SWANSEA WOMEN'S HISTORY WALK, 1
TAITH GERDDED HANES
MENYWOD ABERTAWE, 1
2014
Val Feld AM/AC 1947 - 2001
Walk devised by/ Dyfeisiwyd y
Daith Gerdded gan :
Swansea Women's
History Group / Grŵp
Hanes Menywod
Abertawe © 2014
Ann of Swansea 1764-1838
Ann o Abertawe
with support from / gyda chefnogaeth
INTRODUCTION
CYFLWYNIAD
Welcome to this Walk devised by the
Swansea Women's History Group.
Women’s contributions to history are
often hidden or overlooked. Inclusion in
Swansea Open House means that
information about women's history can
reach a wider audience. We have chosen
some women who have influenced the
community in the history of Swansea
over more than 200 years, by creating a
route in the very centre of the city.Some
of the women are already well known:
Adelina Patti and Amy Dillwyn. Some
were from famous families, like Fanny
Imlay. Two women have already been
recognised by the City & County of
Swansea through the Blue Plaque
scheme: Emily Phipps and Ann of
Swansea. Others merit wider recognition
for the contributions they made. The
result is an eclectic mix of interesting
women.We are members of Archif
Menywod Cymru / Women’s Archive of
Wales, which promotes the recognition of
women in Welsh history.
Route/ Trefn y daith
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
Croeso i’r Daith Gerdded hon a
ddyfeisiwyd gan Grŵp Hanes Menywod
Abertawe.Yn fynych mae cyfraniadau
menywod i hanes yn guddiedig neu
wedi’u hesgeuluso. Trwy gael eu
cynnwys yn Nhŷ Agored Abertawe gall
hanes menywod gyrraedd cynulleidfa
ehangach. Rydym wedi dewis rhai
menywod sydd wedi dylanwadu ar y
gymuned yn hanes Abertawe am dros
200 mlynedd, trwy greu taith gerdded
trwy ganol y ddinas. Mae rhai o’r
menywod: Adelina Patti ac Amy Dillwyn,
yn adnabyddus eisoes. Roedd rhai, fel
Fanny Imlay, yn hanu o deuluoedd
enwog. Mae dwy o’r menywod eisoes
wedi’u cydnabod gan Ddinas a Sir
Abertawe trwy gyfrwng y cynllun Plac
Glas: sef Emily Phipps ac Ann o
Abertawe. Mae eraill yn haeddu
cydnabyddiaeth ehangach oherwydd eu
cyfraniadau. Mae’r canlyniad yn
gymysgedd eclectig o fenywod diddorol.
Rydym yn aelodau o Archif Menywod
Cymru / Women’s Archive of Wales, sy’n
hyrwyddo codi proffil menywod yn hanes
Cymru.
Name/ Enw
Munition Workers / Merched y Ffatri Bowdwr
Jennie Ross
Ann of Swansea / Ann o Abertawe
Fanny Imlay
Betty Williams
Emily Phipps
Jessie Donaldson
Rosalind Rusbridge
Fisk Jubilee Singers / Cantorion Fisk Jubilee
Women's Freedom League / Cynghrair Rhyddid i Fenywod
Adelina Patti
Cockle Women/ Menywod y Cocos
Princess Lilian / Y Dywysoges Lilian
Käte Bosse-Griffiths
Bessie Dillwyn
Eluned Gymraes Davies
Amy Dillwyn
Jennie & Margaret Kirkland
Val Feld
Published by Jazz Heritage Wales / Cyhoeddwyd gan Treftadaeth Jazz Cymru 2014
For Swansea Women's History Group/ Ar gyfer Grŵp Hanes Menywod Abertawe ©
ISBN
978-0-9576016-1-1
PAGE - 2 -
1. MUNITION WORKERS’
FUNERAL 1917
1. ANGLADD MERCHED Y
1917
FFATRI BOWDWR
If you had been outside High Street
Station, Swansea on August Bank
Holiday 1917, you would have
witnessed a remarkable but sombre
event. On this day a train travelling from
Pen-bre Munitions Factory arrived at
the station carrying the coffins of two
local Swansea munition workers, who
had been killed (along with four others)
in an explosion at the factory. These
eighteen year old girls were Dorothy
Mary Watson, of Port Tennant Road,
and Mildred Owen, Bridge Street. They
were working-class girls and yet, as the
photographs of their
funerals illustrate, they
received a military
funeral. We see the
magnificent horse
hearse, the Union Jack
draped over the coffin
and the floral tributes.
We also see their fellowworkers, dressed in their
munitionette uniforms
marching alongside the
cortege to Dan-y-Graig
Cemetery in St Thomas.
These two young
women are named on
the plaque commemorating 12 fallen
munitions workers on the official
Swansea Cenotaph. While we recall the
fallen men of The Great War we should
also remember the sacrifice of women
– as nurses, in the services and
munitions workers. Dorothy and
Mildred’s sad story helps us to do so.
Petaech wedi bod y tu allan i orsaf
reilffordd Y Stryd Fawr, Abertawe ar
Ŵyl y Banc Awst 1917, byddech wedi
gweld golygfa ryfeddol a dwys iawn. Ar
y diwrnod hwnnw cyrhaeddodd trên o
Ffatri Bowdwr Pen-bre'r orsaf yn cario
eirch dwy ferch leol o Abertawe a
laddwyd (ynghyd â phedwar arall)
mewn ffrwydrad yn y ffatri honno.
Deunaw oed oedd Dorothy Mary
Watson o Heol Port Tennant a Mildred
Owen o Heol y Bont pan laddwyd hwy.
Er mai merched dosbarth gweithiol
oedden nhw, fel y dengys y ffotograffau
o’u hangladd, cawsant
angladdau milwrol. Gwelwn
yr hers geffylau fawreddog,
baner Jac yr Undeb dros yr
arch a’r torchau blodau
lluosog. A gwelwn eu
cydweithwyr yn
gorymdeithio yn eu dillad
swyddogol bob ochr i’r hers
ar ei ffordd i Gladdfa Dan-ygraig yn San Tomos. Enwir
y ddwy ferch ifanc hyn ar y
plac i goffáu deuddeg o
weithwyr y ffatrïoedd arfau
ar gofeb ryfel swyddogol
Abertawe. Wrth goffáu’r
dynion a gollwyd yn y Rhyfel Mawr
dylem gofio aberth y menywod hefyd yn nyrsys, yn y lluoedd arfog a
gweithwyr y diwydiant arfau. Mae stori
drist Dorothy a Mildred yn ein helpu i
wneud hynny.
PAGE - 3 -
2. JENNIE ROSS
Woman Patrol 1916
Patrolwraig
Born in Wolverhampton, Jennie Ross
was a skilled tailoress active in fighting
for improved conditions and pay for
women in her trade. Moving to
Swansea, first Mumbles, then Mayhill,
she became a keen member of the
Co-operative movement but disliked
‘bossy’ male domination of the local
Labour Party. She was one of the joint
founders of the Swansea branch of the
Women's Freedom League (WFL) in
1909. She performed
as a Herald in the
Pageant of Famous
Women, in the Albert
Hall in May 1910.
One of the few
working class women
in the WFL, she took
part in a number of
militant protests,
including the Census
boycott of 1911. [See
sections 6, 10, 18].
In 1916 Jennie
became a Woman
Patrol of the National
Union of Women Workers. They were
volunteers who worked to discourage
prostitution and protect young women
from moral danger by ‘hang[ing] about
in a pointed manner’ wherever they saw
men trying to fraternise with girls,
particularly in The Strand, near the
docks and, during the First World War,
an Army camp in Brynmill. Together
with the WFL they campaigned for a
women’s police force. Swansea
Woman Patrols were invited to a
Buckingham Palace Garden Party for
war workers.
1916
Ganed Jennie Ross yn Wolverhampton.
Teilwres ydoedd wrth ei chrefft a bu’n
brwydro dros wella amodau a thâl
menywod yn y grefft honno. Wedi
symud i Abertawe, i’r Mwmbwls yn
gyntaf ac yna i Mayhill, daeth yn aelod
brwd o’r mudiad Cydweithredol, ond nid
oedd yn hoff o’r dynion trahaus oedd yn
dominyddu’r Blaid Lafur leol. Roedd yn
un o gyd-sefydlwyr cangen Abertawe
o'r Gynghrair Rhyddid i Fenywod (WFL)
yn 1909. Cymerodd ran yn y
Pasiant Menywod Enwog yn
Neuadd Albert ym mis Mai
1910. Roedd hi ymhlith yr
ychydig fenywod dosbarth
gweithiol yn y Gynghrair a
bu’n gweithredu mewn sawl
protest filwriaethus, gan
gynnwys Boicot Cyfrifiad
1911. [Gweler adrannau 6,
10, 18]
Yn 1916 daeth Jennie Ross
yn Batrolwraig gydag Undeb
Cenedlaethol y
Gweithwragedd.
