1.
Wales
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Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, and it had a population in 2011 of 3,063,456 and has a total area of 20,779 km2. Wales has over 1,680 miles of coastline and is mountainous, with its higher peaks in the north and central areas, including Snowdon. The country lies within the temperate zone and has a changeable. Welsh national identity emerged among the Celtic Britons after the Roman withdrawal from Britain in the 5th century, Llywelyn ap Gruffudds death in 1282 marked the completion of Edward I of Englands conquest of Wales, though Owain Glyndŵr briefly restored independence to Wales in the early 15th century. The whole of Wales was annexed by England and incorporated within the English legal system under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542, distinctive Welsh politics developed in the 19th century. Welsh Liberalism, exemplified in the early 20th century by Lloyd George, was displaced by the growth of socialism, Welsh national feeling grew over the century, Plaid Cymru was formed in 1925 and the Welsh Language Society in 1962. Established under the Government of Wales Act 1998, the National Assembly for Wales holds responsibility for a range of devolved policy matters, two-thirds of the population live in south Wales, mainly in and around Cardiff, Swansea and Newport, and in the nearby valleys. Now that the countrys traditional extractive and heavy industries have gone or are in decline, Wales economy depends on the sector, light and service industries. Wales 2010 gross value added was £45.5 billion, over 560,000 Welsh language speakers live in Wales, and the language is spoken by a majority of the population in parts of the north and west. From the late 19th century onwards, Wales acquired its popular image as the land of song, Rugby union is seen as a symbol of Welsh identity and an expression of national consciousness. The Old English-speaking Anglo-Saxons came to use the term Wælisc when referring to the Celtic Britons in particular, the modern names for some Continental European lands and peoples have a similar etymology. The modern Welsh name for themselves is Cymry, and Cymru is the Welsh name for Wales and these words are descended from the Brythonic word combrogi, meaning fellow-countrymen. The use of the word Cymry as a self-designation derives from the location in the post-Roman Era of the Welsh people in modern Wales as well as in northern England and southern Scotland. It emphasised that the Welsh in modern Wales and in the Hen Ogledd were one people, in particular, the term was not applied to the Cornish or the Breton peoples, who are of similar heritage, culture, and language to the Welsh. The word came into use as a self-description probably before the 7th century and it is attested in a praise poem to Cadwallon ap Cadfan c. 633. Thereafter Cymry prevailed as a reference to the Welsh, until c.1560 the word was spelt Kymry or Cymry, regardless of whether it referred to the people or their homeland. The Latinised forms of names, Cambrian, Cambric and Cambria, survive as lesser-used alternative names for Wales, Welsh
2.
1912 in the United Kingdom
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Events from the year 1912 in the United Kingdom. Monarch - George V Prime Minister - H. H. Asquith 1 January - Post Office takes over National Telephone Company,17 January - British polar explorer Robert Falcon Scott and a team of four reach the South Pole to find that Ronald Amundsen had beaten them to it. 31 January - G. K.26 February - Coal miners strike begins,1 March - Suffragettes smash shop windows in the West End of London, especially around Oxford Street. 16 March - Lawrence Oates, ill member of Scotts South Pole expedition leaves the tent saying, I am just going outside,19 March - Minimum wage introduced for miners after national strike. 29 March - The remaining members of Scotts expedition die,11 April - Irish Home Rule Bill introduced in the House of Commons, but fails to receive the support of the House of Lords. 13 April - The Royal Flying Corps is established by royal charter, 14–15 April - Sinking of the RMS Titanic, The White Star liner RMS Titanic strikes an iceberg and sinks on her maiden voyage from the United Kingdom to the United States. 15 April - The syndicalist Daily Herald newspaper is first published on a permanent basis,22 April - English aviator Denys Corbett Wilson completes the first aeroplane crossing of the Irish Sea, from Goodwick in Wales to Crane near Enniscorthy in Ireland. April/May - Thousands of Jewish workers in Londons garment trade in the West End strike, may - Liberal Unionist Party formally merges into the Conservative And Unionist Party. 2 May–3 July - Board of Trade inquiry into the sinking of the RMS Titanic,5 May–22 July - Great Britain and Ireland compete at the Olympics in Stockholm and win 10 gold,15 silver and 16 bronze medals. 13 May - The Air Battalion Royal Engineers becomes the Military Wing of the Royal Flying Corps,15 July - The National Insurance Act 1911 comes into force introducing National Insurance payments. August Cabinet ministers accused of corruption in the Marconi scandal,10 August - Frank McClean flies a Short Brothers floatplane up the River Thames between the upper and lower parts of Tower Bridge and underneath London Bridge. 25–27 August - The wet summer climaxes in a major rainstorm across England, causing floods particularly in Norfolk, september - The tradition of the Blackpool Illuminations begins. 24 October - Formation of the Edinburgh and Leith Branch of the Workers Educational Association at a meeting addressed by Albert Mansbridge,31 October - Robert Baden-Powell marries Olave St Clair Soames at Parkstone. 5 November - Establishment of the British Board of Film Censors,12 November - The bodies of Captain Scott and his team found in the Antarctic. 27 November - Concerted Suffragette attacks on pillar boxes,18 December - Piltdown Man, thought to be the fossilized remains of a hitherto unknown form of early human, presented to the Geological Society of London. It is revealed to be a hoax in 1953, sir Rufus Isaacs, the Attorney General, becomes the first Jew appointed to the Cabinet. Glucozade, the predecessor of Lucozade, is first produced, walter de la Mares The Listeners, and Other Poems. Ethel M. Dells novels Greatheart and The Way of an Eagle, arthur Conan Doyles novel The Lost World
3.
1912 in Ireland
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Events from the year 1912 in Ireland. 8 February – First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill addresses a pro Home Rule meeting in Belfast despite Ulster Unionist attempts to prevent him speaking, Churchill shares the platform with John Redmond the leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party. 11 April – Prime Minister of the United Kingdom H. H. Asquith introduces the 3rd Home Rule Bill in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom,12 April – a convention of Sinn Féin delegates led by Arthur Griffith opposes the Home Rule Bill. 14 April – RMS Titanic, the largest vessel in the world, built in Belfast and making her last call at Queenstown, collides with an iceberg and sinks within a few hours. 22 April – Englishman Denys Corbett Wilson completes the first aeroplane crossing of the Irish Sea,26 April – English-born Vivian Hewitt makes an aeroplane crossing of the Irish Sea from Holyhead to Phoenix Park, Dublin. 30 April – Winston Churchill moves the second reading of the Home Rule Bill at Westminster,9 May – the second reading of the Home Rule Bill is accepted in the British House of Commons. A Unionist amendment rejecting the Bill is defeated,10 May – at the Royal Albert Hall in London, Bonar Law speaks of Conservative Opposition to the Home Rule Bill. Elsewhere Edward Carson also voices his opposition,1 July – a serious outbreak of foot and mouth disease occurs in Counties Dublin, Meath, Kildare and Wicklow. July – Prime Minister of the United Kingdom H. H. Asquith travels to Dublin to make a speech,18 July – suffragettes attempt an arson attack on the Theatre Royal, Dublin, during Asquiths visit. 28 September – Ulster Day – Ulster Covenant to resist Home Rule is signed by almost 250,000 men throughout Ulster,229,000 women sign a parallel declaration. 23 October – large numbers of cattle are slaughtered in Mullingar due to the outbreak of foot, the golden eagle becomes extinct in Ireland. 11 April – Lennox Robinsons play Patriots is first performed, at the Abbey Theatre,20 April – Bram Stoker, author of Dracula and theatrical manager, dies in London. November – Lord Dunsanys short story collection The Book of Wonder is published, peadar Kearney and Patrick Heeneys A Soldiers Song is first published in Irish Freedom by Bulmer Hobson. Eleanor Hull publishes The Poem-Book of the Gael, translations from Irish Gaelic poetry into English prose and verse, forrest Reids coming-of-age novel Following Darkness is published. James Stephens novel The Crock of Gold is published, tritonville, another Dublin side, joins the League, but lasts just one season. Ken McArthur, born in Dervock, County Antrim, wins the race at the 1912 Summer Olympics for South Africa. 8 January – James Brophy, cricketer,5 February – Desmond Surfleet, cricketer. 14 February – Joseph Brennan, Fianna Fáil TD, Cabinet Minister,22 March – Wilfrid Brambell, actor
4.
