: Cyffredinol

Un o’m hoff bleserau fel Archifydd Clyweledol yw cael eistedd mewn heddwch am awr neu ddwy gyda phaned o goffi (ac efallai ddarn neu ddau o siocled) yn gwrando ar ddetholiad o’r 12,000 o recordiadau sain sydd yn ei harchif bellach.  Â drws fy swyddfa ar gau ac â’r clustffonau yn eu lle mae modd dianc i ffermdai a ffatrïoedd, i iard yr ysgol, i sedd y diaconiaid, i waelodion y pwll glo, i uchelderau y fferm fynydd neu i ble bynnag y mynnoch i gael cip ar fywydau Cymru’r gorffennol.

Cefais gyfle i wneud hyn y diwrnod o’r blaen ac mae’n rhyfeddol weithiau fel mae clywed pwt o stori, o ddywediad neu bennill yn dod ag atgofion yn llifo nôl.  Roeddwn i yn gwrando ar ŵr yn sôn am ei blentyndod yn Llanwddyn ac am y rhigymau a glywodd ar aelwyd y cartref.  Roedd yn un o wyth o blant ac mae’n sôn am y rhigwm y byddai ei fam yn ei ddweud wrth geisio tawelu’r plant trwy enwi bysedd eu traed.

Bowden, Gwas y Fowden, Dibyl Dabal, Gwas y Stabal, Bys Bach druan gŵr, dorrodd ei ben wrth gario dŵr. 

Recordiwyd yn Llanwddyn (1971)

Mae creu rhigymau am enwau bysedd y traed neu’r llaw yn arferiad byd-eang.   Mewn rhai gwledydd, arferir dechrau gyda’r bys bach a gorffen gyda’r bys bawd, ond ymddengys mai’r traddodiad yng Nghymru yw dechrau gyda’r bawd (bawd y droed fel arfer) a gweithio eich ffordd i lawr y bysedd gan roi siglad bach i bob un nes cyrraedd y bys bach.

Pan oeddwn i yn ifanc rwy’n cofio mam (sy’n dod o Trap, ger Llandeilo) yn tynnu fy hosan ac yn enwi bysedd fy nhraed un wrth un.  Dyma’r enwau oedd ganddi hi ar y bysedd:

Bys Bowtyn, Twm Sgotyn, Lloyd Harris, Charles Dafis a Stiwart Bach y cwmni.

Mae dwsinau o fersiynau o’r rhigwm hwn i’r bysedd yn Archif Sain Amgueddfa Werin Cymru yn amrywio o ardal i ardal ac weithiau o deulu i deulu.  Mae rhai enwau fel “Modryb Bawd” yn ymddangos mewn llawer i ardal a rhai enwau yn unigryw i bentref neu i gymdeithas arbennig.  Weithiau ceir ail ddarn i’r rhigwm fel y gwelir isod.

Dyma rai o’m ffefrynnau i o gasgliad yr archif:

Bys Bwstyn, Twm Swglyn, Long Harris, Jac Dafis a Bili Bach.

Hwn yn mynd i’r farchnad; Hwn yn aros gartre; Hwn yn neud cawl; Hwn yn bwyta’r cwbwl a Bili Bach yn starfo.

Recordiwyd yn Nhal-sarn (1969)

Modryb Bawd, Bys yr Uwd, Hirfys, Pwtfys, Dingw.

Recordiwyd yn Llangoed (1967)

Hen Fawd Fawr yn mynd i’r mynydd.

“I be?” medda Bys yr Uwd

“I ladd defaid”, medda’r Hirfys

“Mi gawn ni ddrwg”, medda’r Cwtfys

“Llechwn, llechwn o dan y llechi”, medda’r peth bach.

Recordiwyd yn Nyffryn Ardudwy (1972)

Fenni Fenni, Cefnder Fenni Fenni, Fenni Dapwr, Dic y Crogwr, Bys Bach druan gŵr, dynnodd y drain trwy’r dŵr.

Recordiwyd yn Llantrisant (1976)

Modryb Bawd, Bys yr Uwd, Pen y Gogor, Bys y Pibar, Robin Gewin Bach.

Recordiwyd yn Nefyn (1968)

Roedd hi hefyd yn arfer ymysg merched i adrodd y rhigymau hyn wrth dynnu bysedd eu dwylo neu fysedd dwylo eu ffrindiau.  Byddai nifer y bysedd a fyddai’n clicio wrth eu tynnu yn darogan y nifer o blant y byddai perchennog y bysedd yn eu cael yn y dyfodol. 

Felly’r tro nesaf mae’r plant yn rhedeg fel corwynt trwy’r tŷ, yn rhoi darnau o fanana yn y peiriant DVD neu’n tynnu llun ar wal y gegin, anghofiwch am y teledu, am gemau’r tabled neu gil-dwrn o losin.  I dawelu'r cariadon bach ac i adfer heddwch, eisteddwch nhw i lawr, tynnwch eu hosannau a chyfrwch fysedd eu traed.