Gwirfoddolwyr oeddynt a
geisiai atal puteindra a gwarchod
merched ifanc rhag peryglon moesol
‘trwy hongian o gwmpas mewn modd
pwrpasol’ ble bynnag y gwelent ddynion
yn ceisio cyfeillachu â menywod, yn
enwedig ar Y Strand, ger y dociau, a
ger y gwersyll milwrol yn Bryn-mill yn
ystod y Rhyfel Byd Cyntaf. Gyda’r
Gynghrair buont yn ymgyrchu am
heddlu benywaidd. Gwahoddwyd
Patrolwragedd Abertawe i Arddwest ar
gyfer gweithwyr y rhyfel ym Mhalas
Buckingham.
PAGE - 4 -
3. ANN OF SWANSEA 1764 - 1838 ANN O ABERTAWE
Author
Awdur
Ann Julia Hatton, née Kemble, was a
daughter of the Kemble theatrical family
and sister of famous actress Sarah
Siddons. The victim of a bigamous
marriage, her early life in London was
colourful and sometimes scandalous.
After her second – and legal – marriage
to William Hatton the couple lived in
New York before settling in Swansea to
run the Bathing House. Ever
resourceful, after her husband’s death
she briefly ran a dancing
school in Kidwelly before
returning to Swansea for
the rest of her life. She
supported herself as a
writer using the penname ‘Ann of Swansea’,
producing 15 romantic
and gothic novels which
enjoyed great popularity,
many poems and other
short pieces. During this
period of her life she
lived in Park Street, a
fashionable part of
Swansea. She died aged
74 and was buried in St
John’s churchyard (now St Matthew’s)
in High Street. Two portraits of Ann
exist, in the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery
and Swansea Museum. Also in the
Swansea Museum collection is her
Album, a scrapbook with mementoes of
her life, her family and friends which
she compiled in 1836, a bound book of
handwritten poems dedicated to her
friend Dr Douglas Cohen, also of
Swansea, and several of her published
novels.
In July 2014 a Blue Plaque to
commemorate Ann of Swansea was
placed on County Hall near the site of
the Bathing House.
Roedd Ann Julia Hatton, Kemble gynt,
yn aelod o deulu theatraidd Kemble ac
yn chwaer i’r actores enwog, Sarah
Siddons. Priododd figamydd, ac roedd
ei bywyd cynnar yn Llundain yn lliwgar
a llawn sgandal. Ar ôl priodi’n gyfreithiol
yr eildro â William Hatton, buon nhw’n
byw yn Efrog Newydd, cyn ymsefydlu
yn Abertawe i redeg y Baddondy. Pan
fu farw ei gŵr, a hithau’n gymeriad
dyfeisgar, bu’n rhedeg ysgol ddawnsio
yng Nghydweli am gyfnod
byr, cyn dychwelyd i fyw yn
Abertawe am weddill ei
hoes. Yma, bu’n ei
chynnal ei hun fel awdur,
gan ei galw’i hun yn ‘Ann o
Abertawe’. Cynhyrchodd
bymtheng nofel ramantus a
gothig, a oedd yn
boblogaidd iawn, yn
ogystal â llawer o gerddi a
darnau byrrach. Yn ystod y
cyfnod hwn trigai yn Stryd y
Parc, ardal ffasiynol o
Abertawe ar y pryd. Bu
farw yn 74 oed a’i chladdu
ym mynwent Eglwys Sant
Ioan (a elwir bellach yn Eglwys Sant
Matthew) yn Y Stryd Fawr. Ceir dau
bortread o Ann, un yn Oriel Gelf y
Glynn Vivian a’r llall yn Amgueddfa
Abertawe. At hyn, mae ei Halbwm, llyfr
sgrap yn cynnwys cofnodion am ei
bywyd, ei theulu a’i ffrindiau a
ysgrifennodd yn 1836, cyfrol wedi’i
rhwymo o’i cherddi yn ei llawysgrifen, a
gyflwynwyd i’w chyfaill Dr Douglas
Cohen, yntau o Abertawe, a nifer o’r
nofelau a gyhoeddodd, yn yr
Amgueddfa hefyd.
Ym mis Gorffennaf 2014 gosodwyd
plac er cof am Ann o Abertawe ar
Neuadd y Sir, ger safle’r Baddondy.
PAGE - 5 -
4. FANNY IMLAY
1794 - 1816
A Tragic Swansea Link
Born 1794 in Paris, daughter of Mary
Wollstonecraft, author of A Vindication
of the Rights of Woman, and Frank
Imlay, an American visiting Paris. Imlay
later abandoned Mary and Fanny. Mary
Wollstonecraft attempted suicide but
was saved. She later married
philosopher William Godwin but died
giving birth to their child, Mary Godwin.
Fanny Imlay and her half-sister Mary
Godwin grew up in a bohemian
community of artists, thinkers and
writers. In 1814 Mary
Godwin eloped with the
married poet Shelley.
The disgrace of this to
the family meant that the
motherless Fanny was
now unable to find
employment as a
governess. Fearful of
bringing shame on her
famous mother’s name,
in 1816 Fanny left home
leaving a note which
suggested that she
intended suicide. She
travelled to Swansea by
coach, arriving late at
night and taking a room in the
Mackworth Hotel in Wind Street. The
next morning the chambermaid found
her dead in her room, having taken an
overdose of laudanum. As a suicide,
she was buried outside the walls of St
John's Church (now St
Matthew's).Fanny seems to have felt
unwanted for most of her life, having
lost both father and mother at an early
age, and eclipsed at home by her more
lively and attractive sister Mary. Mary
Godwin later married her lover Shelley,
and wrote the novel Frankenstein.
Shelley drowned in 1822.
Cysylltiad Trasig ag
Abertawe
Ganed Fanny Imlay, merch Mary
Wollstonecraft, awdur A Vindication of
the Rights of Woman, a Frank Imlay,
Americanwr ar ymweliad â Pharis, ym
Mharis yn 1794. Yn ddiweddarach,
cefnodd e ar Mary a Fanny. Ceisiodd
Mary gyflawni hunanladdiad ond cafodd
ei hachub. Yna, priododd hi’r athronydd
William Godwin ond bu farw ar
enedigaeth eu merch, Mary Godwin.
Magwyd Fanny Imlay a’i hanner
chwaer, Mary, mewn cymuned
fohemaidd o artistiaid, meddylwyr
ac awduron. Yn 1814 rhedodd
Mary ymaith gyda’r bardd priod,
Shelley. Dygodd hyn anfri ar y
teulu ac ni allai Fanny gael gwaith
fel athrawes gartref, mwyach. Yn
ei gwewyr, rhag dod â gwarth ar
enw ei mam enwog, gadawodd
Fanny ei chartref yn 1816, gan
adael nodyn a awgrymai’i bod yn
bwriadu cyflawni hunanladdiad.
Teithiodd ar goets i Abertawe, gan
gyrraedd gwesty’r Mackworth yn
Stryd y Gwynt yn hwyr y nos a
chymryd ystafell yno. Fore
trannoeth darganfu morwyn hi’n
farw yn ei hystafell, wedi cymryd
gorddos a lodnwm. Gan iddi ei lladd ei
hun, fe’i claddwyd y tu allan i furiau
Eglwys Sant Ioan (Sant Matthew yn
awr). Ymddengys bod Fanny wedi
teimlo ar hyd ei hoes nad oedd neb ei
heisiau, gan iddi golli ei thad a’i mam yn
ifanc, a chan fod ei chwaer, Mary
Godwin, yn fwy bywiog a deniadol na hi
ac yn ffefryn yn y cartref. Yn
ddiweddarach priododd Mary ei chariad
Shelley, ac ysgrifennodd y nofel
Frankenstein. Boddodd Shelley yn
1822.
PAGE - 6 -
5. BETTY WILLIAMS 1918 - 1998
Supporter of the Homeless
Cynheilydd y Digartref
Post Second World War, Betty became
known as someone who would assist
street homeless people. Her home was
in Bryn-y-Mor Road where she lived
until her death. It was whilst running a
silver service café with her husband
Rob, in St Helen’s Road, that she
began to notice the needs of the
homeless. She was very generous.