Welsh people
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The Welsh people or the Welsh are a nation and ethnic group native to, or otherwise associated with, Wales and the Welsh language. Prior to the 20th century, large numbers of Welsh people spoke only Welsh, the term Welsh people applies to people from Wales and people of Welsh ancestry perceiving themselves or being perceived as sharing a cultural heritage and shared ancestral origins. Over 300,000 Welsh people live in London, the same etymological origin is shared by the names of various other Celtic or Latin peoples such as the Walloons and the Vlachs, as well as of the Swiss canton of Valais. The modern Welsh name for themselves is Cymry, and Cymru is the Welsh name for Wales and these words are descended from the Brythonic word combrogi, meaning fellow-countrymen. They thus carry a sense of land of fellow-countrymen, our country, the word came into use as a self-description probably before the 7th century. It is attested in a poem to Cadwallon ap Cadfan c. 633. Thereafter Cymry prevailed as a reference to the Welsh, until c.1560 the word was spelt Kymry or Cymry, regardless of whether it referred to the people or their homeland. During their time in Britain, the ancient Romans encountered tribes in present-day Wales that they called the Ordovices, the Demetae, the Silures and the Deceangli. The people of what is now Wales were not distinguished from the rest of the peoples of southern Britain, all were called Britons and spoke the common British language, a Brythonic Celtic tongue. Celtic language and culture seems to have arrived in Britain during the Iron Age, the claim has also been made that Indo-European languages may have been introduced to the British Isles as early as the early Neolithic, with Goidelic and Brythonic languages developing indigenously. The genetic evidence in this case would show that the change to Celtic languages in Britain may have occurred as a cultural rather than through migration as was previously supposed. The assumed genetic imprint of Neolithic incomers is seen as a cline, with stronger Neolithic representation in the east of Europe, when the Roman legions departed Britain around 400, a Romano-British culture remained in the areas the Romans had settled, and the pre-Roman cultures in others. According to Stephen Oppenheimer 96% of lineages in Llangefni in north Wales derive from Iberia, Genetic marker R1b averages from 83–89% amongst the Welsh. The people in what is now Wales continued to speak Brythonic languages with additions from Latin, the surviving poem Y Gododdin is in early Welsh and refers to the Brythonic kingdom of Gododdin with a capital at Din Eidyn and extending from the area of Stirling to the Tyne. John Davies places the change from Brythonic to Welsh between 400 and 700, offas Dyke was erected in the mid-8th century, forming a barrier between Wales and Mercia. The genetic tests suggested that between 50% and 100% of the population of what was to become England was wiped out. In 2001, research for a BBC programme on the Vikings suggested a strong link between the Celts and Basques, dating back tens of thousands of years. The UCL research suggested a migration on a huge scale during the Anglo-Saxon period and it appears England is made up of an ethnic cleansing event from people coming across from the continent after the Romans left, said Dr Mark Thomas, of the Centre for Genetic Anthropology at UCL
5.
Prince of Wales
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Charles, Prince of Wales is the eldest child and heir apparent of Queen Elizabeth II. Known alternatively in South West England as Duke of Cornwall and in Scotland as Duke of Rothesay, he is the heir apparent in British history. He is also the oldest person to be next in line to the throne since Sophia of Hanover, Charles was born at Buckingham Palace as the first grandchild of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. After earning a bachelor of degree from Trinity College, Cambridge. In 1981, he married Lady Diana Spencer and they had two sons, Prince William later to become Duke of Cambridge, and Prince Harry, in 1996, the couple divorced, following well-publicised extramarital affairs. Diana died in a car crash in Paris the following year, in 2005, Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles. Charles has sought to raise awareness of the dangers facing the natural environment. As an environmentalist, he has received awards and recognition from environmental groups around the world. His support for alternative medicine, including homeopathy, has been criticised by some in the medical community and he has been outspoken on the role of architecture in society and the conservation of historic buildings. Subsequently, Charles created Poundbury, a new town based on his theories. He has authored a number of books, including A Vision of Britain, A Personal View of Architecture in 1989 and he was baptised in the palaces Music Room by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Geoffrey Fisher, on 15 December 1948. When Prince Charles was aged three his mothers accession as Queen Elizabeth II made him her heir apparent. As the monarchs eldest son, he took the titles Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles and Prince. Charles attended his mothers coronation at Westminster Abbey on 2 June 1953, seated alongside his grandmother, as was customary for upper-class children at the time, a governess, Catherine Peebles, was appointed and undertook his education between the ages of five and eight. Buckingham Palace announced in 1955 that Charles would attend school rather than have a private tutor, Charles then attended two of his fathers former schools, Cheam Preparatory School in Berkshire, England, followed by Gordonstoun in the north-east of Scotland. He reportedly despised the school, which he described as Colditz in kilts. Upon his return to Gordonstoun, Charles emulated his father in becoming Head Boy and he left in 1967, with six GCE O-levels and two A-levels in history and French, at grades B and C, respectively. Tradition was broken again when Charles proceeded straight from school into university
6.
Edward VIII
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Edward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire, and Emperor of India, from 20 January 1936 until his abdication on 11 December the same year. Edward was the eldest son of George V and Mary of Teck and he was named Prince of Wales on his sixteenth birthday, nine weeks after his father succeeded as king. As a young man, he served in the British Army during the First World War, Edward became king on his fathers death in early 1936. However, he showed impatience with court protocol, and caused concern among politicians by his apparent disregard for established constitutional conventions. Only months into his reign, he caused a crisis by proposing marriage to Wallis Simpson. When it became apparent that he could not marry Wallis and remain on the throne and he was succeeded by his younger brother, George VI. With a reign of 326 days, Edward was one of the monarchs in British history. After his abdication, he was created Duke of Windsor and he married Wallis in France on 3 June 1937, after her second divorce became final. Later that year, the couple toured Germany, after the war, Edward spent the rest of his life in retirement in France. Edward was born on 23 June 1894 at White Lodge, Richmond Park and he was the eldest son of the Duke and Duchess of York. His father was the son of the Prince and Princess of Wales and his mother was the eldest daughter of Francis and Mary Adelaide, Duke and Duchess of Teck. At the time of his birth, he was third in the line of succession to the throne and he was baptised Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David in the Green Drawing Room of White Lodge on 16 July 1894 by Edward White Benson, Archbishop of Canterbury. The names were chosen in honour of Edwards late uncle, who was known to his family as Eddy or Edward and he was always known to his family and close friends by his last given name, David. As was common practice with children of the time, Edward. One of Edwards early nannies often abused him by pinching him before he was due to be presented to his parents and his subsequent crying and wailing would lead the Duke and Duchess to send him and the nanny away. The nanny was discharged after her mistreatment of the children was discovered, Edwards father, though a harsh disciplinarian, was demonstrably affectionate, and his mother displayed a frolicsome side with her children that belied her austere public image. She was amused by the children making tadpoles on toast for their French master, initially Edward was tutored at home by Helen Bricka. Upon his parents return, Edward was placed under the care of two men, Frederick Finch and Henry Hansell, who brought up Edward and his brothers
7.
