In this short series we\u2019ll take a step back in time to remind ourselves of some of the interesting traditions which took place in Wales in the past. We\u2019ll begin with a look at what in Welsh are called \u2018Merched y Gerddi\u2019 <\/strong>– literally translated, \u2018The Garden Girls\u2019. <\/strong><\/p>\n During the 18th and 19th Centuries, it was the tradition for young girls and women to travel annually from impoverished rural Wales to London – to look for work in the market-gardens and parks of the city. They would travel in late spring or early summer, remain in London all summer – and travel back to Wales before winter set in. It was poverty and the lack of work that caused this exodus – and the name given to these girls and women was \u2018Merched y Gerddi\u2019.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n A simple verse written by poet Daniel Ddu o Geredigion, mentioning this tradition, has survived.<\/p>\n O na bawn i fel colomen<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Ar Sant Paul yng nghanol Llunden<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n I gael gweled merched Cymru<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Ar eu gliniau\u2019n chwynnu\u2019r gerddi.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Oh that I were a pigeon<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n On St Paul\u2019s in the centre of London –<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n To see the girls from Wales<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n On their knees weeding the gardens.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n The majority of these women came from Ceredigion, although others from various parts of Wales would join them on their journey through Breconshire – Powys today – towards England. The tradition was centred on the town of Tregaron – which was also one of the main centres for the drovers – who drove their animals to the markets of London. It is possible that the drovers helped the women find work in the parks and gardens.<\/p>\n Of course, the romance and excitement of the journey to London appealed to the young women – and their hope was that they would meet and marry a wealthy young man whilst they were in London! But it was not only young women who undertook this annual tradition. Widows and married women also travelled – so long as they had someone at home to care for their children.<\/p>\n There was no transport to take them to London of course, so they had to walk all the way – following the drovers\u2019 tracks. It is said that many of them walked barefoot in order to keep their clogs in good condition for wearing in London. They would sleep in the open air or in a barn – and many would gather fruit like bilberries or whinberries to sell along the way – thus putting a few pennies in their pockets. Others would knit stockings as they walked – and sell the finished articles.<\/p>\n After finding work in London, the women would have to work hard – and not many of them were able to afford to stay in lodgings of any kind – so they slept in warehouses and such buildings – with only straw and sacking to keep them warm. They lived on fruit and vegetables from the market-gardens where\u00a0they worked – and no doubt this was often better than the paupers food they ate back home in Wales. Most of them worked up to 14 hours a day, 7 days a week – and only a few of them had a day off on Sunday. Those who did liked to go to the fair at Lambeth Marsh to buy a few goods and to listen to the ballad singers spreading the latest news through their songs. This is how Lambeth Marsh grew to be a well-known place in which the Welsh congregate.<\/p>\n By the middle of September, the work in the gardens and parks had dried up and it was time for the women to return to Wales. Once again, they had to walk – but now they had a little money in their pockets. Their pay in London was between 1 and 2 shillings a day (5-10 pence today) – and this was far more than they could earn back home in Wales.<\/p>\n This tradition had all but died out by the middle of the 19th century – as, by then, the population of London had increased to such an extent that far more people were looking for work. Also, the famine in Ireland had forced many Irish men and women to move to London to look for work. Fortunately, by this time conditions were improving in Wales – with new industries being developed in the South Wales valleys. At last, there was now more work for the men and women of Wales in their own country.<\/p>\n Up until then, life was hard – especially in rural Wales. I wonder how many of our readers had heard of this tradition – and how many people were aware that possibly one of their \u2018foremothers\u2019 had been forced to take part in this annual trek to London to earn a little extra money. We cannot begin to appreciate the hardship of the time – and should count our blessings today!<\/p>\n Ann M. Jones<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n WELSH TRADITIONS In this short series we\u2019ll take a step back in time to remind ourselves of some of the interesting traditions which took place in Wales in the past. We\u2019ll begin with a look at what in Welsh are called \u2018Merched y Gerddi\u2019 – literally translated, \u2018The Garden Girls\u2019. During the 18th and 19th Centuries, it was the tradition […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[334],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6cWjO-3Gf","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":13924,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=13924","url_meta":{"origin":14151,"position":0},"title":"New Year Traditions In Wales","author":"Alan Williams","date":"13th February 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"NEW YEAR TRADITIONS IN WALES \u00a0 As we in Wenvoe celebrate the arrival of the New Year with a bottle of fizz, watching the fireworks from around the world on television, and by singing a few lines of Auld Lang Syne, there are many very old New Year's traditions in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Readers Articles of Interest"","block_context":{"text":"Readers Articles of Interest","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=228"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Picture1-249x300.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":14454,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=14454","url_meta":{"origin":14151,"position":1},"title":"Welsh Traditions 4 Gwau Hosanau – Knitting Stockings","author":"Alan Williams","date":"8th July 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"WELSH TRADITIONS 4 GWAU HOSANAU - KNITTING STOCKINGS In rural Wales, one of the main cottage industries which flourished during the 18th Century was that of knitting stockings - not only for the family - but for selling in the local markets - and further afield. The towns of Bala,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Interest Articles"","block_context":{"text":"General Interest Articles","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=334"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":14259,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=14259","url_meta":{"origin":14151,"position":2},"title":"Welsh Traditions 2 Calan Mai – May Day","author":"Alan Williams","date":"16th May 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"WELSH TRADITIONS 2 CALAN MAI - MAY DAY In the old Celtic Year, the summer season consisted of the months of May, June and July so the first day of May was also the first day of summer. The Welsh name for July - Gorffennaf - testifies to this as\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Interest Articles"","block_context":{"text":"General Interest Articles","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=334"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8726,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=8726","url_meta":{"origin":14151,"position":3},"title":"The Welsh Have No Use For Orchards!","author":"Alan Williams","date":"29th November 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The Welsh Have No Use For Orchards nor Gardens! (The Welsh) have no use for orchards nor gardens'. So said Gerald of Wales, the 12th\/13th century historian and archdeacon of Brecon. We described in the previous two issues something of the background and history of the sweet apple - so\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=49"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Picture7.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9048,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=9048","url_meta":{"origin":14151,"position":4},"title":"La La Land","author":"Alan Williams","date":"1st February 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Play Hard Work Hard La La Land ITV recently showed a three-part short series The Pembrokeshire Murders, based on the real-life story behind the conviction of serial killer John Cooper. The series, which included a cast led by Luke Evans and Keith Allen, showed the brilliance of Welsh storytelling, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Play Hard Work Hard"","block_context":{"text":"Play Hard Work Hard","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=274"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":14657,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=14657","url_meta":{"origin":14151,"position":5},"title":"Welsh Traditions 6 – Medi – Harvest","author":"Alan Williams","date":"9th September 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"WELSH TRADITIONS 6 MEDI - HARVEST The Welsh word \u2018medi\u2019 is a verb meaning \u2018to reap\u2019 or \u2018to harvest\u2019 and as a proper noun, \u2018Medi\u2019, is the name of the ninth month of the year, namely September - the month when the crops are harvested, of course. The English word\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Interest Articles"","block_context":{"text":"General Interest Articles","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=334"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/gleaners.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/gleaners.png?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/gleaners.png?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/gleaners.png?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14151"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14151"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14151\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14152,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14151\/revisions\/14152"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14151"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14151"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14151"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nWELSH TRADITIONS<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n
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