Local History
Take a look at some of the sites below to find some fascinating historical facts. You'll also find them a useful research resource. We've also got a guide to handy family history websites.
Check out our Mid Wales History pages
Bryn Mawr Heritage Project
http://www.bmheritagetrust.co.uk/
In March 2007 the Castell Newydd Domen Project was relaunched as the Bryn Mawr Heritage Project. The aim is to develop a mixed farm of the period displaying typical land use and livestock of an upland Tyddyn or manorial holding. The site has a message board and information about the project.
Suggested by Gary Ball of Llanerfyl
Cardiganshire Family History Society
http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/CGN
If you've got roots in Ceredigion, then you'll get a lot out of this site which is part of the GENUKI service. Each parish, town or village has its own individual (and very long) page signposting the various sources available locally to those on the genealogical journey. There are links too to family history websites in the area.
Ceredigion Archives
http://archifdy-ceredigion.org.uk
The work of Ceredigion Archives is to collect and preserve documents about the county's history and make them available for research. You need to visit the Archives office in Aberystwyth to make full use of their records but you can find out exactly what documents are in the collection from the website. You can also read the organisation's newsletter online.
Ceredigion Council - Local History Resource
www.ceredigion.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=3610
This is a growing website based on the history of Ceredigion. It has an online bibliography of the County from 1600-1968 (covering towns, villages, authors and notable people) as well as indexes to various local history books. It is an invaluable information source to historians across Wales and the World. There is also an (up to date) list of Ceredigion Clubs and Societies on the Library website.
Suggested by Nia Richards
Hargest/Hergest One name study page
www.one-name.org/profiles/hargest.html
This website gives a point of reference for those related to George Hargest (1878-1943) Margaret Lillian Hargest (1885-1979) and anyone else with the name Hargest or Hergest.
Suggested by Adam Hargest.
Gathering The Jewels
www.gtj.org.uk
An online resource of 30,000 images on the culture and heritage of Wales, from museums, archives and libraries across Wales.
Suggested by Carys Morgan from Aberystwyth
Grumpy Stumpy
http://grumpystumpy.com
The site has old photographs and pictures of the United Kingdom
including Powys and Ceredigion.
Llangynfelyn
http://www.llangynfelyn.org
A comprehensive and fully bilingual website for the small parish of Llangynfelyn in the north of Ceredigion. The site has some fascinating snippits - such as the diary of a nineteenth century schoolmaster whose jottings include a visit by an Italian monkey and a confrontation with an axe-wielding mother. There are also photos of the parish past and present, and census details from 1841-1901 are listed along with comprehrensive parish and chapel registers for births, deaths and marriages.
Hanes Llanwrtyd History
http://www.llanwrtyd-history.org.uk
This easy to use website contains a collection of historic postcards of the town, with the opportunity for people to write their recollections or comments onto the site.
Website suggested by Thomas Lake
Our Wales
www.ourwales.org.uk
This website contains the digital archives of community groups across Wales, including two based at Tregaron and Cwm Ystwyth.Suggested by Carys Morgan from Aberystwyth
Pen Cambria
www.pencambria.co.uk/
Taking Mid-Wales as its theme, this website promotes the magazine, Pen Cambria, which covers history, heritage, traditional and contemporary culture, biography, autobiography, fiction and creative writing.Everything in it is written by and for the people of Mid-Wales.
Powys Archives
http://archives.powys.gov.uk
This is the website for the Powys County Archives Office which is located in Llandrindod Wells and which serves as the official repository for the records of the modern county of Powys (first established in 1974) and the three former counties of Brecon, Montgomery and Radnor. You won't find an incredible amount of detail online but you will find a wealth of information on where you need to go in order to find what you're looking for.
Powys Heritage Online
http://history.powys.org.uk
This website takes you through the history of Mid Wales with the help of photographs, documents, maps and museum exhibits. It includes information about the County Archives, a history project which recalls everyday life in Mid Wales in 1891 and today, and an early project featuring the history of six communities across Powys, from Machynlleth to Presteigne and Rhayader to Hay-on-Wye.
Powysland Club
http://www.powyslandclub.co.uk
The Powysland Club was founded in 1867 and describes itself as the senior county historical society in Wales. One of the organisation's biggest acheivements has been the publication of 90 volumes of its journal, the Montgomeryshire Collections. These include articles ranging from Robert Owen's childhood to prehistoric ritual sites in the Upper Severn Valley. You can't read these online but you can order copies. The site also has details of the society's library which is said be be one of the finest private historical libraries in Wales. You can find out too about the Powysland Museum in Welshpool, which was the first public museum in Wales when it opened in 1874. Details of club activies and officials are also listed.
Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments
http://www.rcahmw.gov.uk
Based in Aberystwyth, the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments Wales holds information and images on the archaeology and built heritage of Wales. It's website is not the easiest to navigate but it does provide a fantastic online source of information on our country's past. Browse the Coflein interactive database which includes details of thousands of archaeological sites, monuments, buildings and maritime sites. Click on the area you're interested in and you'll be able to find out what information (drawings, manuscripts, photographs etc) is held in the Commission's archives.
Talgarth & District Historical Society
www.talgarthhistory.co.uk/
This website offers an interesting insight into the town's past. There are articles on the area's castles, churches and chapels as well as details about other local historic sites - such as the 'Fish Stone' which is Powys' tallest standing stone. You'll find quite a few photos of Talgarth in times gone by and information about local societies and associations. Details of the society's events are also listed online. Old Photos of Talgarth
The Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust
www.cpat.org.uk/index.htm
This is the website of one of the four Welsh Archaeological Trusts working to help protect, record and interpret all aspects of the historic landscape. Sections include an illustrated review of the society's last 25 years of work, all the latest news including a newsletter; interactive maps and supporting pages; reports about ongoing work on Historic Landscapes in the Clwyd-Powys area; and detailed information on work on prehistoric burial and ritual sites, historic churches, coastal survey and metal mines.
Suggested by Chris Martin from Welshpool
The Academy Neuaddlwyd
http://www.the-academy-neuaddlwyd.org.uk/
This Welsh history site was set up to arrange a celebration of "The Academy at Neuaddlwyd", which was very significant in Welsh Independant chapels and the development of religion in Wales.
Suggested by Michelle from Lampeter
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Would you like to write about the region's history? If so, visit our new Local History section, and if you've got some sound advice for any keen History Hunter get in touch by sending an email to wales.mid@bbc.co.uk
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