Princess of Wales
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Princess of Wales is a British courtesy title held by the wife of the Prince of Wales, who is, since the 14th century, the heir apparent of the English or British monarch. The first acknowledged title holder was Eleanor de Montfort, wife of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd and it has subsequently been used by wives of post-conquest princes of Wales. The title is held by Camilla, second wife of Charles. She does not, however, use the title, as it has remained associated with the previous holder. Instead, she uses the title Duchess of Cornwall, the Princess of Wales is not a princess in her own right. For most of her childhood, Mary was her fathers only legitimate heir, for example, Spanish scholar Juan Luis Vives dedicated his Satellitium Animi to Dominæ Mariæ Cambriæ Principi, Henrici Octavi Angliæ Regis Filiæ. When a title was discussed for the future Elizabeth II, the possibility of investing her as Princess of Wales in her own right was raised, but proved problematical. If it were used by Princess Elizabeth, it would have degraded her right as a Princess of the United Kingdom unless Letters Patent or legislation were introduced to the contrary. Furthermore, if the then-Princess Elizabeth had been given the title of Princess of Wales, therefore, King George VI decided not to grant his elder daughter the title. The Princess of Wales, by virtue of her marriage to the Prince of Wales, takes on the equivalent of her husbands titles. Of all these titles, Princess of Wales has been used officially, however, as with the example of the current holder, a subsidiary title may just as easily and lawfully be used. The Princess of Wales also holds the titles of Duchess of Cornwall and Countess of Chester, as the wife of the Prince of Wales who is also Duke of Cornwall, several consorts of Welsh princes of Wales were theoretically princesses of Wales while their husbands were in power. The only consort of a Welsh prince definitively shown to have used the title was Eleanor de Montfort, the English bride of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, the last native Prince of Wales. Their only child was Gwenllian of Wales, who was taken prisoner as an infant following her fathers death. herein is kept the Princess of Wales, whom we have to maintain. This is a list of Princesses of Wales who held the title by their marriage to the Prince of Wales The Green Howards, tystiolaeth Garth Celyn Y Traethodydd 1998 ISSN 0969-8930 Fryer, M. Mary Beacock Fryer, Arthur Bousfield, Garry Toffoli. Lives of the Princesses of Wales
8.
National Eisteddfod of Wales
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The National Eisteddfod of Wales is the most important of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales. Its eight days of competitions and performances are considered the largest music, competitors typically number 6,000 or more, and overall attendance generally exceeds 150,000 visitors. The National Eisteddfod is traditionally held in the first week of August, the venue is officially proclaimed a year in advance, at which time the themes and texts for the competitions are published. The organisation for the location will have begun a year or more earlier, the Eisteddfod Act of 1959 allowed local authorities to give financial support to the event. Occasionally the Eisteddfod has been held in England, this is noted in italics in the table of past locations. Hundreds of tents, pavilions and booths are erected in a space to create the maes. The space required for this means that it is rare for the Eisteddfod to be in a city or town, car parking for day visitors alone requires several large fields, and many people camp on the site for the whole week. However, the Gorsedd is not an ancient institution or a pagan ceremony but rather a romantic creation by Iolo Morganwg in the 1790s, nevertheless, it is taken very seriously, and an award of a crown or a chair for poetry is a great honour. The Chairing and Crowning ceremonies are the highlights of the week, other important awards include the Prose Medal. If no stone circle is already, one is created out of Gorsedd stones. These stone circles are all across Wales and signify the Eisteddfod having visited a community. As a cost-saving measure, the 2005 Eisteddfod was the first to use a temporary fibre-glass stone circle for the druidic ceremonies instead of a permanent stone circle. This also has the benefit of bringing the Gorsedd ceremonies onto the maes, previously they were held many miles away. The ceremonies may still be held if the weather at the maes is not considered suitable. As well as the pavilion with the main stage, there are other venues through the week. Some are fixtures every year, hosting gigs, some eisteddfod-goers never go near the main pavilion, but spend their time wandering the maes and meeting friends. Since 2004, alcohol has been sold on the maes, previously there was a no-alcohol policy, local theatres are likely to time Welsh-language productions for around the time of the Eisteddfod, hoping to benefit from the influx of visitors. One of the most dramatic events in Eisteddfod history was the award of the 1917 chair to the poet Ellis Humphrey Evans, bardic name Hedd Wyn, for the poem Yr Arwr
9.
Vernon Hartshorn
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Vernon Hartshorn was a Welsh trades unionist and Labour Party politician who served as a Member of Parliament from 1918 until his death. Hartshorn was President of the South Wales Miners Federation, and a member of the National Executive of the Miners Federation of Great Britain and he was elected as Member of Parliament for Ogmore at the 1918 general election. He served as Postmaster-General in 1924, made a Privy Counsellor the same year, in 1930, he was appointed Lord Privy Seal, serving until his death on 13 March 1931
10.
Blackwood, Caerphilly
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Blackwood is a town and an electoral ward on the Sirhowy River in the South Wales Valleys administered as part of Caerphilly County Borough. It is located within the county of Monmouthshire. The town houses a number of light industrial and high-tech firms. Deplorable working conditions at the time of the Industrial Revolution, however, the South Wales Chartist leaders John Frost, Zephaniah Williams — a Blackwood man — and William Jones met regularly at the Coach & Horses public house in Blackwood. When the insurrection erupted in November a large contingent of insurgents gathered at Blackwood, however, the South Wales Movement were the only ones to march and the national rising failed and its leaders were sentenced to death. In 1912 the Titanics distress signals were picked up by amateur wireless enthusiast Arthur Moore who resided at the Old Mill, Gelligroes, artie Moore went on to work as a senior scientist for Marconi and was involved with the invention of the transistor for telecommunications. The building is now a public house The town is home to the Maes Manor Hotel, the house was formerly home to the Lord Lieutenant of Monmouthshire. Evan James was a weaver and wool merchant by profession and owner of the Ancient Druid Inn in Hollybush, in the parish of Bedwellty and he moved to Pontypridd when his son James was a young boy. Evan James and his son James are credited with composing the Welsh national anthem, Evan was a poet and it is believed that he wrote the words while his son James composed the tune. The song was published in the volume Gems of Welsh Melody and it is not certain when the song was first adopted as the Welsh national anthem. A memorial, designed by W. Goscombe John, was erected in honour of Evan and James James in Ynysangharad Park, Pontypridd, state backed rejuvenation schemes have gone some way to rejuvenate the wider Blackwood area, including the relief road and various light industrial areas. In sport, Blackwood has two rugby union and one rugby league sides, all of whom play at Glan-Yr-Afon Park, the rugby union sides are Blackwood RFC, established in 1889, and Blackwood Stars RFC, originating circa 1920. The rugby league club is called the Blackwood Bulldogs and plays in the Welsh Conference Premier, rugby players Kevin Moseley, Alun Pask and Alun Lewis hail from the town. Blackwood also has a club called Blackwood Town Cricket Club that plays in the Glamorgan. Blackwoods cinema, the Maxime, was originally purpose-built as a cinema in 1938, was used as a bingo hall. Some of the decor has been preserved in the foyer. Blackwood is twinned with Protivín, a town in the Czech Republic. The Arup designed Chartist Bridge linking the East and West sides of the Sirhowy Valley, previously the journey was made by de-tour or over a 1 in 4 road through the bottom of the valley known locally as the Rhiw
11.