Homeless men would enjoy a
sustaining meal before playing chess at
the cafe until the early hours. Betty
realised that more
assistance was required
and encouraged young
volunteers to set up soup
runs around the city
where homeless men
and women slept. With
others, she established
Swansea Cyrenians, a
homeless Charity in May
1974. In the early days
Betty was the Treasurer.
She remained a leading
supporter until her death,
although in later years
she was listed as a
retired trustee. ‘The Cyrenians would
not have come about if it were not for
the tireless efforts of Betty Williams,
who did as much as anyone in Wales to
raise the issue of homelessness.’
(Conrad Watkins, Cyrenians’ Director)
In recognition of her work, the
Cyrenians’ project for older people is
named ‘Ty Betty Williams.'
Wedi’r Ail Ryfel Byd, daeth Betty yn
adnabyddus am helpu’r digartref oedd
ar y stryd. Trigai yn Heol Bryn-y-môr, ac
yno y bu farw. Pan oedd yn rhedeg
caffe gwasanaeth arian gyda’i gŵr,
Rob, yn Heol San Helen, dechreuodd
sylwi ar anghenion y digartref. Roedd
hi’n hael iawn. Byddai dynion digartref
yn mwynhau pryd o fwyd maethlon cyn
chwarae gwyddbwyll yn y caffe tan
oriau mân y bore. Sylweddolodd Betty
fod angen mwy o gymorth ac anogodd
wirfoddolwyr ifainc i sefydlu
llwybrau cawl o gwmpas y
ddinas, lle cysgai dynion a
menywod digartref. Gydag
eraill, sefydlodd Cyreniaid
Abertawe, elusen i’r
Digartref, ym mis Mai 1974.
Yn y dyddiau cynnar, Betty
oedd y Trysorydd.
Parhaodd yn un o’u prif
gefnogwyr tan ei
marwolaeth, er mai fel
ymddiriedolwraig wedi
ymddeol y rhestrir hi yn
ddiweddarach. ‘Ni fyddai’r
Cyreniaid wedi bodoli heb
ymdrechion diflino Betty Williams, a
wnaeth gymaint ag unrhyw un yng
Nghymru i godi mater y digartref.’
(Conrad Watkins, Cyfarwyddwr y
Cyreniaid) I gydnabod ei gwaith, gelwir
prosiect y Cyreniaid ar gyfer yr henoed
yn ‘Tŷ Betty Williams.’
PAGE - 7 -
6. EMILY PHIPPS
1865 - 1943
Headmistress & Suffragette
Prifathrawes & Swffragét
Born in Devonport, Emily Phipps’
teaching career started as a pupil
teacher, followed by teacher training in
London before obtaining a first class
London University degree in Greek and
Latin. She was appointed Headmistress
of the then poorly performing Swansea
Higher Grade Girls' School in 1895, and
rapidly raised standards. She was a
founder-member of the National Union
of Women Teachers (NUWT), the first
Editor of their journal, and a committed
supporter.
In 1908 Emily joined the Women's
Freedom League,
outraged by David
Lloyd George's
anti-suffrage
behaviour at a
public meeting in
Swansea's Albert
Hall. She was a
founder member of
the WFL Swansea
Branch in 1909.
[See also 2, 10,
18]
As part of the campaign for Votes for
Women, Emily boycotted the 1911
Census, spending the night with friends
in a Gower sea-cave. When women
over 30 achieved the parliamentary
vote in 1918, Emily stood for Parliament
as an Independent supported by the
NUWT. Although unsuccessful, she
retained her deposit. She then studied
law and was called to the Bar at 60
years of age. After resigning as
Headmistress in 1925 due to ill health,
she worked for the NUWT as Standing
Counsel.
In November 2013 a Blue Plaque to
commemorate Emily Phipps was
placed on the Orchard Health Centre,
Trinity Place at the site of the School.
Ganed Emily Phipps yn Devonport,
Dyfnaint. Dechreuodd ar ei gyrfa yn
ddisgybl-athrawes, cyn hyfforddi’n
athrawes yn Llundain ac ennill gradd
ddosbarth cyntaf mewn Lladin a Groeg
o Brifysgol Llundain. Yn 1895 cafodd ei
phenodi yn Brifathrawes Ysgol
Uwchradd y Merched Abertawe, a oedd
yn perfformio’n wael ar y pryd a
chododd y safon o fewn byr amser.
Roedd hi’n un o aelodau sylfaenol
Undeb Cenedlaethol yr Athrawesau
(NUWT), Golygydd cyntaf ei
gylchgrawn ac yn gefnogwraig
ymroddedig.
Yn 1908 ymunodd
Emily â Chynghrair
Rhyddid i Fenywod.
Gwylltiwyd hi gan
ymddygiad gwrthryddfreinio menywod
David Lloyd George
mewn cyfarfod
cyhoeddus yn Neuadd
Albert, Abertawe. Yn
1909, roedd yn un o
aelodau sylfaenol
Cangen Abertawe o’r Gynghrair.
[Gweler 2, 10, 18 hefyd]
Fel rhan o’r ymgyrch dros Ryddfreinio
Menywod boicotiodd Emily Gyfrifiad
1911 a threuliodd noson gyda ffrindiau
mewn ogof ar arfordir Gŵyr.
Pan ganiatawyd y bleidlais i fenywod
dros 30 yn 1918, safodd Emily yn
ymgeisydd Annibynnol, gyda
chefnogaeth Undeb Cenedlaethol yr
Athrawesau. Er na fu’n llwyddiannus,
cadwodd ei hernes. Ar ôl ymddiswyddo
o swydd Prifathrawes yn 1925
oherwydd ei hiechyd, gweithiodd dros
yr Undeb yn Gwnsler Sefydlog.
Ym mis Tachwedd 2013 gosodwyd plac
glas i goffáu Emily Phipps ar Ganolfan
Iechyd Orchard, Trinity Place ar safle’r
Ysgol.
PAGE - 8 -
7. JESSIE DONALDSON
1799 - 1889
Abolitionist
Diddymydd
Jessie was born to Samuel, a lawyer,
and Jennet Heineken, staunch
Unitarians and Abolitionists, living at
Dynevor Place, Swansea. In about
1824 Jessie opened a school for Young
Ladies and Young Gentlemen at 32
Wind Street. Jessie married her cousin
Francis Donaldson visiting from
Cincinnati in July 1840, and they set up
home in 9 Grove Place, Swansea. They
emigrated back to Cincinnati in 1856
when Jessie was 57, and built their
home "Clermont" on the banks of the
Ohio River. This became the third
Welsh safe house for
runaway slaves, joining
"Frandon" (Jessie’s
aunt’s safe house) and
"Penmain" (Jessie's
cousin’s safe house).
Jessie became involved
in international politics
with Harriet Beecher
Stowe, author of Uncle
Tom’s Cabin; Levi
Coffin, Quaker and
Abolitionist; Frederick
Douglas, freed slave and
campaigner for Negro
and Women’s Rights;
William Lloyd Garrison, Abolitionist; and
Ellen & William Craft, freed slaves who
lectured at Mount Pleasant Chapel.
After the end of the American Civil War,
Jessie and Francis returned home to 2
Phillips Parade, Swansea. It was
probably Jessie who invited the Fisk
Jubilee Singers, freed slaves, to
perform at the Swansea Music Hall,
now the Albert Hall, in 1874 and 1875
[see section 9]. Jessie died at Ael y
Bryn (demolished), Sketty, aged 90.
Ganed Jessie yn ferch i Samuel,
cyfreithiwr, a Jennet Heineken,
Undodiaid a Diddymwyr pybyr, a drigai
yn Dynevor Place, Abertawe. Tua 1824,
agorodd Jessie ysgol i foneddigesau a
bonheddwyr ifainc yn 32 Stryd y Gwynt.
Priododd Jessie ei chefnder Francis
Donaldson a oedd ar ymweliad o
Cincinnati ym mis Gorffennaf 1840, ac
ymgartrefon nhw yn 9 Grove Place,
Abertawe. Ymfudon nhw’n i Cincinatti
yn 1856, pan oedd Jessie’n 57 oed, ac
adeiladu’u cartref "Clermont" ar lan
afon Ohio. Hwn oedd y trydydd tŷ
diogel Cymreig ar gyfer
caethweision ar ffo, ynghyd â
"Frandon" (tŷ diogel modryb
Jessie) a "Penmain" (tŷ
diogel cefnder Jessie). Daeth
Jessie i ymwneud â
gwleidyddiaeth ryngwladol ar
y cyd â Harriet Beecher
Stowe, awdur Uncle Tom’s
Cabin; Levi Coffin, Crynwr a
Diddymydd; Frederick
Douglas, caethwas rhydd ac
ymgyrchydd dros Hawliau’r
Negroaid a Menywod; William
Lloyd Garrison, Diddymydd;
ac Ellen & William Craft,
caethion rhydd a ddarlithiodd yng
Nghapel Mount Pleasant. Ar ôl i Ryfel
Cartref America orffen, dychwelodd
Jessie a Francis adre i 2 Parêd Phillips,
Abertawe. Mae’n debygol mai Jessie
wahoddodd Gantorion Fisk Jubilee,
caethion rhydd, i berfformio yn Neuadd
Gerdd Abertawe, Neuadd Albert, yn
1874 a 1875 [gweler adran 9]. Bu farw
Jessie yn Ael y Bryn (dymchwelwyd),
Sgeti, yn 90 oed.
