"Who do you think you are?" October

[Mowsehowse]

I found the Ruth Jones episode very interesting..... I had always believed Nai Bevan dreamed up the entire concept of the NHS, rather than taking such a good local model and adapting it for the entire U.K.
What I found really astonishing was Ruth's interpretation of that photo..... she used the word "party", but in my opinion they all looked so sad, I suspect it was probably taken at the time of their father's funeral or within days of Nancy's death.

[Phil Goater]

Enjoyed the Ruth Jones episode. Given her strong personality it was no surprise to find her ancestors had been those who took charge whether it be the men (boats amd medical societies) or the women (coping with any number of kids while hubby’s away at sea). I thought the lady at the centre of the photo was the mother rather than the eldest sister.
I noticed that Ruth’s mam asked her to translate the Welsh of her ancestors and Ruth herself was delighted to find that they were fluent in Welsh which is an interesting insight into Welsh social history.
We tend to almost deify individual heroes of history, attributing much more to them than is merited. I felt that Aneurin Bevan was brought back to earth a bit in this episode. Like Shakespeare he built on the foundation of others and the way the old guard was treated leaves a bit to be desired. (Notwithstanding, the creation of the NHS was an immense achievement.)

Phil

[Romilly]

I found this episode very interesting, particularly as one side of my family were from South Wales.
Also interesting to see how attitudes have changed to Welsh speaking... I remember my late Uncle (William Havelock Wilson 1894 - 1974) telling me that boys were beaten at School for speaking Welsh, and although my Grandmother was a Welsh speaker, her sons never learnt it. I think that the plan was to eradicate it altogether. How times have changed!

Romilly.

[Mowsehowse]

QUOTE:  "I thought the lady at the centre of the photo was the mother rather than the eldest sister."
So did I, especially as her clothes were finer than the other eight.
But I can imagine, in the circumstances, one might look older.

[KGarrad]

I found this episode very interesting, particularly as one side of my family were from South Wales.
Also interesting to see how attitudes have changed to Welsh speaking... I remember my late Uncle (William Havelock Wilson 1894 - 1974) telling me that boys were beaten at School for speaking Welsh, and although my Grandmother was a Welsh speaker, her sons never learnt it. I think that the plan was to eradicate it altogether. How times have changed!

Romilly.

If Wales followed the way things were in the Isle of Man (re Manx Language), it was the Methodists who tried to eradicate the language?!

[Top-of-the-hill]

  I also enjoyed this one. Some different paths were explored. I already knew a bit about the trade in coal from Wales, due to following an East Anglian seafaring family, but was a bit puzzled by the picture of his ship, which seemed small for Atlantic crossings. Any experts know what it was?

   P.S. I have just checked the ship and it is said to be a barque.

[Romilly]

KGarrad,

I found this Article on the BBC Wales Site, about how Welsh speaking was discouraged in Schools, but I can't see any mention of Methodists:

http://www.rootschat.com/links/01pzn/

Romilly.

[ThrelfallYorky]

One thing I've always puzzled at when experts closely date photographs by the garments people are wearing is - do people not carry garments forward for years, sometimes even decades? "Best Clothes" would often be used as such for quite a long period of time, so could often seem to lead to an earlier date than a photograph might actually be?
I quite liked this Jones programme, I'd not real idea who the woman was, but the whole thing hung together well, and was very watchable.

[KGarrad]

KGarrad,

I found this Article on the BBC Wales Site, about how Welsh speaking was discouraged in Schools, but I can't see any mention of Methodists:

http://www.rootschat.com/links/01pzn/

Romilly.

Thanks for that Romilly.
Interesting article - and blows my theory out of the water!