The Study of Butterflies

The last day of the year, a day when many reflect on things that have happened over the previous 12 months. 2013 was the 100th anniversary of the death of one of the most important figures of nineteenth century biology. Everyone knows about Charles Darwin and his famous theory of evolution, but very few people know that a man born in Usk or to be more exact, Llanbadoc, developed a parallel theory of evolution at the same time as Darwin.

The story goes that the work of Alfred Wallace was drawn on by Darwin in presenting his theory of evolution. Charles Darwin saw Wallace's findings as a threat to his own status and subsequently went on to publish ' On The Origin of Species'  in his own right without crediting Wallace in any way for his contribution.

Wallace's birth place Kensington Cottage, Llanbadoc, Usk

Alfred Russel Wallace was born in Kensington Cottage Llanbadoc on 8 January 1823 where he lived until he was five years old when his family moved to Hertfordshire.Thomas and Mary Wallace had nine children and Alfred was the eighth born child. Three of his young sisters sadly did not survive childhood and are buried in Llanbadoc Church Yard. Wallace wrote about his early life just outside Usk and you can read this on the pages here.

In 1836 when he was 12,  the family was facing financial hardship and Alfred was sent to London to live with his older brother John. The following year at age 14, he went to Bedfordshire where he started working for his eldest brother William in his surveying business. Alfred learnt map making, trigonometry, building design and construction, mechanics and agricultural chemistry. It was while working for William that he began taking an interest in natural history.

In 1843, he accepted a position at the Collegiate School in Leicester, teaching drafting, surveying, English, and mathematics and took advantage of the library there to read more about natural history. He was later awarded honorary doctorates by the University of Dublin and Oxford University. Alfred left his position as a teacher and took over running William's surveying business in 1845 when William died, but he continued to be interested in natural history.

Inspired by a book 'Voyage Up the River Amazon' by William H. Edwards and fed up with the administrative aspects of the surveying business,Wallace decided, at age 25, to become a professional naturalist, collecting animal and plant specimens. He enlisted the help of Henry Walter Bates, an amateur naturalist whom he had met while teaching in Leicester, and the two set sail for the Amazon during April 1848.

Alfred Russel Wallace

Wallace spent four years exploring and collecting specimens, while also studying the people, the languages, and the geography. On the return trip to England, Wallace was forced to abandon ship with the rest of the crew when the cargo caught fire. His entire collection was lost as well as many of his notes and sketches. Nevertheless, he wrote six academic articles, including Travels on the Amazon, On the Monkeys of the Amazon, and Palm Trees of the Amazon and Their Uses.

Wallace studied the beautiful golden bird wing butterfly

Wallace’s conclusions concerning natural selection and the survial of the fittest, similar to those of Darwin, were arrived at after years of travel in wilderness areas, including the Amazon and the Malay Archipelago where he studied the many species of beetle and butterflies. He shared his ideas with Darwin, who saw Wallace as a threat to his preeminence in the field and immediately discussed the dilemma with two close friends, both of whom encouraged the presentation of Wallace’s essay along with some of Darwin’s writings at the July 1, 1858 meeting of the Linnean Society. Wallace did not learn of the presentation until after the fact. Drawing on the work of Wallace to support and corroborate his own findings of natural selection, Dawin, a much wealthier man who moved in more influential circles than Wallace, published and received acclaim for 'On The Origin of Species'.

In 2008 a  new book on the work of Wallace was published

A bronze statue of Wallace was unveiled at
The Darwin Centre in 2013

Comedian Bill Bailey and Sir David Attenborough, have been instrumental in improving awareness of Wallace's role in developing the theory of evolution and awarding him the credit he so deserved but didn't get. In 2012 Bill Bailey and Wallace's Grandson,  Richard, began campaigning to raise funds for a statue of Wallace to commemorate the 100th anniversary of his death in 1913. A beautiful bronze statue of Wallace was unveiled at The Darwin Centre by Sir David Attenborough in November 2013. The statue depicts Wallace in his thirties in the field with a butterfly net during his expedition to the Malay Archipelago. It captures the moment when he first say the golden birdwing butterfly, Ornithoptera croesus, an event that Wallace found so exciting, he describes having a headache for the rest of the day. Watch unveiling of the statue of Wallace

Thanks to the work of Usk Civic Society, Usk has had it's own memorial to Wallace since 2006 near Llanbadoc Church, where Wallace was baptised, which was unveiled by Wallace's Grandson Richard.


