: Casgliadau ac Ymchwil

I barhau â Blwyddyn Ryngwladol Tabl Cyfnodol yr Elfennau Cemegol y Cenhedloedd Unedig, rydym wedi dewis arsenig ar gyfer mis Awst.

Cadw’r Bwystfilod – Arsenig a Thacsidermi

Mae’r anifeiliaid tacsidermi yn un o atyniadau mwyaf poblogaidd yr Amgueddfa. Daw’r gair ‘tacsidermi’ o taxis (trefnu) a derma (croen), ac mae’n golygu mowntio neu atgynhyrchu sbesimenau anifeiliaid er mwyn eu harddangos neu eu hastudio.

Mae’r dechneg o greu tacsidermi wedi bod yn datblygu ers dros 300 mlynedd. Yn wreiddiol, doedd y technegau hyn ddim yn cadw’r sbesimenau’n dda iawn, a châi’r mowntiau eu colli oherwydd dirywiad neu drychfilod.

Gwnaed sawl ymgais i wella dulliau cadw, gan ddefnyddio amrywiaeth o ddeunyddiau fel perlysiau, sbeisys a halen ar ffurf powdrau, pastau a thoddiannau. Fodd bynnag, aflwyddiannus oedd y dulliau hyn ar y cyfan.

Yn y 1700au dechreuodd rhai tacsidermwyr ddefnyddio cemegau gwenwynig fel mwynau arsenig neu fercwri clorid i gadw eu sbesimenau. Oherwydd eu natur wenwynig, roedd y cemegau hyn yn atal dirywiad a difrod trychfilod ac yn gwneud i’r tacsidermi bara’n hirach.

Arweiniodd llwyddiant y cemegau hyn at ddatblygu triniaeth ‘sebon arsenig’ i helpu i gadw croen anifeiliaid. Roedd y sebon yn gymysgedd o gamffor, powdr arsenig, halwyn tartar, sebon a phowdr calch – fyddwn i ddim yn defnyddio hwn i ymolchi! Roedd y sebon yn galluogi i’r arsenig weithio mewn ffordd ymarferol drwy rwbio mewn i ochr isaf croen wedi’i lanhau a’i baratoi. Roedd hwn yn ddull poblogaidd iawn ac yn cael ei ddefnyddio mor ddiweddar â’r 1970au.

Nid yw arsenig yn cael ei ddefnyddio fel rhan o’r driniaeth erbyn hyn. Mae hyn oherwydd ei fod yn wenwynig ac yn beryglus i iechyd pobl, ond hefyd oherwydd bod technegau newydd wedi’u darganfod.

Elfen lwyd yr olwg yw arsenig anorganig (As, rhif atomig 33). Mae’n feteloid, sy’n golygu fod ganddo nodweddion metelig ac anfetelig. Mae pobl wedi bod yn ei ddefnyddio mewn amrywiaeth o ffyrdd ers canrifoedd – mewn meddyginiaeth, fel pigment ac fel plaladdwr. Mae arsenig a’i gyfansoddion yn wenwynau cryf iawn, yn ddrwg i’r amgylchedd ac yn garsinogenig. Mae’n wenwynig i bethau byw am ei fod yn tarfu ar weithgarwch ensymau sy’n rhan o gylch egni celloedd byw.

Yw hyn yn golygu fod ein sbesimenau tacsidermi hŷn, sy’n cynnwys arsenig, yn beryglus? Mae hynny’n bosibl os yw’r sbesimen wedi’i ddifrodi ac ochr isaf y croen yn dangos, ond ychydig iawn o risg sydd i sbesimenau cyfan cyn belled â bod camau synhwyrol yn cael eu cymryd megis gwisgo cyfarpar amddiffynnol wrth symud neu wneud gwaith ar sbesimen.

Heddiw, mae’r rhan fwyaf o sbesimenau sy’n cael eu harddangos gennym yn cael eu trin heb ddefnyddio cemegau gwenwynig, ond mae mwy o risg i’r sbesimenau hyn gael eu difrodi gan drychfilod. Felly rydym yn monitro ein casgliadau er mwyn cadw golwg am arwyddion o bla trychfilod, ac yn eu trin gyda dulliau diogel a chynaliadwy megis rhewi os yw hyn yn digwydd.

Ond mae’n rheswm da arall i beidio cyffwrdd y sbesimenau...

Saturday 6th October 2019 8.30am

I took my breakfast cereal into the living room and looked out at the sky for any hint of what the weather might do. It had been raining and very windy for days, the remnants of hurricane ‘Lorenzo’ had been battering Wales all week. The sky was cloudy, a hint of drizzle against the glass and the weeping willow in our front garden was doing a samba.

Today I had more than a passing interest in the forecast as I had a boat trip planned for later that morning, in a very special boat.

