Bronze Age Gold from Wales

A bardic chair won by Mr Emyr Jones in Eisteddfod Gadeiriol Caban Mills (Caban Mills Eisteddfod), Dinorwig Quarry, 1938.

Following a successful Eisteddfod in Caban Mills (also known as Caban Ponc Ffiar Injian) in 1937, it was decided to hold a larger Eisteddfod at Dinorwig Quarry in 1938. Eisteddfod Gadeiriol Caban Mills was held over three days during September 1938. Competitions were held for individual singers, group singers, choirs, musical instruments, scripture reciting, first aid, and many more. Judging the Eisteddfod were the Reverend Bryn Williams, Capel Coch (who later became the Archdruid for the National Eisteddfod), and the Reverend Llewelyn Boyer. The chair was awarded for a piece of poetry written on the subject ‘Diwrnod Gosod’. The chair has been built in the style of a ‘blocyn tîn’ - the low chair used by quarrymen when splitting slate in a quarry. It was built by a local craftsman, Richard Llewelyn Griffith (Dic Pencraig).

It is believed that the chair is one of only two bardic chairs to ever be awarded in an Eisteddfod in a quarry - the other being during the Ponc y Wyrcws Eisteddfod, Penrhyn Quarry, 1876.

Emyr Jones (from Waunfawr) worked at Ponc Muriau, Dinorwig Quarry, during the 1930’s. He left the quarry to join the army, and then became a teacher, and later a head teacher. He wrote two books on the history of slate quarrying, ‘Canrif y Chwarelwr’ (1963) and ‘Bargen Dinorwig’ (1980). He is also wrote ‘Gwaed Gwirion’ (a novel about life in the trenches during the First World War) and ‘Grym y Lli’ (for which he won the Prose Medal in the National Eisteddfod).