Further Information

The Alfred Russel Wallace Website

BBC piece on Wallace

Brits at their Best 

Raglan Castle

Up on the tower

As well as having its own lovely castle, Usk is within easy driving distance of many other wonderful castles. I shall hopefully be writing about some more of these in 2014.

Here I take a look back to a visit to Raglan Castle with Jez and my two grandchildren Cerys and Robert last August, with a potted history of this impressive, moated ruin only a few miles from Usk. Raglan Castle is located in stunning Monmouthshire countryside with outstanding views all around, it is well worth a visit.

I've provided some links at the bottom to some 'expert' articles on the history of Raglan Castle and directions.

History

Raglan Castle in the 15th Century - pic from Cadw guidebook

Raglan is actually one of the latest castles to be built in Wales. Building began in 1430 probably on the site of a much smaller and earlier Norman castle. It was built as a lavish proclamation of wealth by Sir William ap Thomas, the Blue Knight of Gwent who fought at Agincourt with Henry V in 1415. William ap Thomas constructed the Great Tower which became known as the Yellow Tower of Gwent - built as it was from yellowish coloured sandstone quarried near Redbrook on the River Wye.

The residents of Raglan Castle had a clear view
across the countryside

Hand to hand combat on the Castle Green!

When William ap Thomas died in 1445 the castle passed to his son Sir William Herbert a supporter of the House of York. William Herbert fought  at the Battle of Mortimer's Cross in Herefordshire on the side of the future King Edward IV. In 1462, he became a Knight of the Garter, and in 1467 was chief justice of North Wales. In 1468, Sir William Herbert received the ultimate reward for his loyalty when King Edward IV dubbed him the Earl of Pembroke for capturing Harlech Castle, the last Lancastrian stronghold in Wales. William Herbert continued the work of his father in adding to the structure of Raglan Castle building an impressive gatehouse, stately apartments and adding machicolations on the gatehouse and Closet Tower. The machicolations, gave the castle a French appearance and allowed defenders of the castle to drop objects onto attackers below. These Tudor additions by William Herbert were in a reddish coloured sandstone, which from a distance still give the castle a bit of a reddish glow. Construction of Raglan was finally completed in 1525.

Looking down on the serfs

Newly restored stone staircase at Raglan

More than six decades later in 1589, during the time of William Somerset, third Earl of Worcester, the castle entered its last major phase of construction. Additions consisted of a new hammer-beam roof to the hall and long gallery on the second floor overlooking the Fountain Court. During the English Civil War in 1646, Raglan Castle was besieged by parliamentarian forces led by Sir Thomas Fairfax. The castle was surrounded and mortar batteries (short bell shaped cannons) including the famous 'Roaring Meg' (now sited at Goodrich Castle - I will write more about this in a later post) were dug into place. Henry Somerset who attempted to defend the castle and did so for thirteen weeks, knew his efforts were futile and surrendered to Fairfax. As a result of the siege, the castle was heavily damaged, and began a period of disrepair. Descendants of the Somerset family still live in the village of Raglan and at Cefn Tilla Court between Usk and Raglan today.

In 1938, Raglan Castle was placed in the guardianship of the Commissioners of HM Works by the 10th Duke of Beaufort. For two decades following the end of World War II, extensive conservation efforts were conducted to maintain the castle. Today, it is maintained by CADW (Welsh Historic Monuments). 

