Welsh Journals

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Opposite the Malthouse, just inside the wall where the bungalows are built today, stood a house called The Shoe," which was previously a public house known as the Golden Shoe Inn." Parsonage Bank was known in former days as the Bishop's Palace Some of its old walls and arches may be still seen inside its grounds. In a corner, on the way up to the Glebe," stood the old Tithe Barn, where the farmers would deliver their Tithe Rents." The Bishopston Valley Hotel" was once called the "Cross inn, and kept by a native of Bishopston called John Bevan. He emigrated to California and after some time returned home. He again bought the Cross Inn and renamed it the California Inn." Reaping Day. The day we cut the wheat has always been known as reaping day. In my youth, the neighbouring farmers would come along with their scythes to help to cut and the women would come to help bind the corn into sheaves. The farmer would kill a sheep a day or two before the reap, a quantity being boiled for the reaping dinner which was carried to the fields in one of the farm carts. After dinner, reaping and binding would be resumed. Then an early cup of tea, with plenty of homemade shortcake. When the day's work was over, all hands would come to the house to supper, which consisted of broth from the boiled mutton and a delicious reaping pudding, made on the afternoon of the day and baked in a brick oven. After supper a few songs and the fourhanded reel. THE GOWER REEL Saint Cenydd is the patron saint of Gower, and July the fifth is his saint s day." Even within the memory of Gowermen still living his feast day was celebrated in the Gower Englishry by the mapsant —a term of Welsh origin for the celebration of religious feasts which had become secular. Fair-days were also often held on saints' days long after the Christian calendar fell into disuse in Wales. The famous Llangyfelach Fair was held on March the first-a dedication to St. David, and a feast-day. At any rate, these secular celebrations served to preserve ancient crafts and folk-culture. The Gower dances were danced on the mapsant," and while we cannot claim for them the international significance of the Llanofer Reel and other Welsh dances, they are nevertheless well worth preserving, and three of them still remain. This year, a start was made in the revival of the Gower Reel at an open-air meeting at Parkmill which was very well attended As a result of this beginning, many people have become interested in Gower folk-dances and a group has been formed under the guidance of Mr. Evan Evans, whose school at Parkmill had pioneered the revival of folk-dancing and folk-singing long before the Gower Society came to being. The Society is affiliated to the Welsh Folk Dance Society, and the English Folk Song and Dance Society has also