A Philatelic Tour of Wales
- ronniesramblings
- Jul 2
- 3 min read
Part 2
Mid Wales
There are only two vital industries in Mid Wales, they are farming and the woollen industry, tourism (which is the largest industry in the whole of Wales) helps to swell the economy, the visitors being rewarded with peace, quiet and wide-open space.
Mid Wales is not highly populated and transport is difficult, so the Royal Mail Postbuses meet an important need in the area. There are currently 12 different routes with Wales boasting the first Postbus route in Great Britian, this is between Llanidloes and Llangurig and made its first run on 20 February 1967.
Thomas Hepburn and Robert Owen are both sons of Mid Wales, Thomas Hepburn is remembered for his work in connection with reforms for coal mine labourers and Robert Owen, who was born and buried in Newtown, was a pioneer socialist and introduced social and industrial welfare programmes thus improving the life of workers at his cotton mills in Lanark, Scotland.
The Tanat Valley Plygain is an old Welsh carol service traditionally held between 3am and 6am on Christmas morning, most of the participants were men. The carols sung were written in traditional meters and set in old airs with new carols written each year by local poets. In olden times each person brought a candle to help light the church, many people made their own decorative candles but local candle makers made special candles which could stay lit in sudden gusts of wind, these candles were known as Canhwyllan Plygain. The tradition of Plygain still survives in the Tanat Valley but is held on an evening between mid-December and mid-January.
Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant is the largest village in the Tanat Valley and the parish of William Morgan whilst he was translating the Bible into Welsh. The Welsh Bible was published in 1588 and Rev. Morgan then went on to become Bishop of St. Asaph. Not all the credit can go to William Morgan as William Salesbury translated the New Testament and the Common Book of Prayer into Welsh with the help of Richard Davies in 1567. Bishop Morgan’s translation was, however, held to be the more correctly written. Richard Parry edited the revised edition of the original translation of the Bible in 1620 and this edition remained and in use until the twentieth century. The translation of the Bible into Welsh is considered to be one of the most important factors in keeping the Welsh language alive but one wonders what would have happened to the Welsh language if Francis Drake had not defeated the Spanish Armada…
Also in the Tanat Valley is Sycarth near Llansilin, once home to Owain Glyndwr. Glyndwr was a true son of Wales, both his parent were of ancient Welsh stock and he was considered by many Welshmen as the true prince of Wales and was proclaimed such by the Welsh on 16th September, 1400 at Glyndyfrdwy. His war with the English arose through a family dispute and lasted fifteen years, he wanted to free the Welsh from English rule and formed a Parliament at Machynlleth where he declared the Church independent of England and Canterbury. Sycarth was burnt to the ground by the English Prince of Wales (later Henry V) in 1403, very little now remains. Glyndwr was not alive in 1417 but it is not known how he died, where he died nor where he is buried.
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