Gŵyl mabsant

The game of 'fives', rather like a primitive form of squash, often took place against the church walls. Image from The Cambrian Popular Antiquities, Peter Roberts (1815).

The gŵyl mabsant was one of the most popular rural festivals in Wales. Commemorating the local parish saint, this annual celebration developed from a dedication through prayer to a programme of recreational activities, enjoyed by all.

Gŵylmabsantau was mentioned in writing as early as 1470, and the festival was common throughout Wales up until the end of the 19th century.

From cockfighting to grinning matches

Competitions at the festivals ranged from running races to old women's grinning matches and blindfolded wheelbarrow-driving. At the three day sports event held in Llangyfelach near Swansea in 1780, competitions and prizes included a women's race for a smock and petticoat and eating a hot pudding for a silver table spoon. Animal sports were a familiar scene, particularly cockfights, on which large amounts of money were wagered. Birds were specially trained for the contest, and the owner of a victorious cockerel was held in high esteem.

Early versions of Association Football were often played over Christmas, New Year and at Shrovetide. Large crowds of spectators gathered to witness the matches, which, owing to a lack of pre-determined rules, tended to degenerate into chaos, with injuries being common.

Bando

Bando was another favoured team sport and continued in some areas until the late 19th century. Particularly popular in Glamorgan, bando was similar to the modern game of hockey and teams used clubs to strike the ball towards a goal.

A rowdy reputation

Cockfighting featured prominently on the rural calendar, and was popular with all sections of society throughout Wales until the early 19th century.

Owing to the combination of betting, feasting and alcohol consumption, it was not surprising that parish festivals built-up a reputation for their rowdiness. Publicans often played a significant role in organising and promoting sports events, many being arranged over the bar. The games contested were high-spirited and unwritten rules were often decided informally before the start of a match. As many sports were localised activities, rules usually differed from place to place, leading to disagreements between parishes.

Concern regarding the unlicensed revelry and alcoholic over-indulgence commonly occurring at the festivals, as well as the doubtful benefits of the games themselves, was increasingly voiced from the 18th century onwards, most noticeably by religious leaders.

Worthless and sinful

The Methodist and other religious revivals which swept across Wales from the mid 18th century until the turn of the 20th century, attacked sporting activities indiscriminately as worthless and sinful. Physical recreation was viewed by some as a great threat to the morals of the population. Eminent religious figures, such as Thomas Charles, tried to suppress impious fairs and festivals, in 1799 he described Wales as "sunk in superstition and vice". Consequently, parishioners turned increasingly to churches and chapels for release and salvation, and as prayer meetings were sometimes purposely arranged to clash with sports days, religion became a potent force in the eventual decline of the Gŵyl Mabsant.

Background Reading

"Gŵyl Mabsant" by T.Llew Jones. In Llafar Gwlad p10-11 (Winter, 1997), p8-9 (Spring, 1998).

"Festivals and social structure in early modern Wales" by Richard Suggett. In Past and Present, vol. 152, p79-112 (August, 1996).

Three centuries of fashion and design can be seen in a collection of decorated floor tiles found during building works at Raglan Castle in 1947.

In 1549 William Somerset (1526-1589) succeeded to his father's position as third Earl of Worcester and owner of Raglan Castle. From this base in south-east Wales he launched a career that was to see him thrive at the courts of Edward VI (1547-53), Mary (1553-58) and then Elizabeth I (1558-1603). He is buried in Raglan parish church.

Such a prominent figure lived a lifestyle that suited his high social standing, and we can see this aspiration in the extensive remodelling that he undertook of the fortress-mansion he had inherited.

He set about an extensive programme of modernisation that affected all parts of the castle and its grounds: the hall and accommodation were improved, kitchen and service areas upgraded, a long gallery was introduced and gardens created in Renaissance style.

The Castle's furnishings were also updated with items that reflected contemporary European fashion. This is illustrated in the chapel at Raglan.

Raglan Chapel

The chapel at Raglan dates from at least the 13th century. It had a floor of thick red earthenware tiles with decoration inlaid into its surface using a contrasting colour. Such two-colour tiles often had designs of shields and monograms, over which a clear glaze would be fired. These tiles were the height of fashion in the mid-14th century.

About 1460, these tiles were replaced with two-colour tiles of bright yellows and golden browns. This must have provided a rich backcloth for the treasures of the chapel.