PAGE - 9 -
8. ROSALIND RUSBRIDGE (née BEVAN)
1915 - 2004
Pacifist
Heddychwraig
Rosalind Bevan, a socialist and
Christian pacifist with a first class
degree from Oxford University, was
Classics mistress at Glanmor Girls’
School. With others she formed a
pacifist group before the war, held
public meetings at which she was the
'youth speaker', and rented a stall in
Swansea market to sell Peace News.
Opposition to the pacifists grew
stronger in 1940 when the League of
Swansea Loyalists was formed, which
forced closure of the
pacifists' market stall.
Swansea
Corporation created
a Loyalty Oath. They
resolved to suspend
all employees of the
Corporation who
were conscientious
objectors, members
of the Peace Pledge
Union or who held
views 'in conflict with
the purpose to which
the nation’s effort
was directed.' The
Education
Committee sent a letter to all school
heads insisting on staff signing the
Loyalty Oath. Rosalind Bevan and 18
others refused and were suspended;
ten of them were women. Rosalind
went to teach in Bristol, and never
returned to Swansea to work. Swansea
Education Committee later realised
they had lost some first class teachers
and withdrew the suspensions. None of
the suspended teachers returned.
Roedd Rosalind Bevan, sosialydd a
heddychwraig Gristnogol, a chanddi
radd ddosbarth cyntaf o Brifysgol
Rhydychen, yn athrawes y Clasuron yn
Ysgol y Merched Glan-môr. Gydag
eraill ffurfiodd grŵp o heddychwyr cyn y
rhyfel, cynhaliwyd cyfarfodydd
cyhoeddus lle'r oedd hi’n ‘siaradwraig
ifanc’, a llogwyd stondin ym marchnad
Abertawe i werthu Peace News.
Cynyddodd y gwrthwynebiad i’r
heddychwyr yn 1940 pan ffurfiwyd y
League of Swansea
Loyalists, a gorfodwyd yr
heddychwyr i gau eu
stondin yn y farchnad.
Creodd Corfforaeth
Abertawe Lw o
Ffyddlondeb.
Penderfynon nhw
wahardd dros dro bob un
o gyflogeion y Gorfforaeth
a oedd yn wrthwynebydd
cydwybodol, yn aelod o’r
Peace Pledge Union neu
a oedd yn coleddu barnau
'a oedd yn groes i’r nod y
cyfeirid ymdrechion y
genedl iddo.' Anfonodd y
Pwyllgor Addysg lythyr at bob pennaeth
ysgol yn mynnu bod y staff yn
arwyddo’r Llw Ffyddlondeb.
Gwrthododd Rosalind Bevan a 18 arall
a chawsant eu diarddel dros dro; roedd
deg ohonynt yn fenywod. Aeth Rosalind
i ddysgu ym Mryste ac ni ddychwelodd i
Abertawe. Yn ddiweddarach,
sylweddolodd Pwyllgor Addysg
Abertawe ei fod wedi colli rhai athrawon
o’r radd flaenaf a thynnwyd y
gwaharddiad yn ei ôl. Ni ddychwelodd
yr un o’r athrawon a waharddwyd.
PAGE - 10 -
9. FISK JUBILEE SINGERS
1874-1907
9. CANTORION FISK
JUBILEE 1874-1907
Choir of Freed Slaves
Côr y Caethion Rhydd
Fisk University, Nashville, was the first
educational establishment set up for the
Education of Freed Slaves and their
Children in the United States in 1866.
On a fund-raising tour around Britain for
their University, they had a profound
impact on the people of Wales. The
Jubilee Singers were usually made up
of five women to three men, or six
women to four men. They included the
20 year old singer, pianist and
harmonium player Ella Shepherd. Ella
had been separated from her mother as
a baby, her mother having been ‘sold
down the river.' When they started
touring, Maggie
Tate was fourteen,
Jennie Jackson,
nineteen, and
Eliza Walker,
fourteen. Dr.
Cuyler, writing in
the New York
Tribune, described
them as ‘living
representatives of
the only true native school of American
music. We have long enough had its
coarse caricatures in corked faces; our
people can now listen to the genuine
soul-music of the slave cabins, before
the Lord led his children out of the land
of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.'
In 1874 The Fisk Jubilee Singers
performed 'Weird slave songs and
plantation melodies' at the Music Hall
(now the Albert Hall), returning in 1875
and 1889. They returned as a Trio in
1907 fundraising ‘for the poor of
Swansea.'
Prifysgol Fisk, Nashville, oedd y
sefydliad addysgol cyntaf ar gyfer
Addysgu Caethion Rhydd a’u Plant yn
yr Unol Daleithiau. Fe’i sefydlwyd yn
1866. Pan oeddent ar daith godi arian
ar gyfer eu Prifysgol ym Mhrydain,
gwnaethant argraff enfawr ar y Cymry.
Gan amlaf byddai pum menyw a thri
dyn, neu chwe menyw a phedwar dyn
yng nghantorion y jiwbilî. Yn eu plith,
roedd Ella Shepherd, cantores, pianydd
a chwaraewraig harmoniwm 20 oed.
Cawsai Ella ei gwahanu oddi wrth ei
mam yn faban, pan werthwyd ei mam
yn gaethferch. Pan ddechreuon nhw
deithio roedd Maggie
Tate yn bedair ar ddeg
oed, Jennie Jackson yn
bedair ar bymtheg ac
Eliza Walker yn bedair
ar ddeg. Disgrifiodd Dr
Cuyler, a ysgrifennai i’r
New York Tribune, nhw
fel ‘cynrychiolwyr byw'r
unig ysgol frodorol go
iawn o gerddoriaeth
Americanaidd. Rydym yn gyfarwydd ers
tro byd â’r gwawdluniau cwrs o
wynebau duon; gall ein pobl wrando’n
awr ar fiwsig dilys yr enaid o gabanau’r
caethion, cyn i’r Arglwydd arwain ei
blant allan o wlad yr Aifft, allan o
gaethiwed.' Yn 1874 perfformiodd
Cantorion Fisk Jubilee 'ganeuon a
melodïau rhyfedd caethion y
planhigfeydd' yn y Neuadd Gerdd
(Neuadd Albert yn awr), gan
ddychwelyd yn 1875 a 1889.
Dychwelon nhw yn Driawd yn 1907 i
godi arian ‘tuag at dlodion Abertawe.'
PAGE - 11 -
10. WOMEN’S FREEDOM
LEAGUE 1910
10. CYNGHRAIR RHYDDID I
FENYWOD 1910
The Women’s Freedom League (WFL)
was a suffragette organisation which
formed in London in late 1907 following
a split from the Women’s Social and
Political Union (WSPU), largely over the
dictatorial style of leadership of
Emmeline and Christabel Pankhurst.
The WFL described itself as militant but
non-violent, a stance taken by many
protest movements which followed,
including by the women of Greenham
Common some seventy-five years later.
The Swansea Branch of the Women’s
Freedom League was formed in March
1908. Jennie Ross, Emily Phipps, Clara
Neal and Margaret
& Jennie Kirkland
were amongst the
women actively
involved, and Amy
Dillwyn gave
financial support.
[see also 2, 6,18.]
The Albert Hall
was frequently
used for meetings,
and on 5th May
1910 the spectacular Pageant of
Famous Women was held. It had been
created by London suffragette Cecily
Hamilton and many Swansea women
took part including ‘Miss Kirkland’ (the
programme doesn’t say whether
Margaret or Jennie) as Queen Phillipa
in the Rulers’ section. The programme
for the event is held by Richard Burton
Archives, Swansea University as part of
the Kirkland Collection.