The impressive scale of Raglan Castle

Diagram plan of Raglan Castle  from Cadw guidebook

In its day Raglan Castle was the height of fashionable Tudor and Elizabethan splendour, built with no cost spared. It has a unique hexaganol design with a banqueting hall and comfortable (by Tudor standards) apartments with fireplaces and beautiful mullioned windows. It still has several rooms worth visiting including the Great Gatehouse, Hall, Long Gallery and South Gate.

For more information and directions to Raglan Castle

Cadw - Raglan Castle

Castles of Wales - this site has some of the best detailed history and photos

Great Castles of Wales

The views from Raglan Castle across the Monmouthshire countryside are truly stunning

Looking towards the village of Raglan

Of course no visit would be complete without a
'Medieval Banquet'

The Old Homestead

Yew Tree Cottage a very special place

A bit of a nostalgic look back at a very special place for me today - Yew Tree Cottage, Llanllowell.

The small cottage nestled deep in the beautiful surroundings of Llewellyn's Dingle, is where I grew up with my younger brother and sisters from 1960 onwards and later moved back to as an adult and lived for another 9-10 years before moving into Usk around 4 1/2 years ago.

My Mum and Dad bought Yew Tree Cottage back in 1958 for the princely sum of £200. It was in a very bad state and actually had a demolition order on it. They managed to get this lifted and got permission to rebuild the cottage, although ironically considering there was a demolition order on it at the time, a condition was that they left the four main walls of the stone cottage standing.

View of the cottage from the other side of the stream

My parents had met while they were at teacher training college in Derby and Loughborough. Dad, from Yorkshire and Mum an Usk girl. They both loved the area and often walked the surrounding countryside and lanes and discovered the ruined Yew Tree Cottage while out walking and fell in love with it. Dad got a job teaching at Llantarnam Secondary school and my Mum at Usk Secondary school, both teaching PE. They began work on the cottage, living with my Grandparents in Mill Street Usk, after they got married in 1958. I was born in 1959 and we moved into Yew Tree when I was 1 year old in 1960. My siblings were born in very quick succession.  My brother Jonathan in 1960, Caroline in 1962 and Josie in 1963,  so the tiny Yew Tree Cottage was soon full of boisterous, noisy children. It was small inside, but that never seemed to matter much as we had the big outdoors just a step away with a one acre garden with a stream running through it to play in and free run of the adjoining fields and woods where we built dens. We never seemed to be inside very much at all in those days, we were out from dawn till dusk, only coming back to re-stoke with food. It was a fantastic place to grow up.

Working on my raised vegetable beds ready for Spring
planting

My family continued to live in Yew Tree Cottage until 2000. After my Mum died in 1988, Dad lived in the cottage on his own and then with his new partner. In 2000 Dad decided to move to Dale in Pembrokeshire to be close to the sea and enjoy sailing his boats and my ex and I bought Yew Tree Cottage from him. We did a lot of work to update the property, new windows,  redecorating, re-plumbing and re-wiring,  putting in a bore hole to replace the spring water that previously fed the cottage, a raised bed vegetable garden, a bridge over the stream and fencing the wonderful orchard of old varieties of apple trees that my Dad had planted. I enjoyed keeping chickens and growing
produce and it was a great place to live. But sadly it wasn't to last.  It was a real wrench to leave Yew Tree 4 1/2 years ago, but my marriage breakup in 2007 meant keeping it was no longer feasible on my own. However, I am very lucky that I can live in Usk and I love my current house and location beneath the walls of Usk Castle. The present owners have also done more work to it, but Yew Tree is currently back on the market - details here.

Although I have moved from Yew Tree, there will always be a special bond with Yew Tree and the wonderful valley Llewellyn's Dingle - for me it is still one of the most beautiful places on earth.