RMS Titanic
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Of the 2,224 passengers and crew aboard, more than 1,500 died, making it one of the deadliest commercial peacetime maritime disasters in modern history. Thomas Andrews, her architect, died in the disaster, the first class accommodation was designed to be the pinnacle of comfort and luxury, with an on-board gymnasium, swimming pool, libraries, high-class restaurants and opulent cabins. A high-power radiotelegraph transmitter was available for sending passenger marconigrams and for the operational use. Titanic only carried enough lifeboats for 1,178 people—slightly more than half of the number on board, after leaving Southampton on 10 April 1912, Titanic called at Cherbourg in France and Queenstown in Ireland before heading west to New York. On 14 April, four days into the crossing and about 375 miles south of Newfoundland, the collision caused the ships hull plates to buckle inwards along her starboard side and opened five of her sixteen watertight compartments to the sea, she could only survive four flooding. Meanwhile, passengers and some members were evacuated in lifeboats. A disproportionate number of men were left aboard because of a women and children first protocol for loading lifeboats, at 2,20 a. m. she broke apart and foundered—with well over one thousand people still aboard. Just under two hours after Titanic sank, the Cunard liner RMS Carpathia arrived at the scene, where she brought aboard an estimated 705 survivors. The disaster was greeted with shock and outrage at the huge loss of life. Public inquiries in Britain and the United States led to improvements in maritime safety. One of their most important legacies was the establishment in 1914 of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, which still governs maritime safety today. Additionally, several new regulations were passed around the world in an effort to learn from the many missteps in wireless communications—which could have saved many more passengers. The wreck of Titanic, first discovered over 70 years after the sinking, remains on the seabed, since her discovery in 1985, thousands of artifacts have been recovered and put on display at museums around the world. Titanic has become one of the most famous ships in history, her memory is kept alive by numerous works of culture, including books, folk songs, films, exhibits. Titanic is the second largest ocean liner wreck in the world, only beaten by her sister HMHS Britannic, the name Titanic was derived from Greek mythology and meant gigantic. They were by far the largest vessels of the British shipping company White Star Lines fleet, Teutonic was replaced by Olympic while Majestic was replaced by Titanic. Majestic would be back into her old spot on White Stars New York service after Titanics loss. The ships were constructed by the Belfast shipbuilders Harland and Wolff, cost considerations were relatively low on the agenda and Harland and Wolff was authorised to spend what it needed on the ships, plus a five percent profit margin
12.
Denys Corbett Wilson
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Denys Corbett Wilson was a pioneering Irish aviator. He is most notable for his 100-minute flight on 22 April 1912, the journey time was 1 hour 40 minutes. This was the first complete flight between Britain and Ireland, a flight had been made by actor-aviator Robert Loraine on 11 September 1910. Loraine flew from Wales but landed 300 to 400 yards short of the Irish coast at Dublin, corbett-Wilson meanwhile was forced to land near Hereford and booked into the Mitre Hotel. Rather than wait for his mechanic to arrive, he decided to purchase petrol, the oil however turned out to be the wrong grade and on resuming his flight the following morning he was once again forced down because of engine trouble. This time he landed in Colva, Radnorshire where he waited for his mechanic to arrive. It was on 21 April he took off and decided to head west instead of north for Chester and he arrived at a field near Harbour Village, Goodwick around mid-morning. The historic flight to Ireland began at 5. 47am on the 22nd, both were reported to have been killed instantly. He is buried in the Cabaret-Rouge British Cemetery, Souchez, France
13.
Goodwick
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Goodwick is a coastal town in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales, immediately west of its twin town of Fishguard. The coasts of Wales were subjected to Norse raids during the Viking Era and, in the latter 10th century, the place name probably derives from a combination of the old Norse forms, góðr and vik giving góðrvik. Compare formation with Reykjavík where reykr = smoke, many older developments in Goodwick have the name Goedwig meaning forest - Goedwig Terrace, Villas, Chapel etc. Thus an alternative explanation for the name may be that it was Goedwig, Goodwick was a small fishing village in the parish of Llanwnda, but in 1887 work commenced on a railway connection and harbour, and the village grew rapidly to service this. The main industry is now tourism although in the industrial past brick making was once an important industry. Some fishing still takes place on a scale but most activity is centered on Milford Haven. The local beach, Goowick Sands, is where the defeated French invasion force assembled prior to their surrender on 24 February 1797. A separate electoral ward exists with the same name, the total population of this ward at the 2011 census was 1,988. The harbour was constructed by blasting 1.6 million tonnes of rock from the hillside to make a 900 m long breakwater, the quarried-out area became the quay. The harbour was opened on 30 August 1906. Planned to be the end of the Great Western Railways line and its sea port, replacing Neyland. Accordingly, the harbour has an inner breakwater protecting the remaining open side. The Great Western Railway ordered three new steamers for its service to Rosslare, St David, St George and St Patrick, RMS Mauretania visited once in 1909 although passengers had to board by tender when transferring to and from the London train. The smaller breakwater was built as part of the preparations for the visit of the RMS Mauretania and is known as the Mauretania Mole. The breakwater lead to unanticipated silting, and the prospect of future visits from larger liners was abandoned, directly above the harbour is a small estate known as Harbour Village, built to house workers during the construction of the harbour. The port now accommodates a ferry service to Rosslare operated by Stena Line, the RNLI operate an all weather Trent class lifeboat, the Blue Peter VII, and a class D inshore lifeboat from within the harbour. In October 2011 plans for Fishguard & Goodwick Marina were revealed in the Western Telegraph, the scheme would also create a publicly accessible promenade and waterfront, and visitor parking as well as workshops, stores and ancillary facilities. Conygar have also exchanged contracts to acquire a site for a lorry stop
14.
Pembrokeshire
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Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east, Pembrokeshire County Councils headquarters are in the county town of Haverfordwest. Over the years Pembrokeshires beaches have received many International Blue Flag Awards, Green Coast Awards. In 2011 it had 39 beaches recommended by the Marine Conservation Society, industry is nowadays focused on agriculture and tourism, but historically mining and fishing were important activities. The county has a geography and a complex history. Pembrokeshires population was 122,400 at the 2011 census, an increase of 7. 2% from the 2001 figure of 114,131, Pembrokeshire is bordered by the sea on three sides, and by the counties of Ceredigion to the north east and Carmarthenshire to the east. Other towns include Pembroke, Pembroke Dock, Milford Haven, Fishguard, Tenby, Saundersfoot, Narberth, Neyland, St Davids, in the west of the county, is the United Kingdoms smallest city with a population of 2,000. Saundersfoot is the biggest village in Pembrokeshire with a population of well over 2,500, see List of places in Pembrokeshire for a comprehensive list of settlements in Pembrokeshire. The countys coastline includes internationally important seabird breeding sites and numerous bays, Pembrokeshire contains a predominantly coastal park, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, which includes a 186-mile walking trail, the Pembrokeshire Coast Path. A large estuary and natural harbour at Milford Haven cuts deeply into the coast, this inlet is formed by the confluence of the Western Cleddau, the Eastern Cleddau, and rivers Cresswell and Carew. The estuary is bridged by the large Cleddau Bridge which carries the A477 between Neyland and Pembroke Dock, upstream bridges span the Cleddau at Haverfordwest and Canaston Bridge, large bays are Newport Bay, Fishguard Bay, St Brides Bay and a portion of Carmarthen Bay. There are several islands off the Pembrokeshire coast, the largest of which are Ramsey Island, Grassholm Island, Skomer Island. Pembrokeshires diverse range of features was a key factor in the establishment of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. Younger rocks have been lost by subsequent geological processes, the land on which Pembrokeshire is today was established approximately 60 million years ago by a combination of uplift and falling sea levels. The sea cliffs and inland tors that are now a feature of the county were those that were resistant to weathering that has taken place since. The landscape was subject to change as a result of the ice ages over the last several thousand years. About 20,000 years ago the Irish Sea ice sheet deposited areas of clays, while Pembrokeshire is not a seismically active area, two periods of activity were noted in the 19th century. In 1873 there was a shock in the west of the county
15.
