Staff from the Museum's Natural Science Department have been popping-up at the Capitol Shopping Centre in Cardiff again this year with their 'I Spy Nature' Pop-up Museum. Museum curators and learning staff showed a plethora of objects and specimens from the Natural History collections at National Museum Cardiff to shoppers over a six day period in July and August. Over 1200 people visited the pop-up museum and saw fossils, minerals, marine invertebrates, a beautiful botanical display of common British species and a variety of insects from around the world. Created for this year’s display was an ingenious dark box for viewing florescent minerals under UV light. Visitors could be seen donning their safety specs to view inside. Our younger visitors were encouraged to utilise their drawing skills to draw some of the specimens on display as part of our drawing competition. Competition winners will be announced shortly and the winning entries will be displayed on the blog. We were even lucky enough to be visited by singer and actress Connie Fisher, whose favourite object was a fossilised fish.
The I Spy Nature exhition at National Museum Cardiff will run until 3rd January 2016.
Our seaweed collection has become a lot more accessible to the public for research and learning. Selected seaweeds from our collection are now available on the Seaweed Collections Online Website as part of a project in collaboration with other UK museums and herbaria.
The project is a collaboration between museums and botanic gardens from all over the UK, bringing together their seaweed collections into one virtual space. Here at Amgueddfa Cymru, we have been taking images of each specimen so that the public can view them in detail online, along with their associated data. Initially, over 600 specimens will be accessible, with more added as new specimens enter the collection.
Each seaweed specimen is a piece of evidence that shows that a species was at a particular place, at a particular point in time. Combining the data from all UK specimens creates a powerful tool for research, for example to track changes in species distributions. Species chosen for the project include non-natives, indicators of environment change, large brown seaweeds, and those of conservation concern.
Data is searchable via name, date, collector, locality etc., and you can browse images in the media gallery. People wishing to view the actual specimen will be able to find out the institution holding it, to arrange a loan or visit.
The recently acquired Eifion Jones & Margaret Martin collection has 120 specimens represented online. This 1,000-specimen collection, as well as recent collections made by staff at Amgueddfa Cymru, has helped to strengthen the Welsh content of the herbarium.
This month Amgueddfa Cymru was able to acquire this model coal dram. It is a scale replica of a ‘Patent Cambrian Tram’ invented by H.H. Evans and R. Evans in 1931. One of the patentees, H.H. Evans, was General Manager for Welsh Associated Collieries Ltd., Llwynypia, and we know quite a lot about his life.
Henry H. Evans was born on 28th April 1865 in 15 Windsor St., Aberdare. He started work as a colliers’ boy at 12 years of age at Bwllfa Colliery, Aberdare. In 1880 the family moved to Maerdy in the Rhondda Fach and Henry continued his career as a collier in Maerdy Colliery until 1884 when he was articled to Mr Rees Llewelyn, Mining Engineer, Aberdare. His training was cut short by the death of his father, Mr John Evans a colliery official, in the Maerdy Colliery explosion of 1885 when he became the family’s bread winner. He began to attend the first mining night school in Aberdare about this time, walking over the mountain from Maerdy to Aberdare for the lessons. At twenty four he gained his 2nd class certificate of competency and became the under manager of Gelli Nos. 2 and 3 Pits where he remained for several years. He later returned to Maerdy Colliery as under manager.
He became manager of Bwllfa Colliery, Aberdare in 1894 where he remained for 18 years until he became the Agent for Albion Collieries in 1912. In 1910 he received the Edward Medal for bravery for saving the life of Mr John Isaac, a colliery repairer who had been trapped under a fall of roof. The museum hold in its collections this oil painting dating from 1929, which shows H.H. Evans wearing his Edward Medal.
By January 25th 1932, he had become general manager of the Cambrian Combine and lead a team of volunteers following the explosion in Llwynypia Colliery. He was 67 years old at the time and stayed down the pit until the last victim had been found. Eleven men were killed including two rescuers.
The Mines Inspector’s report was rather scathing about the rescue attempt – “In reference to the rescue operations, in the cold light of events it must be said that they were conducted with greater valour than discretion, for even when men from the Porth Rescue Station equipped with breathing apparatus were engaged in J. Alsop’s face, officials not so equipped, including the General Manager (Mr. H.H. Evans), the Agent (Mr. R. Lloyd) and the Manager (Mr. J. Whitticombe), were engaged in Prior’s and Brown’s. They had with them a canary but appear to have had more regard for its life than for their own, with the result that one of their party, John Evans, Overman, was overcome by afterdamp and died.”
He died on May 2nd 1936 only a few weeks after being elected Chairman of the Monmouthshire and South Wales Coalowners’ Association. He was buried in Aberdare Cemetery.
This Mines Rescue Service figure is seen wearing full rescue gear. These were produced for presentation by the UK Mines Rescue Service and usually awarded for 20 years’ service. There is a space at front for a presentation plaque to be attached. This example was given to the donor (who was a firefighter) after undertaking a Breathing Apparatus course with the Mines Rescue Service.