You can walk (or drive, or cycle but the road is steep) the lane that goes up through Llewellyn's Dingle. Go through the hamlet of Llanllowell  towards the Greyhound Llantrisant and under the bridge, take the first turning to the left signposted Llangwm - the narrow lane rises up through the valley and there are wonderful views at the top looking back down across the Usk Valley to the mountains in the distance. At the top of the lane when you reach the hamlet of Coed Cwnr,  you can turn left and follow the bridle path back down until it joins with the Usk Flood Route - a beautiful walk if you have the time. Turning right at the top takes you down through the village of Llangwm to the Usk. Chepstow road.

Yew Tree in the snow

Molly and Bess enjoyed  10 years living at Yew Tree - pic taken from an old tree I used to sit on and contemplate life!

On the hill 'The Graig' above Yew Tree where we roamed free and
wild as children!

Banana Loaf

What do you do with two 'black' over ripe bananas?  Make a banana loaf!

The house is still full of food being Christmas time so making this cake wasn't exactly essential,  but I hate waste so while I was cooking sausage and mash for us to eat as a late lunch yesterday after walking the dogs in the wind and rain, I mixed up this cake and stuck it in the oven. It couldn't be easier to make, it has a lovely banana flavour and was a favourite for cake makes with my Mum.

Ingredients

Two over ripe bananas (but you can use normal ripe bananas - they don't have to have black skins)
9oz of self raising flour or you can do half and half of self raising and wholemeal flour if you prefer
4oz soft marg or butter
6oz sugar - white or demerara
2 large eggs
3 heaped tablespoons of natural yogurt - I used Greek yoghurt because that's what I had in the fridge
Handful of crushed walnuts

How to do it

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees C.

Grease and line an oblong cake tin with greased, grease proof paper.

Place all the above ingredients except the walnuts in a large mixing bowl and beat well until thoroughly blended and softly dropping - then add in the walnuts and stir well.

Turn the mix into the prepared tin and place in the hot oven for about 1- 11/2 hours until well risen and golden brown.

Test if the banana loaf is done by sticking a clean skewer or knitting needle into it - if it comes out clean the cake is done - if there is mixture stuck to it put the cake back in for a bit longer.

Leave the cake in the tin for about 10-15 mins then turn it out on a wire cake rack to finish cooling.

Hmmm....smells lovely! You can serve it on its own sliced or spread with butter like a tea bread - Mum loved it liked that. Goes well with a cuppa and it would prob also work as a pudding served warm with custard.

What's in a Name?

Usk - it's the name of a town and the name of the river that runs through it!

But what are the origins of 'Usk', how long have people lived here and what does its name mean? What is the history behind Usk and what are the other names associated with this small town in South Wales?

The place with no name

Remains of the Iron Age fort at Coed-y-Bwynydd, Clytha

There has been human activity in the Usk area since the Mesolithic period or Middle stone age (around 10,000 - 4,500 BC). Around 700 artefacts from this time, in the form of worked flint tools that would have been used for hunting animals and butchering them, were discovered during excavations of the Roman fortress at Usk showing that hunter, gatherer tribes may have lived in or migrated through the area. Flint axes and sickle blades and evidence of wattle construcred buildings, from the later Neolithic period (4,500 - 2,500 BC) have also been discovered at Rhadyr and Trostrey to the North of Usk. These tools and structures are more associated with early forms of farming and settlement, so it likely that people began to settle in this area many thousands of years ago. During the Bronze and Iron Ages (between 2,500 BC - AD 43) when metal working resulted in more sophisticated buildings, tools and weaponry evolving,  it is likely that local Silurian tribes fought over territory with the Dobmuni Tribes (who lived in what is now Herefordshire and Gloucestershire). In these lower reaches of the Usk Valley, we can still see plain evidence of the impressive hill forts they built today with earth mounds visible at  Clytha (Coed y Bwnydd) , Llancayo (Llancayo Camp), Llansoy (Great House Camp),  Gwehelog Fawr, Llangwm (Gaer Fawr), Bryn Gwyn  and Gray Hill near Wentwood. Usk Castle is also reputedly built on the site of a former Celtic hill fort.


