Welsh Journals

BOOK REVIEWS Dai Hawkins, Llyfr Gwyrdd Fferegs, published by the Radnorshire Society, 130 pp. Copies are available from: Dai Hawkins, Y Garth, Nantmel, LD 6EH at £ 5 per copy, including post and packing. The news that the National Eisteddfod was to come to Radnorshire for the first time ever in 1993 prompted the Radnorshire Society to think about publishing a book to mark the occasion. It was further decided that there would be another first, the book was to be in Welsh. To many Welsh people, whether speakers of the language or not, Radnorshire is a complete blank. The book therefore was designed to give the Welsh speaking visitor, who would of course make up the majority of visitors to the Eisteddfod, a taste of Radnorshire and its surrounding districts. The name 'Fferegs' on the cover immediately catches the eye, as it is unusual and unfamiliar. The author wished to include a slightly wider area than Radnorshire. 'Fferegs' was an old name which covered Radnorshire, Cantref Buallt, southern Montgomeryshire, and parts of Herefordshire and Shropshire. It was preferable to using the later, rather cumbersome, Welsh name 'Rhwng Gwy a Hafren'. This is not a history book. It is, in the author's words, 'non- scholarly'. There is no attempt to make serious analysis of subjects nor to select reliable versions from different sources. The subject matter is of historical interest, and while generally in chronological order, does not aim to give complete coverage of the history of the area. Rather it is a series of short articles, extracted from a wide variety of sources, which give a broad picture of the area over a long period of time. Some articles are amusing, some are sad. There is a wide variety of style ranging from Welsh poetry of the fourteenth century to twentieth century English prose, translated into Welsh. The extracts are arranged into sections dealing with the landscape, local characters, the language, social life, religion, travel, customs and politics. The articles are short, so that the book would make good bedtime reading. The author's aim was to give a taste of 'Fferegs', and especially he hopes to show the essential underlying Welshness of the area. There are studies of characters as far back as Gwineu in the seventh century, right through to 'Gwngu' in the twentieth. There is a section on the dialect of Welsh which was spoken in the area. A small section deals with the Welsh place names of one part of Fferegs, while another examines the earliest references to a selection of Welsh surnames. There are many illustrations, which mostly tie in with the accompanying articles. Unfortunately, some of the pictures have come out very dark and lose some of their detail. An interesting choice of picture shows Huntington village hall, which is just over the border in Herefordshire; an unprepossessing building, but a typical example of what, for the people of this area, is an important social centre. At the back of the book is a folded map which is both attractive and informative. This must have been a difficult book to assemble. The author says that he had a mass of material to choose from. In selecting, he has tried to establish a balance of interest, aiming to provide something that will