: Casgliadau ac Ymchwil

Dim syniadau am anrhegion i’r plant eleni? Mae digon o ysbrydoliaeth yng nghasgliadau’r Amgueddfa. Bydd rhai o’r eitemau yma’n cael eu harddangos yn orielau newydd Sain Ffagan Amgueddfa Werin Cymru yn hydref 2018.

Peiriant gwnïo tegan

Rhif caffael: F82.51.63

Oes rhywun yn y teulu’n dwlu ar wnïo? Margaret Eckley o Sili oedd perchennog y tegan hyfryd hwn. Byddai wedi chawrae ag ef yn y 1930au. Mae’n cael ei droi â llaw ac yn addurn arno mae llun o’r Hugan Fach Goch. Mae llyfr cyfarwyddiadau ganddo hefyd.

 

Set o filwyr bychan

Rhif caffael: 56.313.134 – 154

Beth am hen ffefryn? O Aberhonddu y daw’r set hon o filwyr tegan. Wnaethon nhw fartiso yr holl ffordd? Cawsant eu rhoi i’r Amgueddfa yn y 1950au, a bydden nhw wedi cael eu defnyddio gan blant y rhoddwr a gafodd eu geni yn y 1890au.

 

Tractor tegan Corgi

Rhif caffael: F00.27.9

Mae ceir bach Corgi yn boblogaidd o hyd. Plant o Gaerdydd fyddai wedi chwaraeâ’r tractor hwn yn y 1950au a’r 1960au.

 

Dol gwisg Gymreig

Rhif caffael: 30.316

Ganol y 19eg ganrif byddai plant wedi chwarae â’r ddol Gymreig hon. Mae’n rhaid ei bod hi wedi cael ei thrysori – roedd hi yn nheulu’r rhoddwr am 80 mlynedd. I weld mwy o ddoliau Cymreig ewch i wefan Casgliad y Werin Cymru.

 

LEGO Nadolig

Rhif caffael: 2000.194/1

Fyddai hi ddim yn Nadolig heb LEGO! Dyma sïon corn a’i sled a gynhyrchwyd yn ffatri LEGO yn Wrecsam.

Dyw’r gwrthrychau ddim i’w gweld ar hyn o bryd, ond byddan nhw ar y wefan yn fuan, ynghyd â nifer o’n casgliadau Celf, Archaeoleg, Diwydiannol, Cymdeithasol a Diwylliannol. Diolch i chwaraewyr y People’s Postcode Lottery am eu cefnogaeth i’r gwaith hwn.

Os oes gwrthrych penodol yr hoffech chi ei weld yn unrhyw un o’n hamgueddfeydd, gwnewch yn siŵr ei fod yn cael ei ddangos cyn teithio, neu gallwch chi drefnu apwyntiad i’w weld.

Mae llai nag wythnos tan ddiwrnod Nadolig ac i'r rhan fwyaf ohonom mae'r gwaith paratoi ac addurno yn dod i ben. Mae ein cartrefi yn edrych yn fendigedig, a'r goeden Nadolig yn disgleirio gyda goleuadau. Mae'r cardiau Nadolig wedi eu postio, y negeseuon cyfryngau cymdeithasol wedi eu danfon, a'r anrhegion wedi eu lapio. Mae'r twrci wedi'i archebu a'r pwdin Nadolig wedi ei brynnu (neu ei goginio!). Erys y traddodiadau yma yn rhan bwysig o'r Nadolig yn 2017 ond paham ac o ble y ddaeth y traddodiadau hyn?

Addurniadau

Rydym wedi addurno ein cartrefi ar yr adeg hon o'r flwyddyn ers amser y Paganiaid. Defnyddiwyd bytholwyrdd gan y Paganiaid i gydnabod byrddydd y gaeaf ac i'w hatgoffa bod y Gwanwyn ar ei ffordd. Y Pab Julius 1 benderfynodd taw y 25ain o Rhafgyr fyddai dyddiad dathlu geni Crist, a gan bod y dyddiad hwn yn cwympo yng nghanol dathliadau'r Paganiaid, amsugnwyd rhai o draddodiadau y Paganiaid i mewn i galendr y Cristnogion, gan gynnwys addurno gyda bytholwyrdd, yn enwedig gyda chelyn.