Burrium

Excavations of the Roman  granaries in Usk 1967 - photo 

courtesy National Museum of Wales

It seems that the first major settlement at the site of what is now the town of Usk,  occurred in Roman times. Extensive excavations in the mid to late 1960s (I remember these as a child happening in the fields behind the prison and on the land where the houses at Priory Gardens were built adjacent to the Sessions House and at the old Cattle Market site) and later, lesser excavations through into the mid 1980s at various points under buildings in the town, have confirmed the existence and boundaries of a large Roman site at Usk, believed to be the Roman Fortress of 'Burrium' (also referred to as 'Bullaeum', 'Burrio' and 'Burros'), mentioned by the Roman historian Tacitus. The construction of the  fortress of Burrium can be linked to campaigns of the invading Roman army to quell the fierce local Silurian tribes.

Reconstruction of the Roman East Gate at Burrium by 

Martin Dugdale - image National Museum of  Wales

The Roman name of 'Burrium'  may be translated as 'Place of the Knobs' from the Latin word 'bulla' meaning 'bubble, knob, stud' and could be a reference to the 'knobby' series of hills surrounding Usk,  but as this is also the name of a protective phallic amulet worn around the necks of male Roman children this might lead to a  slightly more interesting translation! Around 500 Roman soldiers and cavalry would have been based at the fortress of Burrium which covered an area of around 48 acres between the years of AD 55 - AD 66. Susceptibility to flooding has been cited as a possible reason,  but, it is not really known why in AD 66,  the Roman Legion based at Burrium  relocated to Viroconium  Cornoviorum much further North at Wroxeter in Shropshire. A small caretaker garrison remained at Burrium until AD 75. If you are interested there are artefacts from the Usk excavations at the Roman museum in Caerleon. There are also plaques placed  in the pavement by Usk Civic Society  at various points around Usk town to show the boundaries of the Roman Fortress of Burrium.

Usk

The De Clare Coat of Arms

The Norman town of 'Usk' (the name we still know it by today) with its castle planned and built by Richard De Clare between 1154-70,  took its name from the River Usk running through it. The word Usk (Wysg in Welsh), is derived from the ancient British 'iska' or Celtic 'uisge' meaning 'abounding in fish' or 'water', which also appears in other river names in the UK such as Exe, Axe and Esk and other variants. Interestingly the Scottish word 'whiskey' is derived from the same source.

Bryn Buga

The cover of the book  'The Place Names 

of Eastern Gwent' depicts the giant 'Buga'

looking down from his castle on the hill

over the town of Bryn Buga 

The root of the Welsh name for the town 'Bryn Buga' is slightly ambiguous. The first part 'Bryn' meaning hill, clearly refers to the hill on which the castle is built  but 'Buga' (be careful how you say this - it should be pronounced to rhyme with meagre), could possibly be a reference to the personal name of a giant called 'Buga' or it could be derived from the Welsh word  'bugeilio' meaning to watch - from which the Welsh word for shepherd 'bugail' is derived - in which case the name Bryn Buga would translate as 'look out hill'. In my view this is the more likely translation. As children we knew one of the woods near our cottage on the hills surrounding Usk,  as 'Shepherds Wood', so I like to think there could be a link there with the Welsh name for Usk with that. However, many have latched on to the more fanciful and exciting, fairytale notion of  the Welsh giant Buga living in his castle on the hill above the town.

Reference Sources

Others have written far more extensively and expertly than myself on the above - the following reference sources provide far greater detail for those who are interested in finding out more about Usk, its name and origins than the 'potted version' I have presented here:

Usk Castle, Priory and Town; Jeremy K. Knight and Andy Johnson, 2008

The Place Names of Eastern Gwent;  Graham Osborne and Graham Hobbs, 1998

Norman Usk - The Birth of a Town; A.G.Mein 1986

Usk -Wikipedia

River Usk - Wikipedia

Burrium - Wikipedia

www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/1961

www.roman-britain.org

The beautiful River Usk as it runs through the town of Usk today

A Boxing Day Ramble at Cefn Ila

A lovely walk today in glorious sunshine around the new woodland planted at Cefn Ila just outside Usk. The site of the former maternity hospital where I, my brother and sisters and many other local people were born, Cefn Ila was purchased by Coed Cadw /Woodland Trust in 2007. Since then 72 acres of grassland are gradually being planted with a new native woodland of broad leaf, deciduous trees.

