some archaeologists call the material) whose lithology is not represented among the current standing stones. However, the current Stonehenge monument is only a part of a broader range of contemporary features, including the Avenue, the Cursus and the recently identified West Amesbury Henge (known as Bluestonehenge). Collectively, these comprise the Stonehenge Landscape. The large stones that form the Outer Circle are known as 'Sarsens'. They are hard, resistant sandstones thought to have been collected from the local Salisbury Plain environment. The sources of the smaller stones that form the Inner Circle, the Inner Horseshoe and the Altar Stone, known as the 'Bluestones', are 'exotic' to the Salisbury Plain area. For many years their source baffled eminent Victorian investigators such as Maskelyne, Cunnington, Teal and Judd. This is the so-called Bluestone lithology. The Bluestones In 1923, however, H.H. Thomas from the Geological Survey published a paper in The Antiquaries Journal in which he claimed to have sourced the spotted dolerite component of the Bluestones to hilltop rock outcrops, or 'tors', exposed in the high Preseli, to the west of Crymych in west Wales. Specifically, he thought that the tors on Carn Meini and Carn Marchogion were the likely source outcrops. He went on to speculate about how humans had transported the stones to Salisbury Plain, favouring transport across land rather than a combined land and sea journey. Not all the Bluestone stones standing today at Stonehenge, however, are spotted dolerites. Four of them are ash-flow tuffs, of either dacitic or rhyolitic composition. Debris recovered from the Aubrey Holes, as well as various archaeological excavations at Stonehenge and the Stonehenge Landscape, comprise spotted dolerite and more, and very different, dacitic and rhyolitic Bluestone material. Map of the Preseli area showing the research area, and the proposed origins of the Bluestones Plan of Stonehenge Plan of Stonehenge showing archaeological detail The Stonehenge Landscape Recent discoveries In 2009 Amgueddfa Cymru, in collaboration with Dr Rob Ixer, University of Leicester began new petrological investigations. Examination of debris from the Cursus Field, adjacent to the Cursus, showed the presence of samples identified as being ash-flow tuffs, with tube pumice, crystal fragments and lithic clasts in a fine-grained recrystallized matrix. These were broadly similar to the four dacitic and rhyolitic standing stones, yet showed key differences. Also present were samples that had previously been informally called 'rhyolite with fabric'. This lithology is defined by a very well-developed fabric, present on the millimetre scale. This distinctive rock texture has led Museum scientists to identify the source of the rock to Pont Saeson, in the low ground to the north of Mynydd Preseli. Vaporising the Bluestones To test this match further, quantitative evidence has been acquired by analysing the composition of tiny, micron-sized zircon crystals from Stonehenge and Pont Season rhyolite samples, using a technique known as 'laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry' at Aberystwyth University. The technique is to focus a very high-power laser beam, with a diameter of only 10 microns, onto the zircon crystals (themselves no larger than 100 microns) and 'ablate' them — essentially vaporizing them — so that after analysis the zircon crystals are peppered with small craters. The vapour generated by this process is then analysed in the mass spectrometer, which reveals the chemistry of the zircon crystals. This was the first time zircon chemistry had ever been used to provenance archaeological material. As well as zirconium (and the closely related element hafnium) the crystals contained detectable concentrations of a range of elements including scandium, tantalum, uranium, thorium and the rare earth elements, and the analyses from the two sample sets proved to be near identical, providing a geochemical 'fingerprint'. This result is of considerable significance, and was published in 2011 in the internationally recognised Journal of Archaeological Science. In June 2011 more detailed sampling identified the outcrop known as Craig Rhos-y-felin near Pont Saeson as the source of the majority of the rhyolite debris recovered during excavations at Stonehenge and the vicinity. The results from these latest excavations were published in the journal Archaeology in Wales in December 2011. External links University of Leicester UNESCO: Stonehenge World Heritage Site Aberystwyth University Journal of Archaeological Science Archaeology in Wales Journal
Your comments & snow pics Danielle Cowell, 10 February 2012 The snow didn't last very long in Cardiff but I did manage to get a quick pic of my bulbs. Across the country there has been much more snow. Please send me any pictures you have.Your questions:Stanford in the Vale Primary School. What a cold spell we have had, the ground has been rock hard all week! I hope it will not stunt our growth for the bulbs we planted into the ground? Do you think the bulbs we planted into pots should be moved into the greenhouse? Kind Regards. Gardening Club Members.Ans: Hi Stanford. Great question. Normally, a gardener may put plants into a green house to protect the shoots from the frost, but in this experiment we are recording how the bulbs react to the weather, so please don't put them in the green house as it will affect the final result. Also, these bulbs have evolved to withstand cold winters - so don't worry they should be fine. Prof. PWoodplumpton Primary School. We have noticed a lot of daffodils flowering but none in our school grounds. Our bulbs are a long way behind other daffodil bulbs we have in our school garden. We wonder if this is because they are older and have flowered many times before. Our mystery bulbs are growing really fast now.Ans: Hi Woodplumpton. Great observation, I too have noticed that bulbs I planted in previous years have grown a lot more - see my pictures. I agree with what you say, I think the bulbs that were already planted from previous years are taller because they have had more time in the ground to grow. With the mild Autumn and winter they would have began to grow under the ground before we planted this years bulbs on the 20th of October. Hope that makes sence! Prof. PFulwood and Cadley. It has been extremely cold this week and the ground is frozen. All our bulbs have shoots now and are growing taller, the tallest being 7cm. Prof. P: Excellent news! my tallest is about that height too!Ysgol Porth Y Felin. It has been a cold and frosty week.Sorry this is late. It has reached negative numbers in the evening. Prof. P: Very cold, well done for keeping at the recording in the cold!Woodplumpton Primary School. We think the mystery bulbs are tulips! Prof.P: Only time will tell...www.museumwales.ac.uk/scan/bulbsFollow me on Twitter http://twitter.com/Professor_PlantFollow Professor Plant Facebook