Linking Collections is a project that unites the natural science collections found in the museums across Wales. Put together these make up a distributed natural history collection for the whole of Wales, forming a part of our shared cultural and scientific heritage.

As part of this project a touring exhibition entitled ‘Stuffed, Pickled & Pinned: 50 Wonders of Nature in Welsh Museums’ has been developed. Formed from a selection of objects and specimens from across the regional museums the exhibition will visit 18 museums over the next three years!

In preparation for the tour the chosen specimens and objects were brought together at Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales. Here the Natural Sciences conservation team prepared them for their three year journey by creating packaging to protect them in transit, minimise the need for handling and, where necessary, provide an easy form of display.

The exhibition contains a very diverse range of natural history specimens and objects with many different packaging and display requirements. For a number of the specimens specific support mounts were made from a conservation grade of inert foam called Plastazote.

For other specimens it was possible to create a display mount that also provides support when in transit. A good example is the puffer fish. This has been mounted on black Plastazote that slides out of a Correx box that opens from the side. For extra support when travelling a thin strip of Plastazote is placed diagonally across the puffer fish and secured to the base with entomology pins.

A pickled (fluid preserved) adder from Llandudno Museum required some creative packaging to protect it when travelling. Two plastic tubs were cut to shape and Plastazote padding placed at each end. The specimen jar is then placed inside and empty space filled with acid free tissue. The plastic tub is then placed tightly within a thick black Plastazote box. 

An option for some of the fossils was to package them so that they could be displayed in their box. Plastazote with cut outs support the specimen and they can be presented as they are or at an angle on a Perspex support.

Old entomology boxes have also been put to good use as a way of creating a display case for collections of small specimens such as eggs and shells.

The Linking Collections Exhibition “Stuffed, Pickled & Pinned; 50 Wonders of Nature in Welsh Museums” opened at Powysland Museum on October 20^th 2015. Further information can be found on the People’s Collection Wales website - http://www.peoplescollection.wales/collections/475828

Ruth Murgatroyd, Masters Student in Conservation at Cardiff University

This October Amgueddfa Cymru had the wonderful opportunity to be a part of the Made in Roath community arts festival. Now in its 7^th year, the festival celebrates creative talent by taking art out of the gallery and into the wider community, with an emphasis on social engagement and inclusivity.

During the weekend of 17^th and 18^th October, the Natural Science conservators and curators along with some amazing Made in Roath volunteers, contributed to the festival’s creative extravaganza by installing a pop-up museum in a residential house. The unique setting allowed us to display many of our scientific specimens in a completely different way and also to make great use of our outreach collections.

Our aim was to simply have fun with the specimens, to inspire curiosity and delight for our visitors, and reinforce the idea that museums can be a friendly, relaxed spaces. So that’s just what we did…. by placing a sheep in the kitchen, a giant ancient millipede on the worktop, a crocodile under the stairs and an ostrich skeleton in the bay window. We filled a snooker table full of insects, made blinds from pressed plants and replaced the cups and saucers in the welsh dresser with fossils and minerals. Our curators enjoyed weaving their humour into the displays in subtle ways too. Visitors may have noticed a fox and otter playing a family game together and spelling their names, the spider’s web in the garden with its own paper label and even the specially created 2015.032 accession number with reference to the year of the festival and the door number of the house! 

Thanks to everyone’s hard work, the exhibition was a huge success and was amazingly well received by the local community. We have a visitor book full of lovely comments to prove it!

We’d like to say special thanks to the local Roath celebrity, Boyd Clack, who cut the red ribbon and opened the museum for us; the property owners who let us take over their home; and our volunteers who warmly welcomed visitors over the weekend, helping us to bring the museum to life.

We hope that our collaborative work with Made in Roath will grow in the future, so we can find even more creative ways to engage the community with our science collections. Watch this space!

https://storify.com/CardiffCurator/museuminahouse-madeinroath2015

For the last five years St Fagans National History Museum has been a partner in the EU Culture-funded project, OpenArch.

OpenArch is an exciting project which aims to raises standards of management, interpretation and visitor interaction in those open-air museums that focus on Europe’s early history – archaeological open-air museums (AOAMs) as they have become known. AOAMs can be found right across Europe, bringing to life everything from Stone Age campsites to Iron Age farms, Roman forts and medieval towns. Their great strength is in the way in which they present their stories, often through detailed reconstructions and live interpretation.

The partners in this project are:

Archaeological-Ecological Centre Albersdorf, Germany

Archeon, Netherlands

C.I. De Calafell, Catalonia

EXARC, Netherlands

Exeter University, UK

Fotevikens Museum, Sweden

Hunebedcentrum, Netherlands

Kierikki Stone Age Village, Finland

Parco Archeologico e Museo all’aperto della Terramara di Montale, Italy

Viminacium, Serbia

And, of course, St Fagans National History Museum.

The project itself consists of three main strands: conferences and workshops, staff exchanges, and activities.