I Gristnogion roedd planhigion bytholwyrdd yn arwyddocâd o fywyd tragwyddol Duw; y celyn yn symbol o goron ddraen yr Iesu ar y Groes, a'r aeron ei yn cynrychioli ei waed. Yn ogystal â hyn, roedd i blanhigion bytholwyrdd eraill arwyddocâd yn ystod y cyfnod. Mae iorwg, er enghraifft, yn blanhigyn sydd yn glynnu, ac felly roedd yn symbol o ddyn yn dal ei afael yn dynn ar Dduw. Ystyrid bod gan rhosmari gysylltiad â'r Forwyn Fair tra bod gan llawryf, neu glust yr Asen, gysylltiad â llwyddiant, yn enwedig llwyddiant Duw yn goroesi yn erbyn y Diafol. Credid bod celyn a iorwg yn blanhigion benywaidd a gwrywaidd. Celyn a'i bigau miniog yn cynrychioli'r dyn tra bod yr Iorwg yn cynrychioli'r fenyw.  Pa bynnag un o'r rhain a fyddai'n croesi'r trothwy gyntaf fyddai'n dynodi pen y cartref am y flwyddyn i ddod. Anlwc oedd addurno gyda'r bytholwyrdd cyn Noswyl Nadolig ac anlwc hefyd oedd ei dynnu o'r cartref cyn y ddeuddegfed nos.

Yng nghefn gwlad Cymru addurnwyd cartrefi gyda phlanhigion bytholwyrdd yn oriau man y bore cyn mynd i'r gwasanaeth Plygain yn yr eglwys blwyfol. Gwasanaeth garolau oedd gwasanaeth y Plygain a oedd yn cael ei gynnal fel arfer rhwng 3 o'r gloch a 6 o'r gloch y bore. Unigolion a grwpiau fyddai'n canu'r carolau. Arferid goleuo'r ffordd i'r egwlys gyda chanhwyllau'r Plygain ac fe'i gosodwyd hefyd yn yr egwlys i'w addurno a'i oleuo. Defnyddiwyd canhwyllau fel addurn gan y Paganiaid i'w hatgoffa am olau'r haul ac fe'u defnyddiwyd gan Gristnogion fel atgoffeb am bresenoldeb Duw. Cyn ddyfodiad trydan goleuwyd coed Nadolig gyda chanwyllau.

Cliciwch yma i glywed Parti Fronheulog ac eraill yn canu’r garol “Addewid rasusol Ein Duw”. Recordiwyd gan Amgueddfa Werin Cymru yn ficerdy Llanrhaeadr-ym mochnant wedi’r Swper Plygain yno ym mis Ionawr 1966.

https://www.casgliadywerin.cymru/items/738256

Coed Nadolig ac Addurniadau Eraill

Mae tystiolaeth ar gael i awgrymu bod coed Nadolig wedi cael eu defnyddio fel addurn Nadolig ym Mhrydain mor bell yn ôl â'r 1790au, a bod y siap triongl i Gristnogion yn arwydd o'r cysylltiad rhwng y mab, y tad a'r ysbryd glân. Ddaeth y traddodiad yn fwy poblogaidd yn oes Fictoria oherwydd i'r Frenhines Fictoria a'r Tywysog Albert ddefnyddio coeden Nadolig i addurno Castell Windsor yn 1841 ac eto yn 1848. Ymddangosodd llun o'r teulu gyda'r goeden wedi ei haddurno yn The London Illustrated News.

Yn yr 1920au dechreuodd addurniadau artiffisial gymryd lle'r planhigion bytholwyrdd, yn enwedig mewn trefi a dinasoedd. Roedd addurniadau artiffisial erbyn hyn yn rhatach i'w prynnu, ac wedi cael eu gwerthu mewn siopau fel Woolworths ers yr 1880au, yn ogystal â losin, cacennau a rhubannau. Yn y 1920au a'r 1930au gwelwyd dechrau ar yr arfer o lapio anrhegion. Gwelwyd y goleuadau trydanol cyntaf ar goeden Nadolig yn Efrog Newydd yn 1882, dim on tair mlynedd ar ol ddyfeisio'r bwlb golau.

Adeg yr ail Rhyfel Byd daeth cadwynni papur yn boblogaidd fel addurniadau Nadolig gan ei bod yn hawdd i'w creu yn y cartref, ac yn y 1950au gwelwyd coed Nadolig artiffisial yn cael eu gwerthu.

Pob adeg Nadolig yn Amgueddfa Werin Cymru mae'r staff yn addurno'r adeiladau gydag addurniadau sy'n addas ar gyfer y cyfnod a'r ardal.

Cardiau Nadolig

Yn 1840 dyfeisiwyd y "Penny Post" gan Rowland Hill ac yn sgil hynny cynhyrchwyd 1000 o gardiau Nadolig gan Sir Henry Cole yn ei siop gelf yn Llundain er mwyn eu gwerthu am swllt yr un. Erbyn 1870, gan bod y system trenau erbyn hyn yn fwy cyflym, roedd pobl yn gallu danfon eu cardiau Nadolig am hanner ceiniog. Yng nghasgliad Amgueddfa Victoria ac Albert yn Llundain, mae carden Nadolig a ddanfonwyd o Gwrt-yr-Ala yng Nghaerdydd yn 1844.