This month we were donated a copy of the original design for the Lesbians & Gay Men Support the Miners Group from 1984, along with a 30th anniversary badge manufactured in 2014. The events from 1984/85 were recently depicted in the film ‘Pride’. This donation coincided with staff from Amgueddfa Cymru attending Pride Cymru this month.
Finally, the photograph below shows the S.S. PENDEEN off Swansea on 28 March 1914. The S.S. PENDEEN was built by Gray's of West Hartlepool in 1898 for the Chellew Steam Navigation Co. Ltd. of Truro, a firm set up in the early 1880s by Richard Berryman Chellew of that town. She was employed in the classic 'coal out, grain home' trade of that era, loading coal in south Wales for the Mediterranean and returning with cereals from various Black Sea ports. Holed up in the Baltic for much of 1st World War, she was sold to a Greek company in 1922 and wrecked off the Tunisian coast six years later.
Mark Etheridge
Curator: Industry & Transport
Follow us on Twitter - @IndustryACNMW
Croeso i flog Archif Sain Amgueddfa Werin Cymru. Wedi ugain mlynedd o weithio yn yr archif ac o bori trwy’r casgliadau mae’r amser wedi dod i mi blymio i ddyfnderoedd y cyfryngau torfol.
Brawychus (efallai yn fwy felly i’r gynulleidfa nac i mi)! Felly a’m calon yn curo, a’m pengliniau yn siglo dyma fynd ati i ysgrifennu (a chadw’r bys yn hofran dros y botwm “Publish” am wythnos neu ddwy nes magu hyder) gyda’r gobaith o rannu rhai o berlau amhrisiadwy yr Archif Sain gyda Chymru a’r byd.
Dechrau Casglu
Dechreuodd yr Amgueddfa gasglu hanes llafar yn y 50au hwyr ac erbyn hyn mae bron i 12,000 o recordiadau yn ein casgliad. Ers 1958 mae staff yr Amgueddfa wedi crwydro dros fryn a dôl, dros bont a thraffordd (ac wedi mynd yn sownd mewn ambell i gae) yn recordio trigolion Cymru yn trafod eu bywydau pob dydd, eu gwaith a’u diddordebau.
Pynciau
Ymysg y pynciau a drafodir ceir sôn am amaethyddiaeth, crefftau a geirfâu crefft, gwaith tŷ, bwydydd traddodiadol, meddyginiaethau gwerin, chwaraeon, storïau gwerin, canu gwerin, arferion tymhorol, arferion marw a chladdu a charu a phriodi, diwydiannau, tafodieithoedd y Gymraeg a diddordebau hamdden.
Os hoffech wybod sut i olchi praidd o ddefaid neu lanhau sêt tŷ bach bren nes ei bod yn disgleirio, os ydych yn ysu am baratoi penglog ceffyl er mwyn creu Mari Lwyd neu wella gwlithen ar y llygad trwy ddefnyddio malwoden a draenen wen, mae’r manylion oll ar gadw yn ein harchif.
Mae gennym atgofion coliers am geffylau ofergoelus yn y pyllau glo yn dwyn eu baco a’u diod o’u pocedi ac atgofion gwragedd am bobi teisen gwaed gwyddau a pharatoi ffagots a brôn. Mae gennym gasgliad eang o ganeuon gwerin a cherddoriaeth, o blant yn canu caneuon sgipio i recordiadau o gynulleidfaoedd yn canu pwnc.
Siaradwyr
Recordiwyd dros 5 mil o siaradwyr dros y blynyddoedd o Gaergybi i Gasnewydd ac o Dyddewi i Dreffynnon gan ddiogelu gwybodaeth heb ei hail ar gyfer y dyfodol.
I’r ystadegwyr yn eich plith ceir 798 siaradwr â’r cyfenw Jones yn yr Archif, 415 Williams, 375 Davies, 297 Evans, 246 Thomas a 224 Roberts. Yr enw cyntaf mwyaf poblogaidd ymysg y dynion yw John (272 siaradwr) ac ymysg y merched ceir 144 Mary a 138 Margaret. Ganwyd ein siaradwr hynaf yn 1841 a ganwyd 6 o’n siaradwyr ar ddiwrnod Nadolig.
Gobeithio bod y blog cyntaf hwn wedi ysgogi eich dychymyg ac wedi codi archwaeth am ragor.
Creadur archifol ydw i wrth reddf - dwi'n hapus iawn fy myd yn pori trwy hen recordiau, lluniau neu ddogfennau. Mae lloffa trwy 'stwff' yn bleser anghyffredin 'nawr 'mod i'n gweithio yn yr adran ddigidol - yn ddibapur, bron.
Dwi wrth fy modd; boed yn gasgliad feinyl, yn gatalog gerdiau, neu'n bentwr o hen lythyrau a thocynnau o'r ganrif ddiwetha (mae'n scary gallu gweud hynna: "fues i i gig Levellers yn y ganrif diwetha". Ych.).
Anwylaf ymysg yr archifau ma Archif Sgrîn a Sain y Llyfrgell Genedlaethol (sef ble bu Dad yn gweithio tan ei ymddeoliad) ac Archif Sain Ffagan. Yn Sain Ffagan, mae hanes y casglu radical, y synau cefndir, y tafodiaethau a'r lleisiau wedi fy hudo ers bron i ddegawd.