Mudiad swffragét oedd Cynghrair
Rhyddid i Fenywod, a ffurfiwyd yn
Llundain ddiwedd 1907 yn sgil rhwyg
oddi wrth Undeb Gwleidyddol a
Chymdeithasol y Menywod (WSPU), yn
bennaf oherwydd arddull unbenaethol
arweinyddiaeth Emmeline a Christabel
Pankhurst. Honnai’r Gynghrair ei bod
yn filwriaethus ond yn ddi-drais, safiad
a gymerodd sawl mudiad protest wedi
hynny, gan gynnwys menywod Comin
Greenham tua saithdeg a phump o
flynyddoedd yn ddiweddarach.
Ffurfiwyd Cangen Abertawe o
Gynghrair Rhyddid i Fenywod ym mis
Mawrth 1908. Roedd
Jennie Ross, Emily
Phipps, Clara Neal a
Margaret a Jennie
Kirkland ymhlith y
menywod gweithredol,
a chafwyd cefnogaeth
ariannol gan Amy
Dillwyn. [Gweler 2,
6,18 hefyd.]
Defnyddid Neuadd
Albert ar gyfer
cyfarfodydd yn aml, ac ar y 5ed Mai
1910 cynhaliwyd Pasiant ysblennydd y
Menywod Enwog. Y swffragét o
Lundain, Cecily Hamilton greodd y
pasiant a chymerodd llawer o fenywod
o Abertawe ran ynddo, gan gynnwys
‘Miss Kirkland’ (nid yw’r rhaglen yn
dadlennu p’run ai Margaret neu Jennie
ydoedd). Hi oedd y Frenhines Phillipa
yn adran y Llywodraethwyr. Mae
rhaglen y digwyddiad yn rhan o
Gasgliad Kirkland, yn Archifau Richard
Burton, Prifysgol Abertawe
PAGE - 12 -
11. ADELINA PATTI
1843 - 1919
Opera Singer
Cantores Opera
Born of Italian parents in Madrid, Spain,
Madame Patti first sang in public as a
child. She became a coloratura
soprano, and was the world’s most
prominent operatic performer
throughout the last half of the 19th
century. In her prime, she was paid
$5,000 for each performance. In 1878
she made a home in her beloved castle
of Craig-y-Nos in Abercrave, Swansea
Valley, with a private theatre, fountains,
and her own railway line.
In September 1882 she held a concert
in the Albert Hall in
aid of Swansea’s
respected, but
financially poor,
General Hospital.
Madame Patti was
accompanied by
composer-pianist,
Tito Mattei, who
was described by
the local
newspaper, the
Cambrian, as 'a
consummate master of his instrument
and his art.' But Adelina Patti, in her
'remarkably rich pale green satin….the
effect was charming in the extreme,'
with her extensive programme of songs
and arias, stole the show, raising the
staggering sum of £5,000 for the
Hospital. (In today’s terms £500,000.)
The Albert Hall, a Grade 2 Listed
Building, opened in 1860 as a popular
Music Hall. In the 1870s it was
relaunched as the Albert Hall, a more
up-market venue. Sadly it has become
dilapidated.
Madame Patti's Winter Garden building
was donated to the people of Swansea,
and is now the Patti Pavilion, in Victoria
Gardens.
Eidalwyr o Fadrid, Sbaen, oedd rhieni
Madame Patti. Canodd yn gyhoeddus
am y tro cyntaf pan oedd yn blentyn.
Datblygodd yn soprano goloratwra, ac
yn ystod ail hanner y bedwaredd ganrif
ar bymtheg hi oedd y gantores opera
fwyaf adnabyddus. Ym mlodau ei
dyddiau, câi ei thalu $5,000 am bob
perfformiad. Yn 1878 ymgartrefodd yn
ei hoff gastell yng Nghraig-y-nos, Abercraf, Cwm Tawe, gyda’i theatr breifat, ei
ffynhonnau a’i rheilffordd ei hun.
Ym mis Medi 1882 cynhaliodd
gyngerdd yn Neuadd
Albert er budd sefydliad
parchus ond tlawd, sef
Ysbyty Cyffredinol,
Abertawe. Cyfeiliwyd i
Madame Patti gan y
pianydd-gyfansoddwr, Tito
Mattei, a ddisgrifiwyd gan
y papur newydd lleol y
Cambrian, fel 'meistr
penigamp ar ei offeryn a’i
grefft.' Ond Adelina Patti,
yn ei ‘sidan gwyrdd golau
cyfoethog … roedd yr effaith yn hynod
ddeniadol,' gyda’i rhaglen helaeth o
ganeuon ac ariâu, achubodd y blaen, a
chodwyd y swm syfrdanol o £5,000 i’r
Ysbyty. (Cyfwerth â £500,000 heddiw)
Agorwyd Neuadd Albert, Adeilad
Rhestredig Gradd 2, yn 1860 yn
Neuadd Gerdd. Yn yr 1870au cafodd ei
hail-lansio yn Neuadd Albert, lleoliad
uwch ei statws. Yn anffodus mae wedi
mynd â’i phen iddi.
Rhoddwyd adeilad Gerddi Gaeaf
Madame Patti i drigolion Abertawe, a
dyma bellach Bafiliwn Patti, yng
Ngerddi Victoria
PAGE - 13 -
12. COCKLE WOMEN
12. MENYWOD Y COCOS
Penclawdd cockles are famous. The
cockle women who risked life and limb
to gather them in the Burry Estuary
contributed greatly to the economy of
Swansea and Gower. Up until the
1970s, cockle women harvested
cockles with hand rakes or scrapes
(scrap) and riddles (shife) and travelled
onto the sands on donkeys or small
carts. It was back-breaking work, but
the women were strong and hardy.
Once back on the beach, the cockles
were boiled
ready to sell at
Swansea
market, or from
door to door
throughout
south Wales.
Penclawdd
cocklers walked
the nine miles to
Swansea
barefoot. At Yr
Olchfa (the washery) Sketty, they
washed their feet and donned shoes for
the rest of the journey across White
Stile fields (now Walter Road). They
carried the cockles in pails or baskets
on their heads. In later times, they
caught the train from Gowerton or
Penclawdd to Swansea, dressed in the
traditional Welsh costume and returned
on the ‘relish train’; so-called because
they brought back treats for their
families from the money earned on their
market stalls. Cockling is still a vital
industry today, though the cockles are
now mainly harvested by men in
landrovers, and processed in factories
in Penclawdd, ready for the Swansea
market.
Mae cocos Pen-clawdd yn enwog.
Cyfrannodd y menywod cocos, a
beryglai eu bywydau i’w casglu yn aber
afon Llwchwr, yn sylweddol at economi
Abertawe a Phenrhyn Gŵyr. Tan yr
1970au, cynaeafai’r menywod y cocos
gyda rhaca fach neu sgrap a rhidyll neu
shife a theithient allan i’r aber ar gefn
asynnod neu mewn ceirt bychain.
Roedd e’n waith trwm a pheryglus ond
roedd y menywod yn gryf a gwydn.
Wedi dychwelyd i’r traeth, câi’r cocos
eu berwi cyn eu
gwerthu ym
marchnad
Abertawe neu o
ddrws i ddrws
ledled de Cymru.
Cerddai menywod
cocos Pen-clawdd
y naw milltir i
Abertawe’n
droednoeth ond yn
Yr Olchfa golchent
eu traed a gwisgo’u hesgidiau ar gyfer
gweddill y siwrnai ar draws caeau
White Stile (Heol Walter heddiw).
Carient y cocos mewn stycau neu
fasgedi ar eu pennau. Yn
ddiweddarach, dalient y trên o Benclawdd neu Dre-gŵyr i Abertawe, yn eu
gwisgoedd Cymreig traddodiadol, gan
ddychwelyd ar y trên ‘relish’ fel y’i
gelwid, am eu bod yn cario rhoddion
amheuthun a brynwyd gan eu henillion
yn y farchnad. Mae cocsa yn dal yn
ddiwydiant hollbwysig heddiw, ond
bellach dynion mewn cerbydau modur
sy’n cynaeafu ac mae ffatrïoedd
pwrpasol i brosesu’r cocos ar gyfer
marchnad Abertawe.
PAGE - 14 -
13. PRINCESS LILIAN
1915 - 2013
Showgirl Princess
Sioeferch a Thywysoges
On 16th March 2013, Swedish
television broadcast the funeral of 97year-old Princess Lilian of Sweden. The
Swedish Prime Minister paid tribute: 'A
much loved and appreciated member of
the royal family has now passed away.'
This elegant ‘Royal’ was Swansea-born
Lillian Davies, daughter of pitman,
William, and shop-assistant, Gladys
Mary (née Curran). They lived in a midterrace house in Garden Street, once
considered part of the
‘slums’, located roughly
near the back
entrances of today's
Boots and Debenhams.