Almost all the partners have hosted conferences related to the main area they are covering in the project: management practices, visitor interaction, craft work, scientific studies and communication, among others. Many of these have attracted large audiences and all have been stimulating opportunities to share new ideas.

Staff exchanges have also been a key method of strengthening links between the partner organisations, with practitioners spending time working in one another’s institutions to help share best practice.

The activities that partners have undertaken have, of course, been very varied. For example, visitor surveys have been undertaken to help us understand how well we are serving the public, and scientific studies have been carried out to learn more about how life was lived in the past and how this can be shown to the public.

What has St Fagans done?

St Fagans has benefited tremendously from the project. Over the course of the last five years, around twenty members of staff from all parts of the Museum have had the opportunity to see how their colleagues in other museums go about their work. It’s been a chance to share what we do well, and learn from others. On one exchange visit, staff from our Events team were able to see how public activities were organized by our partners at Archeon in the Netherlands. On another, our Iron Age learning facilitator helped out on an Iron Age themed event in Calafell, Spain. The experience has certainly given us a better appreciation of the benefits of European working and has helped us to develop further ideas for collaborative working with European partners.

Throughout the project we have been using the experience we’ve gained in OpenArch to improve the quality of the new Iron Age farmhouses we’ve been building. For example, we learnt from the very high standards of interior display demonstrated by our colleagues in Modena in Italy and adopted their standards in the choice of display items; while the work of the Hunebedcentrum in the Netherlands helped in suggesting ways that we could improve our building maintenance programmes. Along the way we’ve shared what we’ve learnt and how we’ve applied it in presentations at conferences run by the partners.

Perhaps the high point of our involvement in the project was the conference that we ran in May 2015. We used this to focus the project on issues relating to the management of archaeological open-air museums, and over three days we looked at issues both theoretical and practical in the company of a very distinguished selection of speakers from across Europe.

Alongside the conference we ran a craft festival as a major public event – the first of its kind to be held at St Fagans in many years. Over the course of a packed day, we hosted around 50 craftspeople from across Wales and the UK, including colleagues from our partner museums who were with us on staff exchange. Together they put on a great show, demonstrating everything from metalworking to pot-making, leatherwork, painting, food preparation and lots more. Over 5,000 visitors came to visit and feedback was excellent.

More information about our involvement in OpenArch can be found on the project website: openarch.eu.

This is a short introduction to one of the Archive collections held at St Fagans: National History Museum. The Paper archive consists of 35,000 items relating to Welsh Social and Cultural History.

Whose story does it tell?

This archive gives us a picture of people's everyday lives in Wales during the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries and up to the present day.

What does it contain?

It contains among other items diaries; letters; trade account books; memoirs; linguistic studies; local history and folklore; traditional recipes; notes on traditional medicines; records of traditional buildings; agricultural records; educational and school records and a large collection of folk music.

A Recent Donation – Letters written by Ffransis Payne between 1935-1936

Ffransis Payne was Keeper of Collections at the Welsh Folk Museum (now known as St Fagans: National History Museum) and worked alongside Dr. Iorwerth Peate. Recently, his son Ceri Payne collated and then donated to the Archive extracts of letters, his father sent to his mother before they married in the period 1935 to 1936.

Ffransis was born in Kington in Herefordshire and previously worked as a farm hand in Cardiganshire, Monmouthshire and Glamorganshire. He also worked in the steelworks of Ebbw Vale, in the rail yards of Neath, as a clerk in Glasgow and as a book seller back in Cardiganshire.

He became an Archivist in Swansea in 1934 and was then appointed Assistant in the Department of Folk Culture and Industries at National Museum Cardiff in 1936.

In his letters to his future wife Helly Bilek, a 19 year old from Austria, he discusses international events (the rising tensions on the continent pre Second World War); Welsh political problems (a clash between unemployed workers and the Welsh National Party in May 1936 during the Pwllheli Annual Fair, regarding the Government's proposal to build a new air base and bombing school at Porth Neigwl) and a comment from his friend Saunders Lewis on the event.

The letters also contain comments about his work at the Museum and items collected and researched by him, and finally domestic observations about living and working in Cardiff during this period.

Wednesday, 15th of April, 1936 - I have just been listening to the news on the wireless. The situation in Austria is serious, it was said, and frontier troop movements etc. .......there is a month for us to see what will happen...

Western Mail, Monday May 25th,1936 - "Fight at Welsh Air Base Protest Meeting, Nationalist Party Leaders Clash with Unemployed"

Tuesday, 26th May, 1936 - I had a talk with Saunders Lewis today. He says the newspaper report exaggerated. He certainly seems unruffled.

Tuesday, 30th June, 1936 - My first real job has been assigned to me, it is making a catalogue and guide to the Museum's collection of samplers!!

Sunday, 5th July, 1936 - As for my work at the museum. I was and am quite serious. If you are interested in people and ways of life, you will find plenty to interest you in my work.