However, these designs were not to the taste of Earl William. He preferred the fashionable products of the Spanish Netherlands, and used his considerable wealth to purchase tin-glazed earthenware tiles painted in a polychrome style that was popular in the Renaissance period.

The result was a dramatic transformation of the chapel, lightening its interior and adding delicacy to its decoration.

Sadly, the abandonment of Raglan in the wake of the English Civil War has left few traces of the other changes that Earl William made to the interior furnishings of his castle. We are left instead to speculate on the luxury he must have brought to it, and to reflect on the transient nature of that wealth, surviving as it does in a small collection of painted floor tiles and a handful of other items.

Guide to the Tiles

• Late 13th- to early 14th-century tile of the Wessex School from the chapel at Raglan. It shows two birds feeding from a central tree. Tiles with this design were also used at nearby Tintern Abbey and White Castle.
• 15th-century Malvern-school tile used at Raglan. The Latin text reads 'May the peace of Christ be amongst us always. Amen'.
• 16th-century maiolica tile from the chapel floor laid by Earl William, probably before 1572. These tiles were probably imported from the Spanish Netherlands, perhaps Antwerp, where maiolica production had been established in the early 16th century.

Background Reading

Raglan Castle by J. R. Kenyon. Cadw (2003).

'The chapel at Raglan Castle and its paving tiles' by J. M. Lewis. In Castles in Wales and the Marches by J. R. Kenyon and R. Avent, pp.143-60. University of Wales Press (1987).

The medieval tiles of Wales by J. M. Lewis. Amgueddfa Cymru (1999).

Scientific examination of a crucifix of the Middle Ages from Kemeys Inferior, south Wales reveals that the wooden object seen today was once richly decorated in vibrant colours and magnificent gold leaf.

In 1850, the remains of a carved wooden figure of Christ were discovered in the church of Kemeys Inferior, a few kilometres east of Caerleon, south Wales.

An object of exceptional importance

Before the Reformation of the 16th century (when England and Wales officially turned from being a Catholic nation to a Protestant one), such figures of Christ were common throughout England and Wales and the Kemeys Christ is the most complete example of only a handful of medieval fragments to survive in Britain, and so is of exceptional importance.

Fragments of the Kemeys Inferior figure were found, 'together with skulls and bones', in 'the blocked up rood-staircase' during repairs and alterations to the church in about 1886. It was transferred in 1930 to Amgueddfa Cymru.

Although the figure was thought to be from the 14th century, arguments supporting this have never been set out in detail. Dating the figure relies on comparing other sculptures, and it is now thought to be from the late 13th century.

Made in Wales

Owing to the rarity of surviving figures in Britain from this period it is necessary to study objects from the continent for further clues. For example, late 13th-century crucifix figures from Sweden share several similar characteristics, whereas the 14th-century Christ from Mochdre, Denbighshire, the only comparable wooden figure from Wales, is quite different. The Kemeys Christ was more than likely to have been made in England or Wales.

Investigation and analysis of the crucifix

Very little of the colour that once covered the wooden figure can be seen today, but routine work done by Amgueddfa Cymru in 1999 led to in-depth investigation of the surface of the object.

The figure was X-rayed and viewed under ultra violet (UV) and infra-red (IR) light before being examined under the microscope. This revealed the original colour scheme, with differences between the torso and the arms, previously considered to have been later additions.

Vivid and rich colours

In contrast to its present condition, the Kemeys Christ originally boasted a vivid and richly coloured appearance as was popular throughout the Middle Ages. Great care was taken in decorating the figure. When new, it would have shone with gold leaf.

Examination of the figure has revealed considerable evidence of polychromy (use of many colours), and, like other examples of medieval sculpture, over-painting. Although little colour survives on the arms, the right arm does have two layers, which may suggest replacement of the left arm either during the first half of the 16th century or even earlier.

At least three layers of painting have been detected, though the dating of each is problematic. The secondary colour scheme appears to have included gilding on the hair; gold, red and blue on the inside of the loin-cloth; dark brown and black details on the face; a green crown of thorns; and flesh tones in pale pink, with red emphasising the wounds.

Stunning polychrome work like this would have been standard on such an important sculpture. The Kemeys figure clearly represents Christ on the cross, who is portrayed alive, with his eyes still open.

The Kemeys Christ is a rare survival of pre-Reformation devotional figures once common in the British Isles. With the original height of about 94 cm, this powerful image of Christ's suffering would have been widely seen and prayed to, and formed a purposeful part of everyday life.