Cylchgronau Cymru

Chwiliwch trwy dros 450 o deitlau a 1.2 miliwn o dudalennau

of the deep regard and appreciation felt not only by the writer but by the whole community for whom it was written. There is a poem which expresses in verse what the rough prose tries to do-present as vivid a picture as possible of the day to day life of a village worthy as it appeared to his contemporaries How happy is he born and taught Whose armour is his honest thought, Who God doth late and early pray And entertains the harmless day The memory of a community is short, and after nine days or so of wonder the reason for it slips out of mind until, half a century later, very little is remembered of the most worthy of village notabilities. Ordinarily this can be put right by a brief search in public records. Unfortunately, in the case of many with Welsh names, the prevalence of the same names in a parish makes the identification of individuals almost impossible once the nickname by which they were really known is discarded at death. Another difficulty which causes frus- tration is that during the earlier part of the nineteenth century a person would quite gaily (as a former vicar of Llandysul complained) use sometimes his father's and sometimes his grandfather's Christian name as a surname. If only there were a regulation that the identifying name should also be given when required for census and registry purposes, it would make things not only easier but also more entertain- ing. In Llandysul when Evan Isaac Thomas was a young man there were 5 families of Thomas, 6 of Davies, 12 of Evans, and 24 of Jones, and there were many who had the same Christian name. This state of anonymity achieved after death would have been avoided by the retention of such pleasant and practical names as Dick-y-doctor', Tom Glanteifi Dai Bach o'r Nef Shami'r Clochydd 'Jim Rhacs 'Nani Deio'r Hooper', and 'John Shed'. In the obituary notice already quoted it is stated that Isaac Thomas had founded the lucrative business of cabinetmaker and undertaker' which he had handed on to his son Evan Isaac, who in turn had passed it on to his eldest son invariably known as John Evan Isaac except on formal occasions. In an old parish church account book of 1857 there is an entry of payment to Isaac Thomas. But there is no mention of either him or his son Evan Isaac in either the Tithe Rent Charge of 1841 or the Census Returns ten years later. The Evan Isaac who appears in the latter was a youth of 14 who was a farm servant at That serveth not another's will, And simple truth his utmost skill More of His grace than gifts to lend, With a well-chosen book or friend.