Bwydydd Nadolig

Erbyn heddiw cysylltir y Nadolig â bwyta bwyd moethus fel pwdin Nadolig. Yn draddodiadol gwnaethpwyd y pwdin Nadolig 5 wythnos cyn y Nadolig ac yn Nghymru arferid rhoi tro i bob aelod o'r teulu, yn cynnwys y plant a'r gweision, i droi y gymysgedd, gyda phen y teulu yn cael y fraint o droi y gymysgedd yn gyntaf. Yn y gymysgedd rhoddwyd eitemau a oedd yn rhagweld y dyfodol. Os daethpwyd o hyd i fodrwy priodas, byddai hyn yn darogan priodi yn y dyfodol.  Os byddai dyn ifanc yn dod o hyd i fotwm yn y gymysgedd, byddai hyn yn darogan dyfodol unig fel hen lanc. Os byddai merch ifanc yn dod o hyd i winiadur byddai hyn yn darogan dyfodol heb briodas a bywyd unig fel hen ferch. Os dod o hyd i chwe ceiniog, byddai lwc dda yn dod i'ch rhan.

Bwyd traddodiadol arall a welid adeg y Nadolig yng Nghymru oedd cyflaith. Math o losin oedd hwn wedi ei wneud o fenyn, triog a siwgr wedi eu ferwi. Y gamp oedd tynnu a rolio'r gymysgedd tra ei fod yn oeri ac yna ei dorri wrth iddo galedu yn ddarnau bach. Roedd y rysait yn gallu amrywio o ardal i ardal. Cliciwch yma i weld ffilm o gyflaith yn cael ei baratoi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26bDQqRQICY

Nadolig Llawen i chi gyd!

 

Shwmae,

I am a Biology Undergraduate at Cardiff University and today I am just over two months into my professional training year placement within the Botany section, Department of Natural Sciences at the National Museum Wales. Plant life of all sorts has always delighted me, and when an opportunity to work in Wales’s largest herbaria arises, you grab it by both hands! So far, my experience has been nothing short of extraordinary. Working with and learning from a team of respected and experienced botanists has been the highlight of my stay so far, rivalled only by the history and scientific value that this department holds behind its doors.

 

The project I am working on involves studying the highly invasive annual plant Impatiens glandulifera,-Royle, or Himalayan Balsam as it is commonly known. Himalayan balsam, like so many other invasive plants found in Britain today was introduced by the Victorians as a botanical curiosity. First contained in botanical gardens, its high growth rate and reproductive output mean that now, it is found in almost every area of Britain. Himalayan balsam can reach heights of 3 metres and produce up to 2500 seeds per plant, often forming dense populations along river banks throughout the UK. Buoyant seed pods mean that seeds are easily transported in river systems, and seeds don’t have to germinate the following year after set, they have a two-year dormancy period whilst they wait for the right growth conditions. The life traits of Himalayan balsam mean that it has become incredibly invasive in the UK, with it being listed as a Schedule 9 plant in the Wildlife and Countryside Act; i.e. it is illegal to plant or otherwise cause it to grow in the wild.

 

My project involves studying specimens to see if any morphological traits have changed since its introduction into the UK in 1839, and looking at variation between populations of Himalayan balsam in the South Wales area. So far, much of my time has been spent conducting field work! I have been out collecting specimens of Himalayan balsam using a plant press. Specimens are randomly chosen from their habitat, mounted between a folded bit of thin paper called a ‘flimsy’, making sure that all leaves and flowers are flat and arranged in a way that their features can still be studied. Acid free card is placed between specimens and they are mounted into a plant press, straps are then wrapped around the plant press and pulled as tight as possible before it is placed in a specialist drying oven. After the specimens have been in the drying oven for between 5-7 days, they are then placed in a freezer for 4 days to kill any insects, bacteria or fungal spores that may have contaminated specimens.

 

After the drying and freezing process is over, specimens are ready to be examined and studied! So far, I have spent most of my time in the field collecting information such as number of seeds, flowers, height, colour of flowers, type of habitat, light levels, whether population is managed or not, etc. I plan to use this information to compare differences between sites where I. glandulifera is found in the South Wales area, and whether there are discrete differences between these populations. This will involve molecular work in the lab; potentially looking at differences in the number of ‘microsatellites’ between populations. ‘Microsatellites’ are repetitive DNA sequences and by directly comparing the number of repeats of microsatellites we can learn more about the diversity within and between local populations.

