The Physicians of Myddfai

Product Information

After apprenticeship to a craftsman there was then the need to be set up, at least in some cases as an independent journeyman or craftsman. In the case of John Charles in the year 1807 who was a white smith i.e. a tin smith, the following expenditure was incurred For a box of Tyn for John Charles There is due on the marrying of every freeholders daughter the sum of ten shillings known by various terms such as amobr. Some of the recipes sound as though they could work: feverfew for bruising, rosemary mixed with honey to prevent nausea, thyme for colds. Others seem more far-fetched: hart's tongue apparently promotes chastity; wild clary prevents envy. The record of the resolutions taken at the Court Baron is given at length since it is such a rich and important source of information concerning aspects of the life and work of parishioners, but in particular of the freeholders. One feature however which was not included, but which appears in the actual records of the court are cases involved in the recovery of debts and damages under forty shillings. Provision was made in the case of illness amongst paupers or their families for a doctor to attend them. One of the local doctors in Llangadog or Llandovery was paid an annual retainer of around three or four guineas to undertake the work. In cases of illness or debility, the care afforded and given could verge on the compassionate and seemed to extend to more than the minimal degree of care and attention. Treatments were sometimes commissioned that involved considerable expense. In 1817 the overseers paid one pound so as to enable Richard Price to go to saltwater and similarly in 1823 Mary Charles was paid to take John Lewis to saltwater. Saltwater in these cases probably meant going to Aberaeron. Ester Pedler a pauper of longstanding who became more or less blind was taken to Swansea for which the overseers paid Ann David John six shillings for leading her. They also provided snuff for Ester and one of the overseers had also to go and buy clothes for her. The cost of the clothes is not declared but the expense claimed and paid to the overseer for his journey to buy her clothes was 1s 6d. In 1821 a pauper suffering from some kind of mental illness was taken to see a Doctor Rowlands at Devil's Bridge in Cardiganshire, presumably a specialist in such matters, but unfortunately to no avail.

The legend of the Physicians of Myddfai originates from this period, a time of new ideas and of great cultural development, not just in Wales but in the whole of Britain. And over the years the knowledge of these physicians, their healing arts and remedies, were passed down from one generation to the next.These are but twelve examples out of the very many who sought a better life beyond the parish of their birth. The selective extraction is intended to include material which is likely to be of interest to genealogists and also those with a general interest in the history of this parish. Robin Barlow led a successful walk to the Well in August last year. This will become an annual event and the date of this year’s walk, again in August, will soon be confirmed. Of course, as the fame of the physicians grew so, too, did legends and stories mystifying their craft and origins. One of them suggested that their powers had fairy origins. It is a story that is told in the Mabinogion and, like the list of the physicians' herbal remedies, is contained in the Red Book of Hergest.

The available court records cover mainly the period 1720 to 1820 and during that time some twenty five cases involving persons from Myddfai were dealt with. There may have been more since the records are by no means complete and comprehensive. As might be expected some of the cases involve the inability or unwillingness of landholders to pay the church rate. One example is that of the Rev. David Williams of Brecon town who refused to pay the church rate of two shillings for one half of Cilgwyn corn mill. He maintained that the mill was and had been in ruins for many years thus he was under no obligation to pay. The outcome, as is often the case is not revealed.There can be little doubt that Roman soldiers and their auxilliaries once marched and stayed, even if temporarily, within the confines of the parish. One wonders what effect the sight of the Roman standards had on its then denizens. Roman presence is testified by the existence of a number of earthworks. The most well known are at Y Pigwn where there is a pair of superimposed marching camps. Close by, there are two other earthworks of Roman origin but very much smaller. These four structures lie essentially alongside the Roman road leading from Llandovery to the Brecon Gaer. There is a fifth and very small oval earthwork at Penybylchau which may be of Roman origin.............. The case of Rhys Richards must have been quite typical. He was born in Tredegar cottage on Caegwyn in 1824 and walked to Merthyr Tydfil when he was twelve years old. In 1851 he is recorded as being an 'engine tender' having married a Barbara who was Merthyr born. John Walters was born at Mount Pleasant, Myddfai in 1814; by 1851 he was an ostler at the Bush Hotel, Merthyr Tydfil. The following is a list showing the kind of work obtained by the those who went from Myddfai to Merthyr. A somewhat bizarre case to come before the court was the matter of so called violence within the parish church at Myddfai on a Sunday in September 1750. There is detailed documentation available for what does seem now a rather trivial matter. The action was brought by one Margaret the wife of David Phillip against a David Griffith. Briefly, it was that during divine service David Griffith had cornered or trapped the said Margaret at the end of a pew. He had then allegedly squeezed or pressed her against the end of the pew somewhat roughly. There was no evidence offered for any physical injury or violence. David Griffith did not turn up for the hearing at the consistory court in Carmarthen. He was thus declared in contempt of court which meant that he was considered guilty. His excommunication was published in the church at Myddfai on Sunday Sept. 30th 1750 by the then vicar, David Powell. The case however has a happy if conventional ending to the extent that David Griffith was later absolved from the sentence of excommunication. The chairman will be elected initially for a term of four years but with the option of further terms of office.