The Ferryside Lifeboat to be precise, a 6.4 metre long RIB, the ‘Freemason’ which cost about £90,000, £50,000 of which was donated by the Freemasons, hence the name.

The crew had bought all new safety suits and gear and had offered the museum one of their old suits for our maritime collection. We jumped at the chance to acquire this very important piece of our seagoing history. One of the crew members is Mark Lucas who happens to be Curator of Wool at the National Woollen Museum in Drefach Velindre, Carmarthenshire and it was at his suggestion that the suit be donated to us. The lifeboat crew were running sea trials that morning and had asked me to go along to experience the conditions for myself and collect the gear.

We have three lifeboats in the National Collection, two of these have wooden hulls and in 2011 we collected a RIB (rigid hull inflatable boat) from Atlantic College in St Donats, where the original RIB design was created and patented by the college. So the fact that the suit was from a RIB crew made it even more special.

Eleven o’clock found us at the Lifeboat Station on the Towy Estuary in Ferryside. The Ferryside Lifeboat is an independent station, as are many around our coastline, and not funded by the RNLI. Just like the RNLI they are run by volunteers and rely on donations and grants.

The crew were gathering and getting changed into their ‘new’ suits and they had one for me to wear too. Now, getting into a ‘dry suit’ is no easy task, especially for a novice like me. To say it was a struggle is an understatement, and after ten minutes of performing like a contortionist and the ensemble heckling me that

‘people are drowning come on!’

It was then they decided that I needed a bigger suit. Hmm…

The weather by this time wasn’t too bad, a slight wind and light rain and the estuary looked fairly calm, this was indicated by the fact that the new ferry was sailing between Llansteffan and Ferryside.

‘That looks OK, not too rough’ I thought to myself, and it was OK in the estuary…

The giant Talus tractor pushed the lifeboat the ‘Freemason’ down the slipway and into the water. I was already installed by this point having been pushed unceremoniously over the rubber tube by the crew as I struggled to climb aboard in an extra 20 kilos of suit and gear. The rest of the crew climbed aboard (easily) and we set off.

As I thought the estuary was fairly quiet, but the coxswain pointed out to sea where I could see large white breakers rolling in over a sandbar which runs roughly from Laugharne to St Ishmaels.

‘That’s where we are going, it’s a bit lively out there, all good fun though’.

It was very lively. The crew put the boat through its paces doing figure eights and three-sixty manoeuvres, all at high speed whilst I hung on tightly and braced myself against the G-force of the turns. The boat will do 30 knots flat out, about 26 miles an hour, which doesn’t seem fast in a car on the road but in a boat is a different matter.

I kept thinking how brave these guys are to come out in all weathers and try and rescue people. The sea we were in wasn’t that rough and it was broad daylight. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like in a gale and in the dark.

Eventually we headed in and back to the comparatively flat calm of the river Towy. My trip was over and what an experience!

We headed for the Lifeboat Station and the crew presented me with a dry suit, life jacket, radio and GPS locator which are now part of the National Collection and on display at the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea.

Ymlaen â ni â blwyddyn ryngwladol tabl cyfnodol yr elfennau cemegol ac, ar gyfer mis Medi, rydym wedi dewis carbon. Gellir dadlau mai carbon - mewn glo - yw’r elfen a gafodd y dylanwad mwyaf ar dirwedd adeiledig a diwylliant Cymru.

Meysydd Glo Cymru

Am ryw ganrif a hanner, cafodd y diwydiant glo ddylanwad enfawr ar hanes diwydiannol, gwleidyddol a chymdeithasol Cymru. Erbyn 1911, roedd 2,400,000 o bobl yn byw yng Nghymru, sef dros bedair gwaith yn fwy na’r  587,000 oedd yn byw yma yn 1801. Dylanwad y diwydiant glo oedd yn gyfrifol am y cynnydd bron i gyd: naill ai’n uniongyrchol trwy greu swyddi yn y glofeydd neu drwy ddiwydiannau oedd yn dibynnu ar lo fel tanwydd (e.e. cynhyrchu dur).

Mae dau brif faes glo yng Nghymru, un yn y gogledd-ddwyrain a’r llall yn y de.  Glo anweddol iawn, sy’n rhwymo’n gryf neu’n weddol gryf, oedd yn cael ei gynhyrchu’n bennaf ym maes glo’r gogledd sydd â hanes maith o gynhyrchu glo. Erbyn 1913, roedd yn cynhyrchu tua 3,000,000 tunnell y flwyddyn ond bu dirywiad araf wedi hynny.  Caewyd glofa olaf yr ardal, y Parlwr Du, yn 1996.

