Carmarthenshire Antiquarian Society
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Laurie Manifold, a retired Fleet Street journalist and military historian, brought to life General Sir James Hills-Johnes, a leading figure in the Society for 40 years and a substantial donor to its collections. Winning his V.C. in the defence of Delhi in the Indian Mutiny, he served in numerous campaigns and was honoured by becoming an ADC to the Vice-Roy at the age of 24. Later he was adviser to General Roberts in South Africa: "a good citizen but a fantastic hero". His immense generosity to his tenants on the Dolaucothi estate and the wider area made him very popular. He provided tea for every local school on their sports days and a blanket for every parishioner in his large parish at Christmas. During WW1 every service man in the parish home on leave was invited to the Hall for tea and given a tobacco box and £2 - a week's wages. Small wonder that on one occasion 420 children with flags marched before him from Llanwrda station and his funeral was huge, with several military bands. |
Thomas Lloyd spoke on E. V. Collier, an architect who was involved with innumerable organisations in Carmarthen, from the Infirmary to the welfare of the troops. His first building was the chapel of St. David's Asylum. His interest was not in research but in art and collecting. He was a good artist and served as curator of the museum from 1920 until his death in 1932.
G. G. Treherne Treherne was the first president, a member of the Inn and Out Club (the first archaeological club, which held many meetings in the Green Bridge Inn near Amroth). Another tireless worker for the Society, he carried out much research in the Laugharne and Eglwys Cymun area.
Dominic Conway started the second session with a paper on the second president, Alan Stepney-Gulston, known as the collector president. He was a worthy curator of the furniture and portraits amassed by his forbears but also added to them glass, small Egyptian figures and a variety of small antiquities and curiosities. He bought the Cwpwrdd Triban, formerly belonging to Vicar Prichard and now back in Llandovery. He refurbished Derwydd, "both the house and its history". George Eyre Evans regarded Derwydd as the home of archaeology. Stepney-Gulston was also a talented artist and photographer and wrote poetry. In 1844 he published Aphrodite, part of which was read by Alexandra Trowbridge-Matthews. |
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Cwpwrdd Triban
Westminster from the Savoy, painted by Alan Stepney-Gulston
That most prolific of antiquarians, George Eyre Evans, was the subject of the paper by Steve Dubé. Mr. Dubé emphasised our fantastic legacy which is the result of George Eyre's labours but also presented a human view of the man. As an inspector for the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments he visited every church, chapel and antiquity site in S W Wales, travelling by train and walking many miles. At the end of the day he would write up his notes and make meticulous drawings, always in green ink. He wrote seven volumes of the Royal Commission Inventory. He got on well with everybody. He was a friend of Allen Raine, the novelist and welcome in all the gentry houses but always talked to the lengths-man he met on his travels. He was therefore able to persuade gentry families to part with their treasures and antiquities. This collection formed the basis for Carmarthenshire County Museum and many of these objects are now on view in a special exhibition "Objects of Meaning" to celebrate the Society's centenary.
The last two speakers looked at different aspects of the early Society. Dylan Rees presented the result of his sociological analysis of the early members. One of the interesting facts to emerge was the preponderance of ministers of all denominations, another was the relatively large number of single women who joined in the early years.
Society Chairman Arfon Rees closed the day school with an overview of field days over the century. During the course of the century the mode of transport changed. In 1905 the train was met by brakes; in 1922 ferry boats were used and brakes were not mentioned again. By 1934 a convoy of petrol-driven cars visited St. David's. He drew attention to the fact that although the Society has moved on in many ways it is still visiting the same interesting locations - but perhaps without showing the stamina that early Antiquarians seemed to possess in abundance as they travelled by brake and train.
An excellent exhibition had been put together by Molly Rees and Edna Dale-Jones. As well as photographs and programmes ranging back over the century one section was devoted to the very large number of books published by members.