Lillian helped her father
with his Swansea
Market stall. At age 16,
she left for London to
become a fashion
model, as she was
considered to be ‘a
beauty’ and appeared in magazines
such as Vogue. Then she became a
singer and dancer, dropping an ‘l’ from
her name. During WW2 she worked at
a factory and in a hospital for wounded
soldiers. In 1943 Lilian met Prince Bertil
of Sweden in the Swedish Embassy in
London. Bertil was too close to the
throne to marry Lilian, so they lived
together until marrying in 1976. She
was given the title, ‘Her Royal
Highness, Princess Lilian, Duchess of
Halland’. Swansea people didn’t forget
their ‘Lillian’ - her portrait hangs in
Swansea Guildhall.
Ar 16eg Mawrth 2013, darlledodd
teledu Sweden hanes angladd y
dywysoges 97 mlwydd oed, Lilian o
Sweden. Talodd Prif Weinidog Sweden
deyrnged iddi, “Mae aelod o’r teulu
brenhinol a gerid ac a werthfawrogid yn
fawr, wedi’n gadael.” Y Dywysoges
Frenhinol hon oedd Lillian Davies, a
aned yn Abertawe, yn ferch i löwr,
William a Gwladys Mary (Curran gynt),
gweithwraig mewn siop. Trigent mewn
tŷ canol teras yn Stryd yr
Ardd, a ystyrid gynt yn
‘slym’, ac a leolid rywle wrth
gefn Boots a Debenhams
heddiw. Byddai Lillian yn
helpu ei thad ar ei stondin
ym Marchnad Abertawe. Yn
16 oed aeth i Lundain i fod
yn fodel byd ffasiwn, gan yr
ystyrid ei bod yn hardd ac
ymddangosodd mewn
cylchgronau fel ‘Vogue’.
Yna datblygodd yn gantores a
dawnswraig, a newid ei henw i Lilian.
Yn ystod y rhyfel gweithiodd mewn ffatri
ac mewn ysbyty ar gyfer milwyr a
anafwyd. Yn 1943 cwrddodd Lilian â’r
Tywysog Bertil o Sweden yn
Llysgenhadaeth Sweden yn Llundain.
Roedd Bertil yn rhy agos at yr orsedd i
briodi Lillian, felly buon nhw’n cyd-fyw
nes priodi yn 1976. Cafodd Lilian y teitl
‘Ei Mawrhydi Brenhinol, Y Dywysoges
Lilian, Duges Halland’. Nid anghofiodd
trigolion Abertawe Lilian – mae darlun
ohoni’n hongian yn Neuadd y Ddinas.
PAGE - 15 -
14. KÄTE BOSSE-GRIFFITHS
1910 - 1998
Egyptologist & Writer
Eifftolegydd & Awdur
Käte Bosse-Griffiths was born in
Wittenberg, later in East Germany, in
1910. She was of partly Jewish
parentage but grew up as a member of
the Lutheran Church, in a cultured and
liberal family. Her father was an
eminent gynaecologist. After graduating
she joined the staff of the Egyptology
and Archaeology Department in the
Berlin State Museums but was
dismissed when it was discovered that
her mother was a Jewess. During the
war her mother perished
in the Nazi concentration
camp in Ravensbrück.
Käte arrived in Britain in
1936 and found
research posts in
Egyptology, at University
College London, and
later at the Ashmolean
Museum in Oxford. It
was at Oxford, that she
met the Welsh scholar J.
Gwyn Griffiths. They
married and lived in the Rhondda and
Dolgellau before settling in Sketty,
Swansea. For more than 25 years she
was Honorary Curator of Archaeology
at Swansea Museum, where she paid
special attention to the pre-historic and
Roman collections and published a
booklet: Twenty Thousand Years of
Local History. In 1971 she was
appointed Honorary Curator of the
Wellcome Museum, now the Egypt
Centre at Swansea University. She
learned Welsh and wrote several
novels and collections of short stories in
her adopted language.
Ganed Käte Bosse-Griffiths yn
Wittenburg (Dwyrain yr Almaen wedyn),
yn 1910. Deuai o linach rhannol
Iddewig, ond fe’i magwyd yn yr Eglwys
Lutheraidd, ac mewn teulu diwylliedig a
rhyddfrydig. Roedd ei thad yn
gynecolegydd enwog. Ar ôl graddio,
ymunodd â staff Adran Eifftoleg ac
Archaeoleg Amgueddfeydd Gwladol
Berlin ond cafodd ei diswyddo pan
ddarganfuwyd bod ei mam yn Iddewes.
Yn ystod y rhyfel bu farw ei mam yng
ngwersyll crynhoi
Ravesbrück.Cyrhaeddodd
Käte Brydain yn 1936 a
chafodd swyddi ymchwil
mewn Eifftoleg ym Mhrifysgol
Llundain ac yn Amgueddfa
Ashmolean, Rhydychen. Yno
y cyfarfu â’r ysgolhaig o
Gymro, J. Gwyn Griffiths.
Priodon nhw a byw yn y
Rhondda a Dolgellau cyn
ymsefydlu yn Sgeti,
Abertawe. Bu hi’n Guradur
Anrhydeddus yn Adran Archaeoleg
Amgueddfa Abertawe am dros 25
mlynedd, ac astudiodd y casgliadau
cynhanes a Rhufeinig yn arbennig.
Cyhoeddodd y llyfryn: Twenty
Thousand Years of Local History. Yn
1971 cafodd ei phenodi yn Guradur
Amgueddfa Wellcome, bellach y
Ganolfan Eifftaidd ym Mhrifysgol
Abertawe. Dysgodd Gymraeg ac
ysgrifennodd sawl nofel a chasgliadau
o storïau byrion yn ei hiaith
fabwysiedig.
PAGE - 16 -
15. BESSIE DILLWYN
1819 - 1866
Ceramics Designer
Cynllunydd Seramig
Bessie Dillwyn was born Elizabeth De
la Beche in 1819, daughter of geologist
and surveyor Henry De la Beche. In
1838 she married Lewis Llewelyn
Dillwyn, manager of his family's
business, the Cambrian Pottery. Their
daughter was Amy Dillwyn [see 17].
The De la Beche and Dillwyn families
were deeply interested in science,
natural history and the arts, and
travelled widely. They
were also
unconventional in that
many of the Dillwyn
women shared and were
active in these interests,
and it is said that Bessie
Dillwyn designed a range
of decorative pottery
called Etruscan Ware,
made at the Cambrian
Pottery in the late 1840s.
If this is true it would
have been unusual (but
not unknown) for a
woman of her class to work in a
commercial firm. Her husband’s diary
shows that she visited the works
regularly, and a room in the works was
known as ‘Mrs Dillwyn’s room’; a 19th
century account of the Pottery says she
did ‘effective service at the Cambrian
during the Etruscan period’. Swansea
Museum has a folder of drawings of the
Greek-style pot shapes and decorations
long believed to be drawn by Bessie,
and she visited the British Museum
which has the original Greek pottery.
So there is much circumstantial
evidence, but no definite proof. Some
Etruscan Ware pots are in the
Ceramics Gallery in Swansea Museum.
The Cambrian Pottery closed in 1870.
Enw morwynol Bessie Dillwyn oedd
Elizabeth De la Beche, a ganwyd hi’n
1819, yn ferch i’r daearegwr Henry De
la Beche. Yn 1838 priododd Lewis
Llewelyn Dillwyn, rheolwr busnes y
teulu, Crochendy’r Cambrian. Eu merch
oedd Amy Dillwyn [gweler 17]. Roedd
gan deulu De la Beche a Dillwyn
ddiddordeb mawr mewn gwyddoniaeth,
astudiaethau natur a’r celfyddydau, a
theithion nhw’n eang.
Roedden nhw’n
anghonfensiynol hefyd
oherwydd roedd llawer o’r
menywod Dillwyn yn
rhannu’r diddordebau hyn
a honnir i Bessie Dillwyn
gynllunio amrediad o
grochenwaith addurnedig
a elwid yn Llestri
Etrwsgaidd, a wnaethpwyd
yng Nghrochendy’r
Cambrian ddiwedd yr
1840au. Os ydy hynny’n
wir, byddai’n anarferol (er
nad yn ddigynsail) i fenyw o’i dosbarth
hi weithio mewn cwmni masnachol.