Mae maes glo’r de yn helaethach nag un y gogledd.  Mae’n fasn synclin hir sy’n ymestyn o Bont-y-pŵl yn y dwyrain i Rydaman yn y gorllewin, gyda darn ar wahân yn Sir Benfro. Mae’n mesur tua 1,000 milltir sgwâr i gyd.

Mae maes glo’r de’n enwog am fod yno wahanol fathau o lo, yn amrywio o lo meddal i wneud golosg a nwy, glo stêm, glo stêm sych, a glo caled. Câi’r gwahanol fathau eu defnyddio at wahanol ddibenion: mewn cartrefi, cynhyrchu stêm, cynhyrchu nwy a golosg a mwyndoddi copr, haearn a dur.

Roedd toeau brau a rhai ag uniadau llac yn fwy cyffredin ym maes glo’r de nag ym meysydd eraill Prydain ac felly byddai damweiniau’n digwydd yn aml wrth i doeau ac ochrau gwympo. Mae’r gwythiennau dwfn yn ‘danllyd’ iawn hefyd gan arwain at drychinebau lu. Rhwng 1850 ac 1920, yng Nghymru y bu traean o holl farwolaethau diwydiant glo’r Deyrnas Unedig. Mewn cyfnod cymharol fyr, rhwng 1890 ac 1913, cafwyd 27 o drychinebau glofaol mawr yn y Deyrnas Unedig, 13 ohonynt yn y de, yn cynnwys y ffrwydrad yng Nglofa’r Universal, Senghenydd, lle bu farw 439 o ddynion – y nifer fwyaf i golli eu bywydau mewn trychineb lofaol yn y Deyrnas Unedig.  Ychydig o drychinebau mawr fu yn y gogledd ond, yn 1934, lladdwyd 266 o ddynion mewn ffrwydrad yng Nglofa Gresffordd, y trychineb gwaethaf ond dau yn hanes y diwydiant glo yng Nghymru.

Mae glo stêm a glo caled o dde Cymru’n wahanol i lo o wythiennau eraill am fod partins (’slipiau’) yn digwydd yn aml ar ongl o ryw 45 gradd rhwng y llawr a’r to.  Roedd hyn yn golygu bod y glo’n eithaf hawdd i’w gloddio am ei fod yn syrthio mewn blociau mawr.  Fodd bynnag, roedd y glo mawr wedi’i orchuddio â llwch mân, sef prif achos niwmoconiosis neu glefyd y llwch, a oedd yn fwy cyffredin ym maes glo’r de nag yn unrhyw faes glo arall yn y Deyrnas Unedig. Yn 1962, roedd 40.7% o holl lowyr y de yn dioddef o’r clefyd.

Datblygodd perthynas glòs rhwng y diwydiant glo a’r gymuned leol.  Mewn llawer o bentrefi roedd bron bawb yn gweithio yn y pwll glo. Ym Morgannwg a Sir Fynwy, roedd hanner yr holl ddynion oedd yn gweithio yn ymwneud yn uniongyrchol â’r diwydiant glo ac mewn mannau fel y Rhondda a Maesteg gallai’r ganran fod mor uchel â 75%.

Oherwydd daeareg a daearyddiaeth neilltuol yr ardal, roedd glowyr y de yn araf i ymuno ag undeb. Fodd bynnag, ar ôl methiant digalon streic 1898, daeth angen am undod ac, erbyn 1914, Ffederasiwn Glowyr De Cymru (“y Ffed”) oedd yr undeb llafur mwyaf, â bron 200,000 o aelodau.

O ddechrau’r 1920au tan yr Ail Ryfel Byd, aeth meysydd glo Cymru trwy ddirwasgiad maith gan fod llongau wedi dechrau defnyddio olew a bod meysydd glo wedi’u datblygu dramor. Cwympodd nifer y glowyr o 270,000 i 130,000. Cafodd y diwydiant ei wladoli ar ôl y rhyfel a gwelwyd newidiadau enfawr wrth i dechnegau ac offer newydd gael eu cyflwyno. Roedd mwy o bwyslais ar ddiogelwch erbyn hyn ond roedd y meysydd glo’n dal yn fannau peryglus. Yn 1960, bu farw 45 o ddynion yng Nglofa’r Six Bells, bu farw 31 yng Nglofa’r Cambrian yn 1965 ac efallai mai’r drychineb fwyaf oedd colli 144 o bobl, yn cynnwys 116 o blant, pan lithrodd tomen lo yn Aberfan.

Erbyn yr 1980au, roedd bygythiad y byddai llawer o’r pyllau’n cau. Ym mis Mawrth 1984, dechreuodd y streic fawr olaf gan bara am 12 mis. Ar ôl i Undeb Cenedlaethol y Glowyr gael ei drechu, roedd pyllau glo’n cau yn rheolaidd. Erbyn canol yr 1990au, roedd mwy o amgueddfeydd glofaol nag o byllau glo dwfn gweithiol yng Nghymru.  Caewyd y pwll dwfn olaf, Glofa’r Tŵr, ym mis Ionawr 2008. Daeth un o’r dylanwadau pwysicaf ar fywyd cymdeithasol, diwydiannol a gwleidyddol Cymru i ben.