Irish Sea
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The Irish Sea, separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St Georges Channel, anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man. The sea is occasionally, but rarely, referred to as the Manx Sea, the sea is of significant economic importance to regional trade, shipping and transport, fishing, and power generation in the form of wind power and nuclear power plants. Annual traffic between Great Britain and Ireland amounts to over 12 million passengers and 17 million tonnes of traded goods, the Irish Sea has undergone a series of dramatic changes over the last 20,000 years as the last glacial period ended and was replaced by warmer conditions. At the height of the glaciation the central part of the sea was probably a long freshwater lake. As the ice retreated 10,000 years ago the lake reconnected to the sea, becoming brackish, the International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Irish Sea as follows, On the North. The Southern limit of the Scottish Seas, a line joining St. Davids Head to Carnsore Point. It is connected to the North Atlantic at both its northern and southern ends, to the north, the connection is through the North Channel between Scotland and Northern Ireland and the Malin Sea. The southern end is linked to the Atlantic through the St Georges Channel between south eastern Ireland and Pembrokeshire in Wales, and the Celtic Sea. The Irish Sea is composed of a channel about 300 km long and 30–50 km wide on its western side. The western channels depth ranges from 80 metres up to 275 m in the Beauforts Dyke in the North Channel, the main embayments – Cardigan Bay in the south and the waters to the east of the Isle of Man – are less than 50 m deep. The Sea has a water volume of 2,430 km3, 80% of which is to the west of the Isle of Man. The largest sandbanks are the Bahama and King William Banks to the east and north of the Isle of Man, the Irish Sea, at its greatest width, is 200 km and narrows to 75 km. Unlike Great Britain, Ireland has no tunnel or bridge connection to continental Europe, thus the vast majority of heavy goods trade is done by sea. The Port of Liverpool handles 32 million tonnes of cargo and 734 thousand passengers a year, Holyhead port handles most of the passenger traffic from Dublin and Dún Laoghaire ports, as well as 3.3 million tonnes of freight. Ports in the Republic handle 3,600,000 travellers crossing the sea each year and this has been steadily dropping for a number of years, probably as a result of low cost airlines. There is also a connection between Liverpool and Belfast via the Isle of Man or direct from Birkenhead, the worlds largest car ferry, Ulysses, is operated by Irish Ferries on the Dublin Port–Holyhead route, Stena Line also operates between Britain and Ireland. The Port of Barrow-in-Furness, despite being one of Britains largest shipbuilding centres, a ferry crossing used to run between Swansea and Cork, but given the geographical limits defined above, this route crosses the Celtic Sea rather than the Irish Sea
16.
Bodfari
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Bodfari is a village in Denbighshire, Wales. Until the local government reorganisation of 1974, Bodfari was in the county of Flintshire. The ancient parish of Bodfari comprised the townships of Bodfari, which was in historic Flintshire, Bodfari is located at the approximate grid reference SJ093701. The village lies on the A541 road at the point where the passes through a gap in the Clwydian Hills. The Offas Dyke National Trail passes through the village, and for completing the trail south to north. Www. geograph. co. uk, photos of Bodfari and surrounding area
17.
Denbighshire
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Denbighshire is a county in north-east Wales. It is named after the county of Denbighshire, but has substantially different borders. Denbighshire has the distinction of being the longest known inhabited part of Wales, pontnewydd Palaeolithic site has Neanderthal remains from 225,000 years ago. There are several castles in the region, Denbigh Castle, Rhuddlan Castle, Ruthin Castle, one of Britains smallest cathedrals is at St Asaph, itself one of the smallest cities. Denbighshire has a length of coast to the north and hill ranges on its eastern, southern and western borders, in the central part, the River Clwyd has created a broad fertile valley. It is primarily a rural county with little industry, crops are grown in the Vale of Clwyd and cattle and sheep reared in the upland parts. The coast attracts tourists in the summer and hikers frequent the Clwydian Range, Denbigh, Ruthin and Saint Asaph are historic towns. Llangollen hosts the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in July each year, the present main area was formed on 1 April 1996 under the Local Government Act 1994, from various parts of the county of Clwyd. It includes the district of Rhuddlan, the communities of Trefnant and Cefn Meiriadog from the district of Colwyn, post-1996 Powys includes the historic Denbighshire parishes of Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant, Llansilin and Llangedwyn, which formed part of Glyndŵr district. Researchers have found evidence that Denbighshire was inhabited at least 225,000 years ago, bontnewydd Palaeolithic site is one of the most significant in Britain. Hominid remains of probable Neanderthals have been found along with tools from the later Middle Pleistocene. See List of places in Denbighshire for a list of towns, the eastern border of Denbighshire follows the ridge of the Clwydian Range, with a steep escarpment to the west, and a high point at Moel Famau. The Clwydian Range is, with the upper Dee Valley, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty – one of just five in the whole of Wales, the Denbigh Moors are in the west of the county and the Berwyn Range adjacent to the southern boundary. The River Clwyd in its broad, fertile Vale runs from south to north in the centre of the county, there is a narrow coastal plain in the north where there is much residential and tourist development. Denbighshires total population at the United Kingdom Census 2001 was 93,065, according to the 2011 Census returns,24.6 per cent of the population stated they are able to speak Welsh. Since the 20th-century demise of the coal and steel industries in the Wrexham area, although most towns have small industrial parks or estates for light industry, the economy is based on agriculture and tourism. A high proportion of the population is employed in the service sector. The uplands support sheep and beef cattle rearing, while in the Vale of Clwyd dairy farming and wheat, many towns have livestock markets and the farming supports farm machinery merchants, vets, feed merchants, contractors and other ancillary trades
18.