Mae'n gasgliad cytbwys iawn hefyd, sy'n nodi gwerth hanes menywod ac yn rhoi lle i ni ddweud ein hanes yn eu geiriau ein hunain, i rannu'n caneuon a'u coelion. Dyw hanes-ar-bapur ddim yn gyfystyr rywsut, ein gwasgu i'r marjin neu'r troed-nodyn caiff ein lleisiau yn aml iawn. Rhaid nodi nad yw'n gasgliad hollol gynrychioladol, ond mae'r tîm wedi ymdrechu'n ddiweddar i wirio hyn, trwy gasglu hanesion llafar pobl LGBT, er enghraifft.
Darganfod Llais fy Nain
Wnai fyth anghofio dod o hyd i llais fy Nain yn eu plith. Bu Nain farw pan oeddwn i'n ifanc iawn, felly does dim cof gen i ohoni tu hwnt i luniau ohoni a'i barddoniaeth.
Roedd yn storïwraig o fri, a braint oedd cael copi ar CD ohoni yn adrodd rhai ohonyn nhw - a chlywed ei llais am y tro cynta fel oedolyn - nid yn unig am fod dawn dweud mor dda ganddi, ond am fod swn Taid i'w glywed yn y cefndir hefyd. Roedd ei lais llawer yn llai bas nag oeddwn i'n ei gofio o 'mhlentyndod, yn datgloi llond drôr o atgofion.
Mi berswadiodd yr achlysur yma fi 'mhellach bod archifau yn llawn haeddu statws fel casgliadau ystyrlawn, a'u trin nid fel adnoddau cefnogol, ond fel casgliadau cyflawn sy'n haeddu cymaint o sylw mewn amgueddfa â gwrthrychau archaeolegol neu weithiau celf.
Yr Archif Heddiw
Dw i wedi bod yn gweithio efo'r tîm ers sbel - Richard (@archifSFarchive) sy'n rhan o dîm @DyddiadurKate, a 'nawr efo Lowri a Meinwen, sy'n gofalu am y llawysgrifau a'r archif sain. Mae'n nhw ar ben ffordd efo'r blogio, felly gobeithio y gwelwn ni fwy ar ochr honno'r casgliadau ar-lein yn fuan.
O fewn yr adran ddigidol, rydym ni'n brysur yn gweithio ar ail-wampio ein tudalennau am draddodiadau Cymreig, a deunydd archif. Tra bod y gwaith hwnnw'n mynd rhagddo, dwi wedi bod yn edrych yn fanylach at botensial y cyfryngau cymdeithasol i rannu clipiau sain gyda chynulleidfa ehangach.
Rhannu Sain ar y Cyfryngau Cymdeithasol
Roedd y platfformau cymdeithasol sy'n rhedeg 'da ni - twitter, facebook a tumblr, yn rhy effemeral rywsut.
Mae trydar yn rhy fyr-eu-hoedl, yn enwedig gan fod cymaint o gyfrifon cyfochrog yn rhedeg yn Sain Ffagan; a dengys ein data bod ein ffans ar facebook yn ymddiddori mwy yn ein rhaglen weithgareddau na'n casgliadau. Gallai rhywbeth â ffocws fwy penodol, fel hanes llafar neu ganu gwerin, fynd ar goll yn hawdd neu fethu ei darged.
Felly, dyma ofyn i Gareth a Rhodri am eu profiad o rannu cerddoriaeth efo soundcloud, bandcamp ac ati. Penderfynais greu pecyn o recordiadau archifol oedd wedi'u paratoi'n barod yn defnyddio bandcamp, a rhyddhau y clipiau i gyd fel un grwp, yn hytrach na'u dosrannu fesul un ar y blog neu ar twitter.
Rhinwedd bandcamp yw bod modd atodi mwy o wybodaeth, fel nodiant, geiriau a hanes y recordiad; a bod modd creu ffurff 'albwm'. Ro'n i hefyd yn awyddus i ddefnyddio'r ffwythiant 'tala os ti moyn' i weld a fyddai honno yn ffrwd roddion fechan y gallwn ni ei gwerthuso yn y dyfodol.
Casglwyd y recordiadau yn bennaf gan Roy Saer, a threfnwyd y sain a'r nodiant gan Meinwen Ruddock-Jones yn yr archif. Ymchwilwyd y caneuon ymhellach gan Emma Lile. Mae'r clawr yn eiddo i'n casgliad celf, gwaith a briodolwyd i'r peintiwr teithiol W J Champan.
Mi ddefnyddiais Canva i gaboli'r hen sgans o nodiant, ac i ychwanegu rhyw damaid am hanes yr archif. Os oes camgymeriad yn y llyfryn, felly, arna i mai'r bai am hynny! Mwynhewch, rhannwch, canwch, rhowch ac arbrofwch - ac os oes adborth neu gwestiwn 'da chi, dodwch nhw yn y sylwadau!