Mr David James, the author, has very kindly agreed that Genuki might extract material from the book In the period 1840 to 1920 about 120 houses or cottages became uninhabited and thus mostly derelict. There is evidence however that many houses were disappearing prior to 1840 and probably since 1800. The names or locality of at least eighteen of these are known, places such as Cwm Clyn Cafan, Lletty'n garreg. In additon hamlets consisting of three or four houses have also disappeared such as Penrallt, Briscoed, Pentretryswel, Pwlldefaid. There were no doubt many more houses of which there is no record. One is left with a strong impression that houses or cottages were abundantly scattered throughout the parish and in far greater numbers than anything like today.Most churches have at some stage in their history possessed the self-assurance to demand of their adherents certain standards of conduct and behaviour. When these were not forthcoming a church has often seen fit to impose certain sanctions against its weaker brethren, although whether as punishment or as an incentive to reform has rarely been made clear, probably both. The Welsh section of the Anglican church has been no exception and where it perceived certain lapses in action or behaviour by its members, then the matter was dealt with by what was termed the bishop's or the consistory court. In origin the bishop's court dealt with offences or contraventions committed by ordained persons against canon or church law. At a later date however it came to deal with lay persons in relation to certain matters of belief and conduct. As with most courts, the consistory court recorded its deliberations and in so doing provided an insight, if rather of an unusual kind, into the life and mores of the people who came within its jurisdiction. People from Myddfai featured in its deliberations and records. Most of these defamation cases involved one of two general themes; observations on the sexual morality of a person or a member of his or her family, or else the observation that some person was a thief of some kind. The records of the court show the words actually used in slander which are explicitly quoted and written in Welsh, but to make the matter quite clear an English translation was frequently provided.

The Treasurer’s Report and Balance Sheet shall be submitted at the Annual General Meeting by the Treasurer. The version of the tale given in this chapter is a direct copy of that found in the above book which was based on, and derived from the oral recollection of three elderly persons who had lived in Myddfai for much of their lives. The version was taken down in 1841 having been compiled by William Rees of Tonn, Llandovery and reads as follows: - - - - -Hugh Davies, the project leader, said he hoped the herbal products would revive the village's fortunes, just as Hay-on-Wye has prospered because of its concentration of bookshops. He said: "In terms of amenity, this is a deprived place. But in the story of the physicians of Myddfai, we have a bit of magic we can hang a project on." Excerpts of some of the physicians of Myddfai's remedies The aims and objectives of The Society are clearly set out in the constitution which was approved by the AGM on 27 th June 2017. One hundred and fifty years on from 1840 and the situation has been completely reversed and transformed. Myddfai today is a land of individual family farms where all but three or four are owner-occupied or administered. These changes in land tenure have been extremely rapid in a historical perspective. Barlow, Robin, ed. (2018), Transactions of the Physicians of Myddfai Society (in English and Welsh), The Physicians of Myddfai Society, ISSN 2516-7758 The Annual Report of The Society shall be prepared by the Honorary Secretary and submitted at the Annual General Meeting.