The Folklore of Wales: Ghosts tells interesting Pembrokeshire stories

Delyth Badder has always had an interest in Welsh folklore and has worked together with Mark Norman to create the book The Folklore of Wales: Ghosts.

The book has more than 200 pages of stories relating to ghosts and spectral figures from across Wales and how they link into Welsh folklore as well as establishing Wales’ history, culture and the variations throughout the regions and communities.

Speaking to the Western Telegraph, Ms Badder spoke about how she has her own collection of rare Welsh manuscripts and stories and spent a couple of years building this and choosing the stories to be used in the book, using original manuscripts written in Welsh, some of which have never been translated into English before now, and others that have never been published in Welsh or English prior to this book. Around 85 per cent of the stories used in the book have come from her own personal collection.

“One of the things I wanted to do most with the book was to use Welsh language stories. When you read through books about Welsh ghosts these stories have been omitted and it is really important for me to use these stories verbatim in the text so these are translated as best as possible so Welsh speakers, English speakers and Welsh learners can read them so they have all been included.

Delyth Badder (Image: Jon Pountney)

“So many of our Welsh folklore stories have been mis translated or misunderstood.” This is something that Ms Badder attributes to the formal language used which can be hard to translate word for word at times.

She said how she hoped it would provide readers with an insight into life in Wales throughout the years and also providing stories that people may not have heard before, including stories from Pembrokeshire.

One of the stories featured in the book relates to what is potentially Wales’ first recording of poltergeist activity, which was recorded by Giraldus Cambrensis (Gerald of Wales), the celebrated historian. The stories were recorded in Manorbier and involved two different homes where there was ‘unclean spirit’ activity in the homes of Stephen Wiriet and William Not. In both households, they were said to have thrown dirt around, but in the Wiriet household they also cut holes in clothing and the Not household, they would talk to visitors and tell things they have done through their lives.

These were recorded in the 1191 documents The Itinerary Through Wales and the Description of Wales.

Speaking of this story, Ms Badder said that she believes the account being recorded by such a celebrated and trusted historian could lend more credence to the story amongst non-believers, but also highlighted the importance of how, during the time period, religious figures – which Giraldus was as a cleric and historian - would use spirits to showcase heaven and hell, and that ‘unclean spirits’ which we describe as poltergeists today, could be used to describe the existence of hell.

“For him to be writing about what we now call poltergeists which were described as unclean spirits as a reason for heaven and hell.”

There is another Pembrokeshire example of a spectral beast in Camrose which was said to have taken place in 1830 but was recorded in 1936 and told by the grandson of the witness. He had been told it by his grandfather in the 1880s when his grandfather was in his eighties. Word of mouth was a way to tell the stories in the past, but it can – as noted by the authors of the book – lead to changes and exaggerations in events.

In the book, the story is told how the man was walking home in the dark from Haverfordwest and heard a commotion in the woods which he thought was a disturbance between animals and carried on, believing he was safe away from the commotion. As he was walking, he saw a large black dog rise over the trees with a ‘frightful roar’, where it swooped downwards a few feet in front of him and into the stream below.

Throughout the book, Ms Badder and Mr Norman speak about how similar stories are shared throughout the various parts of Wales, with differences to reflect the local area. It details how there is a story that treasure has been buried beneath Carreg y Bwci on Craig Twrch mountain and if disturbed, a devastating storm would hit, there is also a similar story told about Pembrokeshire’s Frenni Fawr and Ceredigion’s Dyffryn-bern, which showed that despite differing locations, the same stories are told throughout and adjusted to reflect the local area.

The Folklore of Wales: Ghosts (Image: Newsquest)

Throughout the book, references are made to various stories coming from what was described as the lower class, such as maids and servant boys, who were said to have been the most likely to witness these encounters, potentially due to the condescending nature of the middle and upper class, whereas many of the publicised and well-known stories from a more historical period have come from gentry and upper or middle class individuals.

The book makes a conscious effort to ensure that the full stories are told throughout the book, where there are separate chapters for different types of ghosts and the same story will be referenced if it ties in with other chapters to showcase how the stories and spectral beings can be tied into folklore and with each other.

The Folklore of Wales: Ghosts is an interesting read showcasing a large number of relatively unknown stories from across Wales and providing an insight into the differences between areas both within Wales and between Wales and England, providing an insight into Wales’ independent folklore and some unique spectral related stories and traditions that are not seen elsewhere.

The Folklore of Wales: Ghosts is available to buy in independent bookstores throughout Wales.