Dengys dyddiadur ei gŵr iddi ymweld
â’r gweithfeydd yn rheolaidd; gelwid
ystafell yno yn ‘ystafell Mrs Dillwyn’;
dywed adroddiad o’r 19eg ganrif am y
Crochendy iddi roi ‘gwasanaeth
effeithiol yn y Cambrian yn y cyfnod
Etrwsgaidd’. Mae gan Amgueddfa
Abertawe ffolder o luniau o siapiau
potiau yn yr arddull Roegaidd ac
addurniadau y credir ers tro iddynt gael
eu tynnu gan Bessie; ymwelodd â’r
Amgueddfa Brydeinig, lle mae
crochenwaith Groegaidd gwreiddiol.
Felly mae llawer o dystiolaeth
amgylchiadol, ond dim prawf pendant.
Mae rhai potiau Llestri Etrwsgaidd yn
Amgueddfa Abertawe. Caeodd
Crochendy’r Cambrian yn 1870.
PAGE - 17 -
16. ELUNED GYMRAES DAVIES
1910 - 2004
Educator & Craftswoman
Addysgwraig & Chrefftwraig
Miss Davies, as she was always
known, was born in Pontardawe, into a
Welsh-speaking family; her father was
manager in a local copperworks. She
was appointed the first Principal of Bryn
House, an Adult Education Centre
which opened in 1947 in Uplands. She
recognised the need to provide local
people with new skills to enhance their
employment prospects. Courses were
run on a wide
variety of crafts,
and the Centre
quickly gained an
excellent reputation;
prospective
students would
queue around the
block at enrolment
time, to guarantee
their place.
According to a
former student, Miss Davies ‘fired
everyone up’ with her enthusiasm and
encouragement. Her particular passion
was needlecraft.
When she died she left a legacy for the
National Library of Wales to manage a
Wales-wide initiative to encourage adult
learners to develop their creative skills,
free of charge. Workshops for the first
project took place in Bryn House,
resulting in an amazing embroidered
panel of Copperopolis, based on the
1879 Ordnance Survey map of
Swansea.
Eventually the embroidered panel,
together with the other five creations,
will be transferred to Aberystwyth, in an
exhibition space named Ystafell Eluned
Gymraes Davies Room.
Ganed Miss Davies, fel y gelwid hi, ym
Mhontardawe, i deulu o Gymry
Cymraeg; roedd ei thad yn rheoli
gweithfeydd copr lleol. Cafodd ei
phenodi yn Bennaeth cyntaf Tŷ Bryn,
Canolfan Addysg i Oedolion a agorodd
yn yr Uplands yn 1947. Sylweddolodd
yr angen i roi sgiliau newydd i bobl leol i
hyrwyddo’u gobeithion o gael swyddi.
Rhedwyd cyrsiau ar amrywiaeth eang o
grefftau, ac enillodd y
Ganolfan enw da iddi’i
hun yn fuan; byddai
darpar-fyfyrwyr yn
ciwio o gwmpas yr
adeilad, i sicrhau eu
lle ar y cyrsiau.
Yn ôl cyn-fyfyrwraig,
roedd Miss Davies ‘yn
tanio pawb’ gyda’i
brwdfrydedd a’i
hanogaeth. Ei chariad
angerddol hi oedd crefft gwnïo.
Pan fu farw gadawodd gymynrodd i
Lyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru i reoli
menter Cymru-gyfan i annog dysgwyr o
oedolion i ddatblygu eu sgiliau
creadigol, yn rhad ac am ddim.
Cynhaliwyd gweithdai cyntaf y prosiect
yn Nhŷ Bryn, a chrëwyd panel
brodwaith rhyfeddol o Gopropolis, yn
seiliedig ar fap Arolwg Ordnans o
Abertawe.
Yn y pendraw, caiff y panel brodwaith,
ynghyd â’r pum creadigaeth arall, eu
trosglwyddo i Aberystwyth, a’u rhoi
mewn gofod ar gyfer arddangosfa a
elwir yn Ystafell Eluned Gymraes
Davies Room
.
PAGE - 18 -
17. AMY DILLWYN
1845 - 1935
Writer, Industrialist,
Social Benefactor
Amy was born into the well-off,
influential Dillwyn family in
Hendrefoilan, Swansea. Her mother
was Bessie Dillwyn, née De la Beche
[see 15]. During the 1880s, Amy
published several successful novels, all
of which had a strong feminist
message, and often a socially radical
theme. Her best-known work is the
novel The Rebecca Rioter, based on
actual events at Pontarddulais toll-gate.
When her father died in 1892, his
spelter works in Llansamlet was nearly
bankrupt. Amy saved it from collapse,
concerned about the loss of 300 jobs,
paying off her father’s creditors and
eventually selling the company in 1905
at a considerable profit. This was
pioneering work for
a woman, made
more difficult by the
attitudes of male
industrialists.
She campaigned for
education,
supporting the
Ragged School in
Pleasant Street. In
1911 she supported striking
seamstresses protesting the sweated
conditions at Ben Evans, a major
department store in Swansea. This was
an important test case for the new
Factory Act and was widely discussed
in Parliament and the press. Amy
Dillwyn called for a customer boycott of
the store. Amy's preference for a
practical style of clothing, and her cigar
smoking also made her a well-known
local character.
Awdur, Diwydianwraig,
Cymwynaswraig
Gymdeithasol
Ganed Amy i deulu cefnog a
dylanwadol Dillwyn yn Hendrefoilan,
Abertawe. Bessie Dillwyn, De la Beche
gynt [gweler 15] oedd ei mam. Yn
ystod yr 1880au, cyhoeddodd Amy sawl
nofel lwyddiannus, pob un ohonynt â
neges ffeministaidd gref ac â thema
radical gymdeithasol, yn fynych. The
Rebecca Rioter, yn seiliedig ar
ddigwyddiadau go iawn wrth dollborth
Pontarddulais, yw ei nofel fwyaf
adnabyddus.
Pan fu farw ei thad yn 1892, roedd yr
hwch bron â mynd drwy’r siop yn ei
waith sinc yn Llansamlet. Achubodd
Amy y gwaith rhag methu, roedd hi’n
gofidio am golli 300 o swyddi, talodd
gredydwyr ei thad ac yn 1905
gwerthodd y cwmni
am elw sylweddol.
Roedd hyn yn waith
arloesol i fenyw, ac
roedd yn anos fyth
oherwydd agweddau
diwydianwyr
gwrywaidd.
Bu’n ymgyrchu dros
addysg, gan gefnogi
Ysgol y Tlodion yn Stryd Pleasant. Yn
1911 cefnogodd streic y
gwniadyddesau yn protestio yn erbyn
amodau gwaith slafaidd yn siop
adrannol bwysig Ben Evans yn
Abertawe. Roedd hwn yn achos prawf
pwysig i’r Ddeddf Ffatri newydd a
thrafodwyd y streic droeon yn y Senedd
ac yn y wasg. Galwodd Amy Dillwyn ar
gwsmeriaid i foicotio’r siop. Gwnâi
hoffter Amy o wisgo’n wahanol, a’r ffaith
ei bod yn ysmygu sigâr hi’n gymeriad
lleol adnabyddus hefyd.
PAGE - 19 -
18. JENNIE KIRKLAND
MARGARET KIRKLAND
1872 - 1930
1880 - 1966
Suffragettes,
Shoe Traders
Swffragetiaid,
Masnachwyr Esgidiau
Jane Ann (known as Jennie) and
Margaret Kirkland came to Swansea
with their father in 1895 and opened a
shoe shop in Goat Street. The
daughters were trained in the shoe
trade at Clark’s Shoes, Somerset, and
they ran the shop with William. The
family lived in Langland where they
entertained many friends involved in
suffrage activities. Their visitors’ book,
now in Swansea
Museum, shows how
their lives combined
good business sense
with feminist activism
and a commitment to
improving the lives of
women and girls.
Margaret Kirkland was
the first woman
President of Swansea
Boot Trade Association,
and was elected as the
first woman President
of Swansea Chamber
of Trade. She founded
the Swansea branch of the
Soroptomists and became its President
in 1935.
Jennie and Margaret were active in the
Swansea Branch of the Women’s
Freedom League from its inception in
1909. Jennie was an effective President
for eighteen months before her death in
1930 at 58. [See 2, 6, 10] Margaret
Kirkland continued to live in Langland
with Daisy Fry, who also worked in the
shoe shop, until Margaret's death in
1966 aged 86.