Amgueddfa Cymru helped direct me to a career in heritage by drawing my attention to the possibility of a career in museums at a “career speed dating” event. I would go on to volunteer with National Museum Cardiff, whilst studying.

Volunteering as part of the museum’s preventive conservation team, we carried out a wide range of tasks from repackaging lichen, to carefully carrying jade, cleaning paintings currently on display all the while talking to the public about the importance of preventive conservation and promoting part of the Museum traditionally shielded from view. It could be just a few people or what seemed like hundreds of school children, every day brought a different experience.

Volunteering brought the reality of the sector and a chance to learn new skills and experiences which were invaluable to my understanding of what museums are and who they are for; fulfilling my personal reasons for volunteering.

The volunteer programme was flexible, reflecting my own needs not just its own. The programme allowed me to develop as I wanted and when it came time to end my time volunteering with Amgueddfa Cymru it was natural. I had succeeded in what I wanted to achieve, and I was supported to continue my development beyond the museum, not expected to stay when it was no longer practical.

I will always remember having the opportunity to be part of the preventive conservation team, I am sure the team will not forget my Elmer the Elephant style shirt, immortalised in many presentation slides and pull up banners (see photos). I now work for the Cynon Valley Museum as a Museum Co-ordinator and advocate for museums through EMP Wales (Emerging Museum Professionals) and FOH. 

Follow me on twitter: @TregaskesW @FoHMuseums @EMPCymru @cynonvalleymus

If you visit the Snakes exhibition at National Museum Cardiff (open till 15 September), you will see a 16th century book from the Library collections.

This unusual book is known as Hortus Sanitatis (although it is also written as Ortus Sanitatis) which roughly translates to ‘The Garden of Health’ in Latin. It is an early example of a herbal, a book containing descriptions of plants, along with how to prepare and use them as medicinal remedies.

It started life in 1485 as a German ‘Herbarius’, also called the Gart der Gesundheit, before an extended version, translated into Latin, was published in 1491. Unlike the German version, the new Latin version didn't just focus on plants, but also included remedies involving animals, birds, fish and minerals.

Over the next 50 years the book was published in many more editions and languages. As well as new Latin and German editions, it was also translated into Dutch and English (although often in shortened versions). The English edition is called the Noble lyfe & natures of man, of bestes, serpentys, fowles & fisshes, and was produced around 1527. All these editions indicate just how popular this book was in the 15th and 16th centuries. Perhaps it saw so many reprints because unlike most herbals of the period, it covered more than just plants. But by the 1530s it was being replaced by the herbals of the 'German Fathers of Botany', Bock, Brunfels, and Fuchs.

Our copy of Hortus Sanitatis is one of the Latin editions published in Strasburg in 1517 by Reinhard Beck. The full title is Ortus sanitatis de herbis et plantis. De animalibus et reptilibus. De avibus et volatilibus. De piscibus et natatilibus. De lapidibus et in terre venis nascentibus. Urinis et earum speciebus.

It has no known author, as was common with herbals of this period, and is heavily illustrated. The illustrations, along with the purchase of the paper for printing, would have been the most expensive part of producing the book, and so were re-used from other works. Unusually for the period, many of the woodcuts are coloured.

Our copy of this book is from the Willoughby Gardner Library, but also has a bookplate identifying it as part of the former collection of Charles Butler. Charles Butler, Esq. [1821-1910] was an English politician and collector. He held a very extensive and valuable library at Warren Wood, Hatfield, which was sold off at Sotheby’s in 1911.

It’s most likely that Willoughby Gardner purchased the book from that sale, either directly or indirectly from a rare books seller. He regularly purchased books from famous libraries, and so would have been well aware of such a significant auction.

The title page of the book also gives us a clue to a much earlier owner. Written in ink are the words ‘Monasterii Montis S. Georgii 1659’, indicating that it might have formerly been in the possession of a monastery in Austria.

The monastery of St. Georgenberg was founded on the site of a hermitage, near Stans, and held an extensive library. In the 17th century the abbot decided to reorganise it and give the books new marks of ownership, written on the first and last folios, and usually dated (most often in 1652, 1659, and 1661).

In 1850 the monastery sold a number of books from their library in order to raise money, and many of them have since ended up in public collections in the UK. It is quite likely that Charles Butler acquired Hortus Sanitatis from that sale.

Further reading;

Anderson, Frank J. An illustrated history of the herbals. New York, Columbia University Press, 1977

Arber, Agnes. Herbals: their origin and evolution, 3rd edition. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1986