I am impressed by the energy displayed by the agriculturists of the district in sending such satisfactory exhibits. At the same time, you must not fancy yourselves quite too grand at the present day, because, if you read history you will find that during the siege of Caerphilly Castle, some 400 or 500 years ago—when the castle was taken—there were 2,000 oxen, 12,000 cows, 20,000 sheep, 600 horses, 2,000 pigs and 200 tuns of wine inside the Castle walls. Two hundred tuns of wine! That is better than a Temperance Hotel.... If you walk round this show you will not see one single sign of depression. It grows larger every year. Cattle grow better, the horses better, the women grow prettier, and the men grow fatter.
East Glamorgan Agricultural Show, Caerphilly,
September 7th, 1899.
[GWERN-Y-CLEPPA.]
The foundations of Gwern-y-Cleppa, the palace of Ivor Hael, have been traced around a tree in Cleppa Park. Although it has been termed a palace, I think it more likely to have been something of a manor house, for Ivor was the younger son of a younger son, and therefore not likely to have had very large possessions. Ivor's generous nature has been well depicted by his celebrated bard, Dafydd ap Gwilym.
I have read in a book an account of an incident which tradition alleges took place near the spot on which we are standing. This was a contest between Dafydd and his rival bard, Rhys Meigan. Dafydd's shafts of satire overwhelmed his opponent, who fell dead—the victim of ridicule.
Cardiff Naturalists' Visit to Gwern-y-Cleppa,
May 10th, 1893.