Holyhead
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Holyhead is the largest town in the county of Isle of Anglesey in Wales. It is also a community and a major Irish Sea port, despite being the largest town in the county, with a population of 11,431 at the 2011 census, it is neither the county town nor actually on the island of Anglesey. Holyhead is located on Holy Island, which has a population of 13,659 at the 2011 census and it was originally connected to Anglesey via Four Mile Bridge, so called because the bridge was four miles from Holyhead on the old turnpike Road. In the mid 19th century, Lord Stanley, a local philanthropist, funded the building of a causeway, known locally as The Cobb, it now carries the A5. The A55 dual carriageway runs parallel to the Cobb on a modern causeway, the town centre is built around St. Cybis Church, which is built inside one of Europes few three-walled Roman forts. The Romans also built a watchtower on the top of Holyhead Mountain inside Mynydd y Twr, settlements in the area date from prehistoric times, with circular huts, burial chambers and standing stones featuring in the highest concentration in Britain. The current lighthouse is on South Stack on the side of Holyhead Mountain and is open to the public. The Port of Holyhead has a ferry port. Stena Line, Northern Europes biggest ferry company, operates from the port, Ferries sail to Dublin, in Ireland, this forms the principal link for surface transport from central and northern England and Wales to Ireland. There is archaeological evidence that people have been sailing between Holyhead and Ireland for 4,000 years, Holyheads maritime importance was at its height in the 19th century with a 1.7 mile long sea breakwater. Holyhead Breakwater is the longest in the UK and was built to create a harbour for vessels caught in stormy waters on their way to Liverpool. Holyheads sea heritage is remembered in a maritime museum, the post road built by Thomas Telford from London strengthened Holyheads position as the port from which the Royal Mail was dispatched to and from Dublin on the Mail coach. The A5 terminates at Admiralty Arch, which was designed by Thomas Harrison to commemorate a visit by King George IV in 1821 en route to Ireland, the A55 forms part of Euroroute E22. The Anglesey section was financed through a Private Finance Initiative scheme, with the opening of the railway from London to Liverpool, Holyhead lost the London to Dublin Mail contract in 1839 to the Port of Liverpool. Holyhead is the terminus of the North Wales Coast Line and is served by Virgin Trains. The rail and ferry terminals are connected to the centre by The Celtic Gateway bridge. Holyheads main industry was aluminium-based until September 2009, with Rio Tinto Groups Anglesey Aluminium subsidiary operating a massive aluminium smelter on the outskirts of the town, the jetty is now used by Anglesey County Council to dock cruise ships visiting from all over the world. The jetty is wide enough for coaches to travel down to collect and deliver passengers to the town, the plant relied for its electricity supply on the islands nuclear power station at Wylfa, near Cemaes Bay
19.
Separation of church and state
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The separation of church and state is a concept defining the distance in the relationship between organized religion and the nation state. It may refer to creating a state, with or without explicit reference to such separation. The concept parallels various other social and political ideas, including secularism, disestablishmentarianism, religious liberty. Whitman observes that in many European countries, the state has, over the centuries, taken over the roles of the church. Many societies in antiquity had imperial cults where heads of state were worshiped as messiahs, ancient history is replete with examples of political leaders who derived legitimacy through religious titles. Sargon of Akkad was referred to as the deputy of Ishtar, julius Caesar was elected as Pontifex Maximus, the chief priest of the Roman state religion before he became the consul of Rome. Caligula referred to himself as a god when meeting with politicians, in this work, Augustine posited that major points of overlap were to be found between the earthly city and the city of God, especially as people need to live together and get along on earth. Thus Augustine held that it was the work of the city to make it possible for a heavenly city to be established on earth. For centuries, monarchs ruled by the idea of divine right, sometimes this began to be used by a monarch to support the notion that the king ruled both his own kingdom and Church within its boundaries, a theory known as caesaropapism. On the other side was the Catholic doctrine that the Pope, as the Vicar of Christ on earth, should have the authority over the Church. In the West the issue of the separation of church and state during the medieval period centered on monarchs who ruled in the secular sphere, at the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther articulated a doctrine of the two kingdoms. While there was a diversity of views in the days of the Radical Reformation. Anabaptists came to teach that religion should never be compelled by state power, approaching the issue of church-state relations primarily from the position of protecting the church from the state. In the 1530s, Henry VIII, angered by the Pope Clement VIIs refusal to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, decided to break with the Church and set himself as ruler of the Church of England. The monarchs of Great Britain have retained ecclesiastical authority in the Church of England since Henry VIII, having the current title, englands ecclesiastical intermixing did not spread widely, however, due to the extensive persecution of Catholics that resulted from Henrys power grab. Some of these people voluntarily sailed to the American Colonies specifically for this purpose, the concept of separating church and state is often credited to the writings of English philosopher John Locke. For Locke, this created a right in the liberty of conscience. At the same period of the 17th century, Pierre Bayle and some fideists were forerunners of the separation of Church and State, maintaining that faith was independent of reason
20.
Swansea
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Swansea, officially known as the City and County of Swansea, is a coastal city and county in Wales. It is the second largest city in Wales after Cardiff, Swansea lies within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan and the ancient Welsh commote of Gŵyr. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county includes the Gower Peninsula. According to its council, the City and County of Swansea had a population of 241,300 in 2014. During its 19th-century industrial heyday, Swansea was a key centre of the copper industry, archaeological finds are mostly confined to the Gower Peninsula, and include items from the Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age. The Romans reached the area, as did the Norsemen, Swansea is thought to have developed as a Viking trading post. Its English name may be derived from Sveinns island – the reference to an island may refer to a bank at the mouth of the river Tawe, an alternative explanation is that the name derives from the Norse name Sweyn and ey, which can mean inlet. This explanation supports the tradition that the city was founded by the Danish king Sweyn Forkbeard, the name is pronounced Swans-y /ˈswɒnzi/), not Swan-sea. The charter gave Swansea the status of a borough, granting the townsmen, a second charter was granted in 1215 by King John. In this charter, the name appears as Sweyneshe, the town seal which is believed to date from this period names the town as Sweyse. Following the Norman Conquest, a marcher lordship was created under the title of Gower and it included land around Swansea Bay as far as the River Tawe, the manor of Kilvey beyond the Tawe, and the peninsula itself. Swansea was designated chief town of the lordship and received a borough charter some time between 1158 and 1184, the port of Swansea initially traded in wine, hides, wool, cloth and later in coal. Smelters were operating by 1720 and proliferated, following this, more coal mines were opened and smelters were opened and flourished. Over the next century and a half, works were established to process arsenic, zinc and tin and to create tinplate, the city expanded rapidly in the 18th and 19th centuries, and was termed Copperopolis. However, the census understated Swanseas true size, as much of the area lay outside the contemporary boundaries of the borough. Swanseas population was overtaken by Merthyr in 1821 and by Cardiff in 1881. Through the 20th century, heavy industries in the town declined, leaving the Lower Swansea Valley filled with derelict works, the Lower Swansea Valley Scheme reclaimed much of the land. The present Enterprise Zone was the result and, of the original docks, only those outside the city continue to work as docks, North Dock is now Parc Tawe
21.
