Rural Wales in the 1890s
"In some of the remote parts of Wales, the ancient manor houses are occupied by farmers, and it is of common occurrence to see...mansions used as farmhouses..."
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From Glimpses of Welsh Life and Character by Marie Trevelyan, 1893.
In some of the remote parts of Wales, the ancient manor houses are occupied by farmers, and it is of common occurrence to see fifteenth and sixteenth century mansions used as farmhouses. They have thick and strong walls, calculated to resist any attacks but those of the modern cannon, and not a few of these habitations are said to be haunted, while those nearest the sea invariably have their smuggler's hole or secret cellar. It is interesting to explore these antiquated dwellings with their broad polished oak stairways, wainscoted walls, long rambling passages, and lofty rooms with curious mediaeval carvings and spacious lattices, with deep cushioned seats. Some of them are in a bad state of repair, or are patched up with modern alterations, which are gradually crowding out the domestic architecture of the past.
Here and there a modern farmhouse will be seen standing in the grounds of an ancient castle now in ruins, and very frequently the building occupies what were once the lawns of a fair domain. The ancient surroundings, the ruined remains of former splendour, and the legends connected with these castles and manorial halls, do much to foster that spirit of reverence which is still a feature in the home life of Wales. In their respect for the living and their profound reverence for the dead, together with intense religious fervency, the Welsh more than any other people resemble the Hebrews.
They live quiet, simple, and, in many respects, almost primitive lives. The Bible and the newspaper satisfy their literary wants, and, in the winter nights they congregate around the old-fashioned hearth which is protected from draughts by high-backed oaken settles and spin long yarns about the sayings and doings of their forefathers. The women knit and sew, and eagerly listen to the reminiscences of bygone days. Outside, the wind may howl and rave through the woods and glens, but at home there is warmth and happiness and comfort. There are no temptations to lure people away from home; the streets of the small towns and villages are badly lighted or not illuminated at all, and the distance from the railway is often so great that, unless people have a vehicle of their own, they must either post, or go in with the carrier to the nearest station.
Modern invention has done much to improve the condition of the people in the Welsh towns, but in most country places home life is just as it was a hundred or more years ago. The wives of to-day conduct their establishments in precisely the same manner as their ancestresses did long ages ago. They make the "meth" in the same way as it was made in the Middle Ages; their rhubarb wine, prepared from the ancient recipe, is as good and sparkling as champagne; while their bake-stone cakes, cream cakes, and honey cannot be rivalled. Sheep are still milked in Wales, and the cheese made out of the milk is very delicious. Sheeps' milk and cream are used by the Welsh house mother in pastry making, especially for dumplings and boiled puddings.
In the Welsh home there is always a full larder, which is subject to frequent and unexpected demands, for people visit without ceremony, just whenever they like, and generally unannounced. It is astonishing to find, even in the houses of the peasantry, a "fulness of everything" as they say, for Welshwomen as a rule are very thrifty, but sometimes "too near" to suit their lords.
The Welsh mother will often deny herself the good things of life in order to save money, and in Wales it is the rule for the wife to keep the purse. A woman who has to ask her husband for a shilling is considered an object of pity; and if a man goes shopping, his wife is called a "slut." On the other hand, the men submissively bring in their wages, and the wives dole out as much as they think fit for their spouses' pocket-money. If, to use their own exact expression, the wife is a "very saving person," she limits her good man beyond his liking, and forthwith obliges him to secrete money for the purchase of his favourite "cwrw da," or strong beer of Wales. He is allowed tobacco, because Welshwomen have a strongly rooted opinion that a husband who loves his pipe is not only peaceful and contented, but is not liable to the "grumps," and is kept out of mischief.
The people dine at 12 or 12.30; they have tea at four o'clock, and supper about eight, when in some parts of Wales the Curfew Bell is still rung. After supper the young people sometimes play draughts, or fox and goose; and in well regulated families, everybody goes to bed at ten o'clock, and often before that hour. They get up very early, and it is by no means unusual to find them at breakfast at eight o'clock in the winter, and at 7.30 in the summer.
Trevelyan, Marie. Glimpses of Welsh Life and Character. J. Hogg, 1893.
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