Norena Shopland ,

Of trying to help you visualise man’s existence, such as people about previous, it’s the tiny issues that bring lifetime alive like as the a pass to a lecture or a brooch – and two items in Amgueddfa Cymru’s range certainly do that.

Both get in touch with Cranogwen, this new bardic identity having Sarah Jane Rees (1839–1916) a master mariner, poet, creator, editor and you may temperance worker who, for most off the girl existence stayed in the tiny town of Llangrannog, Cardiganshire. She came to be here and you will throughout their lifestyle flew following that being probably one of the most better-understood women in Wales regarding later nineteenth/early twentieth century. Also it are right here that their several lovers lived, first Fanny Rees “Phania” (1853-1874) exactly who passed away aged only 21 and later Jane Thomas (1850-?) which, in most of one’s census efficiency is described as a good ‘home-based worker’, ‘standard servant’ otherwise ‘charwoman’.

Cranogwen is actually tend to out, in range programs and you will giving lecturers but the girl first concert tour started in 1866, per year once controversially profitable an enthusiastic Eisteddfod poetry honor in the event it are shown a lady got beaten this new males.

The reader often understand that it was the young girl lion which grabbed new honor on Aberystwyth Eisteddfod to the track to the Wedding band. Once reading one, and have now knowing that all of our top poets, instance Islwyn and Ceiriog were competing, I became some time amazed that there try certain ‘mud regarding the cheese’ somewhere. [i]

Cranogwen’s tour centered on her behalf lecture ‘The newest Youth plus the Society of the Minds’ even though this did expand after to provide a couple other lecturers, ‘Anhebgorion Cymeriad da’ (Basics a good Character) and you may ‘Elements of Happiness’, all the concerned with advancements when you look at the people’s characters. Since the she talked during the Welsh, these were mostly protected by the fresh new Welsh language force toward English language news using almost no focus.

Traveling having Cranogwen

Cranogwen started out on Aberystwyth city very we hope Jane performed travel along with her to incorporate specific assistance but because discussions expanded inside prominence Cranogwen flew then afield and just a couple months afterwards at Swansea’s Brynhyfryd Chapel almost a lot of some one turned-out to see the lady – a challenging prospect proper very we hope Jane is actually around once the well supply help.

Term is spread easily and you can, once the a reporter from the Baner air conditioning Amserau Cymru listed, ‘You don’t need to in the world to check out the dilemmas out-of providing a conclusion of your own lecture today, because it is already quite nicely understood through the Wales. [ii]

Everywhere she went supplement try showered on the woman, leading to that author to help you question when the she could surpass the latest buzz: ‘as we had read such praise for her, we questioned their becoming an excellent. However, we never thought you to definitely she is actually while the skilled since the she are, thereby masterful within the woman performs.’ [iii]

Night just after evening she spoke to help you rave product reviews along with her you to-time lecture expanded for the several and also extended whenever local dignitaries sought for to seem on stage next to this lady, adding its pennyworth. Regional poets flocked to her forskjell mellom britiske og amerikanske kvinner , have a tendency to creating englyns, many of which have been typed regarding the paperwork, and you will females was basically following her example and you may delivering to the point.

People, instance ‘younger girls’ (she is actually 27 at the time) should not be lecturing, told you brand new guys, which complained of your impropriety of females speaking in public. ‘The newest population from South Wales,’ ranted the Cardiff Minutes, ‘are run insane into teenagers that lecturing on the nation [and] in the advice of numerous eminent guys this is certainly heading too far.