Vancouver Island
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Vancouver Island is in the northeastern Pacific Ocean, just off the coast of Canada. It is part of the Canadian province of British Columbia, the island is 460 kilometres in length,100 kilometres in width at its widest point, and 32,134 km2 in area. It is the largest island on the West Coast of North America and this area has one of the warmest climates in Canada, and since the mid-1990s has been mild enough in a few areas to grow subtropical Mediterranean crops such as olives and lemons. Vancouver Island has a population of 759,366 according to the Canada 2011 Census, nearly half of that figure live in the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria. Other notable cities and towns on Vancouver Island include Nanaimo, Port Alberni, Parksville, Courtenay, and Campbell River. Victoria, the city of British Columbia, is located on the island. Vancouver Island has been the homeland to many indigenous peoples for thousands of years, the island was explored by British and Spanish expeditions in the late 18th century. Quadras name was dropped from the name. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, Vancouver Island is the worlds 43rd largest island, Canadas 11th largest island, and Canadas second most populous island after the Island of Montreal. It is the largest Pacific island anywhere east of New Zealand, Vancouver Island has been the homeland to many indigenous peoples for thousands of years. The groupings, by language, are the Kwakwakawakw, Nuu-chah-nulth and their cultures are connected to the natural resources abundant in the area. The Kwakwakawakw today number about 5,500, who live in British Columbia on northern Vancouver Island and they are also known as Kwakiutl in English, from one of their tribes, but they prefer their autonym Kwakwakawakw. Their indigenous language, part of the Wakashan family, is Kwakwala, the name Kwakwakawakw means speakers of Kwakwala. The language is now spoken by less than 5% of the population—about 250 people, today 17 separate tribes make up the Kwakwakawakw. Some Kwakwakawakw groups are now extinct, Kwakwala is a Northern Wakashan language, a grouping shared with Haisla, Heiltsuk and Wuikyala. The Nuu-chah-nulth are indigenous peoples in Canada and their traditional home is on the west coast of Vancouver Island. The Nuu-chah-nulth speak a Southern Wakashan language and are related to the Makah of the Olympic Peninsula, Washington State. The Coast Salish are the largest of the southern groups and they are a loose grouping of many tribes with numerous distinct cultures and languages
22.
David Brynmor Jones
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David Brynmor Jones was a British barrister, historian and Liberal Member of Parliament. David Brynmor Jones was born in 1851 in Swansea, Glamorgan, United Kingdom, the first of the six children of Thomas Jones, a Congregationalist minister and his younger siblings were Annie, John Viriamu Jones, Irvonwy, Leifchild, and Morlais Glasfryn. In September 1858, when he was seven years old, his parents moved to London, in 1867, when he was sixteen, his mother died, and in 1869 his father left London for health reasons. Afterwards Jones became a student at University College, London and he was called to the bar in 1876 from the Middle Temple. In 1885 he became a county court judge, from 1892 to 1895 he was Member of Parliament for Stroud, during which period he served on the Welsh Land Commission. From 1895 to 1914 he was Member of Parliament for Swansea District and he published several articles on the legal history of Wales. He died on 6 August 1921, the Welsh People Hansard 1803–2005, contributions in Parliament by David Brynmor Jones
23.
Alfred Thomas, 1st Baron Pontypridd
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Alfred Thomas, 1st Baron Pontypridd, was a Welsh Liberal Party politician. Born in Penylan, Cardiff, Wales, Thomas was educated at Weston School and his father was Daniel Thomas, a contractor, in whose business Thomas worked as a young man. He studied as a lay student at Regents Park College under Joseph Angus, Thomas became member of Cardiff Borough Council for Roath in 1875 and served on the council until 1886, being mayor in 1881-2. As mayor he was central to the decision to locate the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire in Cardiff and he gave £1,000 towards the building fund. He was created a Freeman of the borough in 1887, in April 1885, Thomas was among six candidates nominated by the local Liberal Association for selection as candidate for the Rhondda constituency. At the 1885 general election Thomas was elected Member of Parliament for East Glamorganshire, winning over 70% of the votes and he continued to represent the constituency until his retirement at the December 1910 general election. The Bill did not secure a Second Reading and he was also involved with Cymru Fydd, serving as President of the Welsh National Federation, the body formed by the merger of Cymru Fydd and the North Wales Liberal Federation. He was elected Chairman of the Welsh Parliamentary Liberal Party in 1898 and he was raised to the peerage as Baron Pontypridd, of Cardiff in the County of Glamorgan, in 1912, with the motto Bit Ben Bit Bont, a motto taken from the Mabinogion. Thomas was a staunch Nonconformist, a member and deacon of Tabernacle Baptist Church and his election as a deacon of Tabernacle was one of his most prized honours, being conferred on him by those who knew him best. He composed hymn tunes and was committed to the cause of gospel temperance and he was involved in the 1904–1905 Welsh Revival. Lord Pontypridd never married and the title became extinct on his death in December 1927 and he left almost all of his estate, including his home, Bronwydd, Penylan, to the City of Cardiff. He is buried with his parents in Cathays Cemetery, Bronwydd no longer exists, having been demolished as part of the construction of Eastern Avenue, but a Bronwydd Close nearby recalls its location. Morgan, Kenneth O. Wales in British Politics 1868–1922, great Welshmen of Modern Days by Sir Thomas Hughes. Thomas Family Monument, Cathays Cemetery, Cardiff Alfred Thomas Papers, Cardiff Central Library
24.
National Museum Cardiff
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National Museum Cardiff is a museum and art gallery in Cardiff, Wales. The museum is part of the network of Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales. Entry is kept free by a grant from the Welsh Government, however, the National Museum of Wales was founded in 1905, with its royal charter granted in 1907. The Cardiff Museum was sharing the building of Cardiff Library, and was a sub-department of the library until 1893, the architects were Arnold Dunbar Smith and Cecil Brewer, although the building as it now stands is a heavily truncated version of their design. The museum has collections of archaeology, botany, fine and applied art, geology, school groups, formal and informal groups can also be accommodated but should book in advance. The National Museum of Art opened in 2011 and these works prefigure the career of the Welsh-born Richard Wilson, called the father of British landscape painting. In 1979 four cartoons for tapestries illustrating scenes from the Aeneid were bought as works by Peter Paul Rubens, but the attribution is now disputed. There is a devoted to British patronage of the 18th century, in particular that of Sir Watkin Williams Wynn. Included is a portrait of Williams-Wynn in Rome with fellow Tourists by Pompeo Batoni, one of his wife by Sir Joshua Reynolds. It includes the largest group of paintings by Honoré Daumier in the world, works by Claude Monet include Venetian scenes such as San Giorgio Maggiore at Dusk and examples from his Rouen Cathedral and Water Lilies series. Post-impressionism is represented by Van Goghs late work Rain at Auvers, and by Paul Cézannes The François Zola Dam, the first painting by the artist to be displayed in a British public collection. The two most famous works in the Davies Sisters collection are La Parisienne by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, exhibited in the First Impressionist Exhibition, the art gallery has works by all of the notable Welsh artists, including landscapes by Richard Wilson and the pioneering Thomas Jones. The artistic output of David Jones is well represented, but seldom on display owing to the nature of his works on paper. Waless most prominent contemporary painter, Sir Kyffin Williams, also features in the collection, works by contemporary artists are on rotational display, including those by Lucian Freud, Francis Bacon, Frank Auerbach and Rachel Whiteread. Mason, Rhiannon, Museums, Nations, Identities, Wales and its National Museums, Cardiff, University of Wales Press Osmond, John, ed
25.
Dan yr Ogof
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It is the main feature of a show cave complex, which is claimed to be the largest in Europe and is one of the major tourist attractions in Wales. The first section of the system is open to the public. The bones of some 42 humans, as well as animal bones, have been found in one of the nearby chambers of this cave system. In a 2005 poll of Radio Times readers, Dan yr Ogof was named as the greatest natural wonder in Britain, the cave was first explored in 1912 by three local brothers, Edwin, Tommy and Jeff Morgan, using candles and primitive equipment. Completely unsure of what they would discover, they armed themselves with a revolver, Edwin was the first to enter, as he was the smallest of the Morgan brothers. Initial expedition was halted at a lake, which they later managed to cross by coracle. They eventually crossed three more lakes in the manner, but were stopped by a tight crawl. The initials PO were found by Eileen Davies at the pitch to Gerard Platten Hall, peter Ogden had not descended the pitch due to a period of bad weather. Exploration has been continued by later cavers who have extended the cave to its present 17-kilometre length. Some of this length was reached by cave diving, one of these explorers was Martyn Farr, who wrote a book about the system in which he claims that the system will eventually be extended to at least 150 km. The cave was used as a location for the Doctor Who serial The Pirate Planet. The official Dan yr Ogof showcave site Dan yr Ogof interactive survey
26.