The wood was designed with the help of the local community and they have also helped plant many trees at the site together with children from local schools. Cefn Ila Wood was the first Plant! woodland  A total of 36,000 trees have been planted to date as part of the Plant! project. This partnership initiative between the Welsh Government, and  the Woodland Trust-  has from 2008 been planting a new tree for every child born or adopted in Wales. 


Two ancient oak trees stand amongst the newly planted trees which, together with the surrounding woodland and hedgerows will provide a rich source of wildlife as the woodland develops.

Rare spider found at Cefn Ila

In 2013 rare Wasp Spiders were discovered breeding in Cefn Ila Wood - for more info on this rare arachnid click  here.

The viewpoint at the top of the wood provides a convenient seat and views across to the Black Mountains and Brecon Beacons in one direction and the lower Usk Valley in the other.

History of Cefn Ila House

Cefn Ila House  in 1925

Cefn Ila once belonged to Edward Trelawney who was a close friend of Shelly and Byron. The house that most people knew as Cefn Ila Maternity Hospital was built on the site of an earlier Cefn Ila house by Joseph Lister in the late 1800’s, he also made various improvements to the estate, this work was carried out by architect Alfred Waterhouse (July19, 1830 – August 22, 1905). Joseph Lister died in 1885 in a riding accident. The house and estate was sold by Lister’s widow. By the turn of the 20th century the house belonged to Gerard Gustavus Ducarel, the 4th Marquis de la Pasture who had escaped with his family from France during the revolution. In 1925 Cefn Ila was annexed to Pontypool Hospital and opened as 'The Kate Ayres Gustard Convalescent Home', and as such it provided a convalescent home for 24 women and children. By 1939, due to the 2nd world war, it was used as a sick bay for children evacuated to the area from London and other cities.

Driveway to the house circa 1925

Cefn Ila in 1960, as it would have been when I was born in 

1959. I have memories of standing outside the house on the 
driveway with my Grandad and my Dad then holding up my 
youngest sister in the big window on the right for my brother 
and I to see.

In 1947 Cefn Ila was brought back into service by Pontypool Hospital as a maternity home with accommodation for 18 patients, in 1948 it was taken over by the National Health Service, continuing as a Maternity Unit. Cefn Ila Maternity Hospital closed on 3rd September 1973 and it's patients transferred to the County Hospital in Griffithstown, near Pontypool.

During the early hours of Friday 14th September 1973 fire broke out at Cefn Ila, the time of outbreak and the remote location of the house ensured that the fire had a good hold before the arrival of the fire brigade, there was also restricted access for the fire engines a lack of water for fire fighting which made things worse. The fire consumed everything except the shell of the house. Today, all that remains of this once grand house is a pile of moss-covered bricks and stone. The stable block which remained in relatively good condition until it was demolished 4 years ago, but the overgrown walled garden and orchard is still there as are many of the beautiful old cedar trees that once surrounded the house. As stated previously, a new chapter in Cefn Ila's long history started in 2007 when most of the estate was sold by auction to the Woodland Trust (Coed Cadw). 

Thanks to the 'Bike Brothers' website for their information, photos and history on Cefn Ila

How to find Cefn Ila Wood

From Usk take the road towards Llangybi. Just as you get into Llanbadoc, take the first right hand turning (opposite church) and continue along this road.  After about ¾ of a mile there is a cottage on the right hand side, turn right up the lane. The entrance to Cefn Ila is approx 100m up the track where there is a small car park.

For more more information on Cefn Ila Wood click here

For an update to this blog July 2014 here