Spoken welsh

[Annie65115]

Bore da (and that almost exhausts my memory of Welsh!)

What was the likelihood of a family in Welshpool in the early/mid 1800s being welsh speakers? Does anyone know what the language use in that part of Wales was then?

Diolch yn fawr!

[Llwyd]

Hi there and, of course, bore da,

My family originate from the Newtown area Montgomeryshire and around the time you mention they were Welsh speakers.

In the censuses which contain the question of language spoken, my G.G. parents and at least one of my Great Uncles are listed as speaking "both". However, later censuses show my grand father and other great uncles as speaking English.

Certainly at some point prior to the time you mention Welsh would have been the dominant language. However, due to an influx of migrant English workers, plus other factors such as the "Welsh Not", a deliberate attempt to stamp out the the Welsh language, I'm afraid the use of the language diminished.

Pob lwc.
 

[Romilly]

Its interesting how attitudes towards spoken Welsh have changed...

My Swansea Grandmother, & most of her ancestors, were Welsh speaking. However, her children weren't. I remember her son, my late Uncle, (1894-1974) telling me that when he was a boy, they were caned at School if they spoke Welsh!

Romilly.