Gwent Archives

In 1986, Islwyn Borough Council decided to award Islwyn MP Neil Kinnock and jailed South African Anti-Apartheid campaigner Nelson Mandela and his wife, Winnie, the Freedom of the Borough ‘as persons of distinction and in recognition of such by residents of the Borough of Islwyn’.

Ref: Acc6809

Yn 1986, penderfynodd Cyngor Bwrdeistref Islwyn rhoi Rhyddfraint y Fwrdeistref i AS Islwyn, Neil Kinnock a’r ymgyrchydd gwrth-Apartheid o Dde Affrica, Nelson Mandela a’i wraig, Winnie, fel ‘pobl nodedig ac mewn cydnabyddiaeth o hynny gan drigolion Bwrdeistref Islwyn’.

Ref: Acc6809

Visiting Us Gwent Archives

Aimed specifically at supporting those archive users who are neurodiverse (but can be used by anyone), we need your help to ensure it is fit for purpose.

Please take a moment to read through the guide that can be found here: tinyurl.com/3jemaa45 & provide any feedback here: tinyurl.com/2a2mw759

Gwent Archives needs your help! Over the last few months we have been working with the 'Divergent Minds in the Archives' project.

Led by a group of neurodivergent humanities academics and over the course of a series of workshops, a guide has been produced for visiting Gwent Archives.

Nod y canllaw yn y lle cyntaf yw cefnogi'r sawl sy’n niwrowahanol sy’n defnyddio’r archifau (ond gall unrhyw un ei ddefnyddio) a mae angen eich help arnom i sicrhau ei fod yn addas i'r diben.

Gallwch ddod o hyd iddo yma: tinyurl.com/pz5xuv92 a rhoi unrhyw adborth yma: tinyurl.com/2a2mw759

Mae angen eich help ar Archifau Gwent! Yn ystod y misoedd diwethaf, rydyn ni wedi bod yn gweithio gyda phrosiect Meddyliau Niwrowahanol yn yr Archifau'.

Dan arweiniad grŵp o academyddion dyniaethau niwrowahanol a thrwy gyfres o weithdai, cynhyrchwyd canllaw ar gyfer ymweld ag Archifau Gwent.

Paul Robeson and his wife, Eslanda, were invited as special guests to the Royal National #Eisteddfod of Wales held at Ebbw Vale in August 1958. As this took place before the official opening of the Eisteddfod, he was allowed to speak in English.

Gwahoddwyd Paul Robeson, a'i wraig, Eslanda, fel gwesteion arbennig i #Eisteddfod Frenhinol Genedlaethol Cymru a gynhaliwyd yng Nglynebwy ym mis Awst 1958. Gan fod hwn yn digwydd cyn agoriad swyddogol yr Eisteddfod, caniatawyd iddo siarad yn Saesneg.

Peidiwch ag anghofio y byddwn ni’n cynnal ein sgwrs am ‘Archwilio Cofnodion Iechyd Meddwl’ ddydd Llun, 20 Hydref am 1pm. Dylech fod yn ymwybodol y gallai’r sgwrs yma gynnwys iaith a allai peri gofid. Bydd yn digwydd yn Archifau Gwent a gallwch gadw lle trwy enquiries@gwentarchives.gov.uk

Don’t forget that this month we will have our talk on ‘Exploring Mental Health Records’ on Monday 20 October, at 1pm. Please be aware that this talk may contain some upsetting language. Taking place at Gwent Archives, you can book your place at enquiries@gwentarchives.gov.uk

Roedd pêl fas yn rhyfeddol o boblogaidd gyda 36 o glybiau yn yr Chymdeithas Pêl Fas De Cymru a Sir Fynwy ym 1906. Roedd llawer o’r rhain yn cystadlu am Darian Dewar. Enillodd Clwb Pêl Fas Casnewydd y Darian 7 gwaith. Mae’r ffotograff yn dangos Clwb Pêl fas Casnewydd ar ôl ennill y Darian ym 1912.

Baseball was surprisingly popular w/ 36 clubs registered with the South Wales & Monmouthshire Baseball Association in 1906. Many competed for the Dewar Shield. Between 1906 to 1983, Newport Baseball Club won the Shield 7 times. The photo is of Newport Baseball Club after winning the Shield in 1912.

Yn gynharach eleni, buom yn gweithio gydag Ysgol Gynradd Charles William. Cofiwch estyn allan atom os ydych chi'n athro, yn rhiant, yn llywodraethwr neu’n fyfyriwr ac eisiau siarad â ni am weithio ar brosiect hanesyddol ar gyfer eich ysgol!

Earlier this year, we worked with Charles William Primary School. Remember to reach out to us if you are a teacher, parent, governor, or student and want to talk to us about working on a historical project for your school!