George V
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George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. He was the son of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales. From the time of his birth, he was third in the line of succession behind his father and his own brother, Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence. From 1877 to 1891, George served in the Royal Navy, on the death of his grandmother in 1901, Georges father became King-Emperor of the British Empire, and George was created Prince of Wales. He succeeded his father in 1910 and he was the only Emperor of India to be present at his own Delhi Durbar. His reign saw the rise of socialism, communism, fascism, Irish republicanism, the Parliament Act 1911 established the supremacy of the elected British House of Commons over the unelected House of Lords. In 1917, George became the first monarch of the House of Windsor, in 1924 he appointed the first Labour ministry and in 1931 the Statute of Westminster recognised the dominions of the Empire as separate, independent states within the Commonwealth of Nations. He had health problems throughout much of his reign and at his death was succeeded by his eldest son. George was born on 3 June 1865, in Marlborough House and he was the second son of the Prince and Princess of Wales, Albert Edward and Alexandra. His father was the eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and he was baptised at Windsor Castle on 7 July 1865 by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Charles Longley. As a younger son of the Prince of Wales, there was expectation that George would become king. He was third in line to the throne, after his father and elder brother, George was only 17 months younger than Albert Victor, and the two princes were educated together. John Neale Dalton was appointed as their tutor in 1871, neither Albert Victor nor George excelled intellectually. For three years from 1879, the brothers served on HMS Bacchante, accompanied by Dalton. They toured the colonies of the British Empire in the Caribbean, South Africa and Australia, and visited Norfolk, Virginia, as well as South America, the Mediterranean, Egypt, Dalton wrote an account of their journey entitled The Cruise of HMS Bacchante. Between Melbourne and Sydney, Dalton recorded a sighting of the Flying Dutchman, after Lausanne, the brothers were separated, Albert Victor attended Trinity College, Cambridge, while George continued in the Royal Navy. He travelled the world, visiting many areas of the British Empire, during his naval career he commanded Torpedo Boat 79 in home waters then HMS Thrush on the North America station, before his last active service in command of HMS Melampus in 1891–92. From then on, his rank was largely honorary
27.
Mary of Teck
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Mary of Teck was Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Empress of India as the wife of King-Emperor George V. Although technically a princess of Teck, in the Kingdom of Württemberg, she was born and her parents were Francis, Duke of Teck, who was of German extraction, and Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, a granddaughter of King George III. She was informally known as May, after her birth month, the following year, she became engaged to Albert Victors next surviving brother, George, who subsequently became king. Before her husbands accession, she was successively Duchess of York, Duchess of Cornwall and she supported her second son, Albert, who succeeded to the throne as George VI, until his death in 1952. She died the year, during the reign of her granddaughter Queen Elizabeth II. Princess Victoria Mary of Teck was born on 26 May 1867 at Kensington Palace and her father was Prince Francis, Duke of Teck, the son of Duke Alexander of Württemberg by his morganatic wife, Countess Claudine Rhédey von Kis-Rhéde. Her mother was Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, the child and younger daughter of Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge. She was baptised in the Chapel Royal of Kensington Palace on 27 July 1867 by Charles Thomas Longley, before she became queen, she was known to her family, friends and the public by the diminutive name of May, after her birth month. Mays upbringing was merry but fairly strict and she was the eldest of four children, the only girl, and learned to exercise her native discretion, firmness, and tact by resolving her three younger brothers petty boyhood squabbles. They played with their cousins, the children of the Prince of Wales, may was educated at home by her mother and governess. Although her mother was a grandchild of King George III, May was only a member of the British Royal Family. Her father, the Duke of Teck, had no inheritance or wealth, however, the Duchess of Teck was granted a parliamentary annuity of £5,000 and received about £4,000 a year from her mother, the Duchess of Cambridge. Despite this, the family was deeply in debt and lived abroad from 1883, the Tecks travelled throughout Europe, visiting their various relations. They stayed in Florence, Italy, for a time, where May enjoyed visiting the art galleries, churches, in 1885, the Tecks returned to London, and took up residence at White Lodge, in Richmond Park. May was close to her mother, and acted as an secretary, helping to organise parties. She was also close to her aunt, the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, during the First World War, the Crown Princess of Sweden helped pass letters from May to her aunt, who lived in enemy territory in Germany until her death in 1916. In December 1891, May was engaged to her second cousin once removed, Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale, the eldest son of the Prince of Wales. The choice of May as bride for the Duke owed much to Queen Victorias fondness for her, as well as to her strong character, however, Albert Victor died six weeks later, in a recurrence of the worldwide 1889–90 influenza pandemic
28.
Merthyr Tydfil
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Merthyr Tydfil is a town in Wales, with a population of about 63,546, situated approximately 23 miles north of Cardiff. At one time the largest town in Wales, Merthyr Tydfil is today the fourth largest urban area by population. Situated in the county of Glamorgan, it is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough and is administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. Both the town and the county borough are often referred to as simply Merthyr, according to legend, the town is named after Saint Tydfil, a daughter of King Brychan of Brycheiniog. According to her legend, she was slain at Merthyr by pagans around 480, although merthyr generally means martyr in modern Welsh, the meaning here is closer to the Latin martyrium, the mausoleum or church built over the relics of a martyr. Similar examples, all from south Wales, include Merthyr Cynog, Merthyr Dyfan, the Cornish and Breton language equivalents, in place names, are merther and merzher. Peoples migrating north from Europe had lived in the area for thousands of years. The archaeological record starts from about 1000 BC with the Celts, from their language, the Welsh language developed. Hillforts were built during the Iron Age and the tribe that inhabited them in the south of Wales were called the Silures, according to Tacitus, the Romans arrived in Roman Wales by about 47–53 AD and established a network of forts, with roads to link them. They had to fight hard to consolidate their conquests, and in 74 AD they built a fortress at Penydarren. It covered an area of three hectares, and formed part of the network of roads and fortifications, remains were found underneath the football ground where Merthyr Tydfil FC play. A road ran north–south through the area, linking the southern coast with Mid Wales, parts of this and other roads, including Sarn Helen, can be traced and walked. The Silures resisted this invasion fiercely from their strongholds. In time, relative peace was established and the Penydarren fortress was abandoned by about 120 AD and this had an unfortunate effect upon the local economy, which had come to rely upon supplying the fortress with beef and grain, and imported items such as oysters from the coast. Intermarriage with local women had occurred and many auxiliary veterans had settled locally on farms, with the Decline of the Roman Empire, Roman legions were withdrawn around 380 AD. By 402 AD, the army in Britain comprised mostly Germanic troops and local recruits, sometime during this period, Irish Dalriadan and Picts attacked and breached Hadrians Wall. By about 490 AD hordes of Saxons invaded and settled in the east or lowland Britain, the Latin language and some Roman customs and culture became established before the withdrawal of the Roman army. The girl was considered a martyr after her death in around 480, Merthyr translates to Martyr in English, and tradition holds that, when the town was founded, the name was chosen in her honour