Coal seams and copper: W.E. Logan and the geological map 7 February 2012 William Logan, 1856 The Forest Works near Swansea 1792 by John 'Warwick' Smith (1749-1831). Lewis Weston Dillwyn (1778-1855) by Sir George Hayter (1792-1871). Henry Thomas De la Beche (1796-1855), founder of the British Geological Survey, about 1841. William Edmond Logan was one of the leading geologists of the nineteenth century and is recognized as Canada's most important scientist of all time. It was in Wales that his geological career began.Swansea: copper townIn the mid nineteenth century, around half of the world's copper was being produced in Swansea, with copper ores being imported from around the world to be smelted with south Wales coal.Swansea controlled the world price of copper and came to be known as 'Copperopolis'. Fourteen copper works were in operation in the Swansea district in the 1830s. One of these was the Upper Forest Copper Works at Morriston, opened in 1752. Here, William Edmond Logan began his career as one of the great geologists of the 19th century.W.E. Logan (1798-1875)William Edmond Logan was born in Montreal in 1798. His parents had emigrated from Scotland. At the age of 16, Logan was sent to school in Edinburgh and then briefly attended classes at the university there. After a year, in 1817, he moved to London to work for his uncle's accounting business.During the 1820s, Logan became interested in geology, collecting fossil shells on his uncle's estate in Suffolk and on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent. In 1831, Logan's uncle acquired a share in the Upper Forest Copper Works at Morriston and sent his nephew to Swansea to manage the company's accounts.Swansea: a centre of scienceScience flourished in Swansea in the 1830s and 1840s, largely under the leadership of the naturalist and local MP, Lewis Weston Dillwyn (1778-1855). He was the founding President of the Swansea Philosophical Institution which, within a few years, became the Royal Institution of South Wales. Logan, too, was a founding member and served as the Institution's Honorary Secretary and Honorary Curator of Geology from 1836.Coal and copperIn 1833, Logan became joint manager of the Upper Forest Copper Works. The following year, he spent several months in France and Spain in search of new sources of copper ore. He was also keen to establish reliable supplies of local coal, so in 1835 he began a study of the local coal seams around Swansea by recording their outcrops onto maps and sections."I attend to nothing else but the making of copper and digging of coal from morning to night." W.E. Logan.The Geological Survey comes to SwanseaIn 1835, Henry De la Beche (1796-1855), a geologist from Lyme Regis in Dorset, was given government funding to make a geological survey of Cornwall - the beginnings of the British Geological Survey. Two years later, De la Beche moved to Swansea in December 1837 to map the rocks of the South Wales Coalfield.De la Beche became involved in the Swansea Philosophical Institution through his friend Lewis Weston Dillwyn. He met Logan and was impressed by the quality of his mapping of the Swansea coal seams, commenting that Logan's map was "beautifully executed [and] of an order so greatly superior to that usual with geologists".De la Beche used Logan's work on the official Geological Survey map. Logan continued mapping with the Geological Survey in South Wales until 1841.The geological map of SwanseaThe first Geological Survey map of the Swansea district was published in 1844, based on the 1830 Ordnance Survey topographic map on the scale of one inch to one mile. It covers the area from Kenfig in the east to Kidwelly in the west. The geological mapping is credited to W.E. Logan and Sir Henry De la Beche."I worked like a slave all summer on the gulph of St Lawrence, living the life of a savage, inhabiting an open tent, sleeping on the beach in a blanket and sack, with my feet to the fire, seldom taking my clothes off, eating salt pork & ship's biscuit, occasionally tormented by mosquitoes".Letter from Logan to De la Beche, 20 April 1844.Logan in CanadaWith his geological skills honed on the coal rocks of Swansea, in 1841 Logan applied for the post of first Director of the Geological Survey of Canada. His application was supported by many of the leading British geologists, including Henry De la Beche, and he was appointed in April 1842.By 1849 he and four staff had mapped the area between the St Lawrence River and the Great Lakes, worked on the coal deposits of Nova Scotia, and found copper ore to the east of Montreal. In 1851, he prepared a display of ore minerals from Canada for the Great Exhibition in London.In 1863, Logan and his staff published the first major study of the geology of Canada. It is regarded as the pinnacle of Canadian scientific publishing in the 19th century. This was followed by the publication of maps in 1865 and 1869.Logan returns to WalesLogan was knighted in 1856, the first native-born Canadian to receive a knighthood. He was also honoured by France, the Royal Society, the Geological Society, Bishop's University in Quebec, and McGill University in Montreal, as well as by the citizens of Toronto and Montreal.Although Logan officially retired in 1869, he continued summer fieldwork around Montreal and spent winters at his sister's house in west Wales. He died there in June 1875 and is buried in the churchyard at Cilgerran in Pembrokeshire.Today, William Edmond Logan is recognized as Canada's most important scientist of all time. And it was in Wales that his geological career began.External linksSwansea Museum