 

I am collecting a large data-set for I. glandulifera in the South Wales area, looking at different morphological characteristics of the plants, as well as collecting measurements from the habitat it was collected from. Measurements include light levels, tree cover, habitat type, whether the population was managed etc, with the ultimate goal of allowing me to see if these different habitat variables impacts how I. glandulifera grows. After I have collected specimens from different habitat types, their morphological characteristics can be analysed. This will involve imaging software to look at traits like leaf area, leaf width, leaf length, flower length, leaf shape, and microscopy work looking at stomatal density, size of ‘guard cells’ that make up a plant’s stomata and pollen structure (picture). Once I have collected measurements from I. glandulifera collected in 2017, I can then look at specimens of I. glandulifera in the herbarium collected in the 1900s to see if there has been a change in any of these morphological traits in the past 100 years. If there has been a change, what is happening, are the leaves larger or smaller? Are plants taller or shorter? Do they produce less or more flowers? These are the questions I am hoping to answer with my research, and in doing so produce some answers on how we can begin to tackle this unwelcome invader.

 

It has been a very exciting and enjoyable few months in the herbarium I have had opportunities that most people would only dream of, and each day I spend here I learn something new from the experienced curators I have surrounding me. The herbarium is something to be treasured, plant records frozen in time that contain a wealth of information just waiting to be discovered. And this resource is here for you to explore and enjoy too, just contact one of the herbarium team to make an appointment (https://museum.wales/curatorial/botany/staff/). Everything here fills me with sheer joy, and it is an absolute pleasure to wake up each day knowing that I am spending my time in such a wonderous place. I don’t look forward to leaving this gorgeous establishment, but I look forward to seeing what wonders this herbarium has in store for me, and what answers it can provide me on my path to stop invasive species here in Wales.

 

 

When Dr Christian Baars, the Senior Preventive Conservator at National Museum Cardiff, contacted me to ask me take part in his project, I’d never really thought about the work going on behind the scenes at a museum. I’d been on a tour I mean, beyond the ticket desk, café staff, security guards and perhaps cleaners if you’re there right to the end of the day. But have you ever thought about the work that goes into maintaining collections and displays? I doubt it.

Conserving the historic exhibits is one of the largest behind the scenes jobs. There are many things that can damage the artefacts, such as light, air pollution and moisture. But for a big collection of stuffed animals, such as in Cardiff, one of the big problems is pest insects. Lots of different insects, such as carpet beetles and clothes moths, like to eat dead animals. Dr Baars showed me some of the pinned insect collection, which are falling apart or disappearing because one of the beetles has got in to eat them.

We wanted to show the visitors that fighting these insects is a huge job and so we set about making a video that showed the damage the beetles can do. Luckily, Dr Baars had a dead mouse in the freezer (as you do!) which would do just the job. I added some beetle larvae to the dead mouse and left it in a box to be eaten. I used a time lapse camera to film the process of the mouse being devoured by the beetle larvae.  

The resulting video is on the right hand side of this page. Evidently, the mouse is getting progressively smaller as the larvae munch through its body. Now imagine this happening to the woolly mammoth, or the foxes, or any other amazing object at the museum. This is what museum conservators work hard to prevent and this is why we wanted to spread the word.

Once the video was finished, I showed it to museum visitors and asked people to tell me what they thought it was about. Most people had not heard about conservation in museums before nor about the damage insects may cause, even though some had experience with moths or similar insects at home. One visitor described it as fascinating. Another reminded me that “dead things always make good exhibits!” People certainly enjoyed the “gross factor” of a video of a decomposing mouse!

Yet the most important result for me was the finding that everyone wanted to learn more about what goes on behind the scenes at museums. Both adults and children understood the significance of the work. An adult visitor said “once it’s dead and in a case, you don’t really think about it about what happens after”, highlighting the need and the interest in what goes on to make a museum exhibit happen. And a younger visitor exclaimed “imagine you had a billion year old thing and it just got ate… I would very sad”. I couldn’t agree more.

While the purpose of this project was to educate museum visitors about pest management in museums, I think this experiment shows there is an enthusiasm for knowing more about the hard work of museum staff beyond those you see when you visit. In Cardiff visitors can come for free, but in a world where every institution is fighting for funding, we need to show the public that our work is vital and worth every penny. We showed that it is simple to raise awareness and that the work of conservators is worth an exhibit or two all of its own.

 

Charlotte @scicommchar undertook this project as part of a 'Learning Lab' placement while studying for a MSc degree in Science Communication at the University of the West of England. The University contact was Andy Ridgway, Senior Lecturer in Science Communication and Programme Leader MSc/PGCert in Science Communication, @AndyRidgway1. Many thanks also to Rhodri Viney, the National Museum's Digital Content Assistant, for help with producing the video.

Find out more about Care of Collections at Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales here and follow us on Twitter.