Daeth Jane Ann (a elwid Jennie) a
Margaret Kirkland i Abertawe gyda’u
tad yn 1905 ac agoron nhw siop yn
Stryd yr Afr. Cawsai’r merched eu
hyfforddi yn y fasnach esgidiau yn
Siopau Clark’s, Gwlad yr Haf, a rhedent
y siop gyda William. Trigent yn
Langland, lle croesawent lawer o
ffrindiau oedd yn ymwneud â
rhyddfreinio menywod. Mae eu llyfr
ymwelwyr, sydd bellach yn
Amgueddfa Abertawe, yn
dangos sut y cyfunent
synnwyr busnes da â
gweithgarwch ffeminyddol
ac ymrwymiad i wella
bywydau menywod a
merched. Margaret Kirkland
oedd Llywydd benywaidd
cyntaf Cymdeithas Fasnach
Esgidiau Abertawe, ac fe’i
hetholwyd yn Llywydd
benywaidd cyntaf Siambr
Fasnach Abertawe.
Sefydlodd gangen Abertawe
o’r Soroptomyddion, a daeth
yn Llywydd arni yn 1935.
Roedd Jennie a Margaret yn gweithio’n
ddyfal dros Gangen Abertawe o
Gynghrair Rhyddid i Fenywod o’i
sefydlu yn 1909. Bu Jennie yn Llywydd
effeithiol am ddeunaw mis cyn ei
marwolaeth yn 1930 yn 58 oed. [Gweler
2,6,10] Parhaodd Margaret Kirkland i
fyw yn Langland gyda Daisy Fry, a
weithiai yn y siop esgidiau hefyd, tan ei
marwolaeth yn 1966 yn 86 oed.
PAGE - 20 -
19. VAL FELD
1947 - 2001.
Politician & Feminist
Gwleidydd & Ffeminydd
Val Feld was born Valerie Breen Turner
in Bangor, North Wales.
She promoted women's causes,
including Swansea Women's Centre,
the Multi Ethnic Women's Network
(Swansea), Women in Jazz (now Jazz
Heritage Wales), and many other
organisations. As an
active and influential
member of the Labour
Party, she was in a good
position to champion such
causes. Val founded
Shelter Cymru and
became the first Director.
She was appointed head
of the Equal Opportunities
Commission for Wales in
1989, holding the post for
10 years.
Val was an early signatory
of the Devolution Declaration,
becoming treasurer of the 'Yes'
Campaign, and in 1999 the first
Assembly Member for Swansea East.
She was Chair of the Assembly's
Economic Development Committee.
First Minister Rhodri Morgan said, 'I
believe I speak for the whole of Wales
when I say that the death of Val Feld is
a grievous blow for us all.'
Ganed Val Feld (Valerie Breen Turner)
ym Mangor, Gwynedd.
Hyrwyddodd achosion menywod, gan
gynnwys Canolfan Fenywod Abertawe,
y Rhwydwaith Menywod Aml-ethnig
(Abertawe), Women in Jazz
(Treftadaeth Jazz Cymru yn awr) a
llawer o sefydliadau eraill.
Gan ei bod yn aelod
dylanwadol a gweithgar o’r
Blaid Lafur, roedd yn gallu
hyrwyddo achosion o’r fath
yn effeithiol. Sefydlodd Val
Shelter Cymru a hi oedd y
Gyfarwyddwraig gyntaf.
Cafodd ei phenodi yn
bennaeth y Comisiwn
Cyfleoedd Cyfartal yng
Nghymru yn 1989, a bu yn
y swydd am 10 mlynedd.
Roedd Val yn un o
lofnodwyr cynnar y Datganiad
Datganoli, a bu’n drysorydd yr Ymgyrch
'Ie’, ac yn 1999 hi oedd Aelod Cynulliad
cyntaf Dwyrain Abertawe. Val oedd
Cadeirydd Pwyllgor Datblygu
Economaidd y Cynulliad. Dwedodd y
Prif Weinidog, Rhodri Morgan, amdani,
‘Dwi’n credu mod i’n siarad ar ran
Cymru gyfan pan ddywedaf fod
marwolaeth Val Feld yn ergyd enbyd i
ni i gyd.’
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Further reading/ Darllen pellach
•
•
•
•
•
Beddoe, Deirdre, Out of the Shadows – a History of Women in Twentieth
Century, Cardiff: University of Wales Press / Caerdydd: Gwasg Prifysgol
Cymru, (2000)
Gruffudd, Heini, Yr Erlid, Talybont: Y Lolfa, (2013), A Haven from Hitler ,
Talybont: Y Lolfa, (2014)
Masson, Ursula, Votes for Women; the Campaign in Swansea, Minerva, RISW,
Vol.1/ Cyf.1, pp. 34-39/ tt. 34-9, (1993)
Rolph, Avril, Definitely not a doormat: Emily Phipps, feminist, teacher and trade
unionist, Swansea History Journal/ Cylchgrawn Hanes Abertawe, (2014,
forthcoming/ar ddod)
Wilson, Jen, Jessie Donaldson, the Swansea Abolitionist, Minerva, RISW Vol./
Cyf. X11, (2004)
PAGE - 21 -
STREET PLAN 1909 CYNLLUN STRYD
PAGE - 22 -
Acknowledgements / Cydnabyddiaethau
Route/
Trefn y
daith
1
Catrin Stevens
2
Jenny Sabine
3
Jenny Sabine
4
Jenny Sabine
5
Kathryn
Williams
6
Avril Rolph
7
8
Jen Wilson
Jen Wilson
9
10
Jen Wilson
Avril Rolph
11
Paulette Pelosi
12
13
Catrin Stevens
Paulette Pelosi
14
15
Catrin Stevens
Jenny Sabine
16
Gail Allen
17
Gail Allen
18
Avril Rolph
19
Deb Checkland
•
•
•
•
Contributors/
Cyfranwyr
Image Credits
© Swansea Women's
History Group
© Swansea Women's
History Group
City and County of
Swansea; Swansea
Museum
© Swansea Women's
History Group
Gwalia Housing
Association & Swansea
Cyrenians
Institute of Education
Archives, London.
© Jazz Heritage Wales
© Swansea Women's
History Group
© Jazz Heritage Wales
City and County of
Swansea; Swansea
Museum
Craig y Nos Castle
www.craignoscastle.com
Public Domain
City and County of
Swansea
Heini Gruffudd
© Swansea Women's
History Group
Bryn House Centre, City
and County of Swansea
© Swansea Women's
History Group
City and County of
Swansea; Swansea
Museum
Deb Checkland
Cydnabyddiaeth
am Ddelwedd
© Grŵp Hanes Menywod
Abertawe
© Grŵp Hanes Menywod
Abertawe
Dinas a Sir Abertawe;
Amgueddfa Abertawe
© Grŵp Hanes Menywod
Abertawe
Cymdeithas Dai Gwalia a
Cyreniaid Abertawe
Institute of Education
Archives, Llundain
© Treftadaeth Jazz Cymru
© Grŵp Hanes Menywod
Abertawe
© Treftadaeth Jazz Cymru
Dinas a Sir Abertawe;
Amgueddfa Abertawe
Castell Craig y Nos
www.craignoscastle.com
Eiddo cyhoeddus
Dinas a Sir Abertawe
Heini Gruffudd
© Grŵp Hanes Menywod
Abertawe
Canolfan Tŷ Bryn, Dinas a Sir
Abertawe
© Grŵp Hanes Menywod
Abertawe
Dinas a Sir Abertawe;
Amgueddfa Abertawe
Deb Checkland
Links/ Cysylltiadau
www.womensarchivewales.org
See Wikipedia for articles on most women in the walk.
Gweler Wikipedia am erthyglau ar nifer o’r menywod yn y daith gerdded.
Women's History Walks in Penarth & Barry http://www.valeofglamorgan.gov.uk
http://www.smu.ac.uk/jazzheritage
PAGE - 23 -
ROUTE MAP Y DAITH
Sequence/ Trefn
1,2
3,4,5
6
7
8
9, 10, 11
12
13
14, 15, 16
17, 18
19
Location/Lleoliad
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
J
K
L
Place
Railway Station
St Matthews Church
Trinity Place
Dynevor Place
Girls School
Albert Hall
Swansea Market
St Mary's Square
Swansea Museum
Castle Square
High Street
Lle
Gorsaf y Rheilffordd
Eglwys Sant Matthew
Trinity Place
Dynevor Place
Ysgol y Merched
Neuadd Albert
Marchnad Abertawe
Sgwâr y Santes Fair
Amgueddfa Abertawe
Sgwâr y Castell
Y Stryd Fawr
ISBN 978-0-9576016-1-1
Swansea Women's History
Group / Grŵp Hanes
Menywod Abertawe © 2014
01792- 469232
9 780957 601611
PAGE - 24 -