Gallwch ddod o hyd i ni yn adeilad y Swyddfeydd Cyffredinol - mae modd mynd trwy’r brif fynedfa (gyda grisiau) o Heol y Gwaith Dur. Gallwch hefyd ddod i mewn trwy gefn yr adeilad o Ffordd Billy Collins - mae hwn yn fynedfa wastad a bydd intercom yn galw’r dderbynfa i’ch gadael chi trwy’r drws

Cawsom ni ymwelwyr cynnar heddiw a oedd yn awyddus i ymchwilio hanes teuluol – ond roedden nhw ychydig yn gynnar ac roedden nhw’n aros wrth y fynedfa anghywir! Mae ein Hystafell Ymchwil ar agor o Ddydd Mawrth i Ddydd Gwener o 09:30am tan 12:30pm, a 1:30pm tan 4:30pm.

Ym 1992, ffurfiwyd Coleg Gwent, Coleg Trydyddol Gwent gynt, gyda'i gampws yng Nghasnewydd ar Ffordd Nash. Mae gennym adran arbennig am addysg bellach ac addysg uwch yn ein casgliad, felly os ydych chi'n gwneud prosiect yn y coleg neu'r brifysgol, beth am archwilio hanes eich ysgol?

In 1992, Gwent College, formerly Gwent College of Higher Education, was formed, with its campus in Newport on Nash Road.We have a special section on further and higher education in our collection, so if you are doing a project at college or university, why not explore the history of your school?

In our collection, we have a large number of logbooks from schools in the area – these serve as the headteacher's diary and document the daily operations of the school.The following excerpt, from Priory Hill School in Glanebwy, documents the news of the Armistice on November 11, 1918.

Yn ein casgliad mae gennym nifer fawr o lyfrau log o ysgolion yn yr ardal – mae'r rhain fel dyddiadur y pennaeth ac yn dogfennu gweithrediad bob-dydd yr ysgol. Mae'r dyfyniad isod, o Ysgol Briery Hill yng Nglynebwy, yn dogfennu'r newyddion am y Cadoediad ar 11 Tachwedd 1918.

Ho, pobl y lan! Mae heddiw’n Ddiwrnod Rhyngwladol #SiaradFelMorLeidr sy’n golygu ein bod ni’n cael dweud ein hoff jôc am fôr-ladron ac archifau! ☠️🦜🧭

- Ble mae môr-leidr yn cadw ei fapiau trysor?
- Mewn aaarrr-chif!

Ahoy landlubbers! Today be International #TalkLikeAPirateDay which means we can roll out our favourite pirate-archive joke! ☠️🦜🧭

- Where does a pirate keep his treasure maps?
- In a Yaaarrr-chive!

Gwent Archives holds several collections from Women’s Institutes. A recent collection has been catalogued and covers several now closed WIs. The collection has expected items such as minute books and accounts but also some beautiful and unique examples of scrap books.

Mae gan Archifau Gwent sawl casgliad Sefydliad y Merched ar gadw. Mae casgliad diweddar wedi'i gatalogio ac mae'n cynnwys sawl Sefydliad y Merched sydd bellach wedi cau. Yn y casgliad mae yna eitemau disgwyliedig fel llyfrau cofnodion a rhai enghreifftiau hardd ac unigryw o lyfrau lloffion.

Image shows detail of a page of handwriting from a holiday diary written by Georgiana Marcia Rolls describing a visit to the Caledonian Canal. The full diary “Tour of Scotland on board the Fair Flirt [1851]” is part of the Rolls Family Archives, held at Gwent Archives.

Can’t stop sorry, it’s 1851 and we’re on board the "Fair Flirt" with Georgiana Rolls on tour in Scotland and just can’t get over the wonder of the #CaledonianCanal!
All via the magic of #transcription of course 😉 @gwentarchives.bsky.social #TranscriptionTuesday

Agorwyd Ysgol Ramadeg Pont-y-waun yn Rhisga dros 100 mlynedd yn ôl, ym mis Mai 1900. Mae un cylchgrawn yn adrodd am Eisteddfod gyntaf yr ysgol, a gynhaliwyd ar 19 Mawrth 1952 ac yn cynnwys ffotograff o Gapteiniaid y Llys Glas, enillwyr yr Eisteddfod, yn dal tarian yr Eisteddfod.

Pont-y-waun Grammar School was opened in Risca over 100 years ago, in May 1900. A magazine reports on the school's first Eisteddfod, held on March 19, 1952, and includes a photograph of the Captains of the Blue Court, the Eisteddfod winners, holding the Eisteddfod shield.

Please be aware that we have had to postpone our 'Back to School with Gwent Archives' talk, scheduled for Monday 15 September. We hope to reschedule to a new date and will circulate shortly.

Despite the joviality of its first passage, travellers were subject to strict regulations, some of the more obscure stipulating: "no one shall play upon any instrument, or sing, dance, pray, preach, or read aloud." Today, the Transporter Bridge remains one of only 6 such bridges around the world!

#OnThisDay in 1906, Newport Transporter Bridge officially opened. Led by Lord Tredegar, the bunting-strung passenger car was greeted on the Eastern Side by the 4th Battalion South Wales Borderers’ tune of the National Anthem.