95-610: The Preseli Mountains ( English: / p r ə ˈ s ɛ l i / , prə- SEL -ee ; Welsh : Mynyddoedd y Preseli or Y Preselau ), also known as the Preseli Hills , or just the Preselis , is a range of hills in western Wales , mostly within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and entirely within the county of Pembrokeshire . The range stretches from the proximity of Newport in
190-441: A Welsh Language Scheme, which indicates its commitment to the equality of treatment principle. This is sent out in draft form for public consultation for a three-month period, whereupon comments on it may be incorporated into a final version. It requires the final approval of the now defunct Welsh Language Board ( Bwrdd yr Iaith Gymraeg ). Thereafter, the public body is charged with implementing and fulfilling its obligations under
285-594: A Welsh-language edge inscription was used on pound coins dated 1985, 1990 and 1995, which circulated in all parts of the UK prior to their 2017 withdrawal. The wording is Pleidiol wyf i'm gwlad (Welsh for 'True am I to my country'), and derives from the national anthem of Wales, " Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau ". UK banknotes are in English only. Some shops employ bilingual signage. Welsh sometimes appears on product packaging or instructions. The UK government has ratified
380-663: A census glossary of terms to support the release of results from the census, including their definition of "main language" as referring to "first or preferred language" (though that wording was not in the census questionnaire itself). The wards in England with the most people giving Welsh as their main language were the Liverpool wards of Central and Greenbank ; and Oswestry South in Shropshire . The wards of Oswestry South (1.15%), Oswestry East (0.86%) and St Oswald (0.71%) had
475-479: A former pupil, has produced a bilingual book on the 125-year history of the school from the school's original records. The village has a general store, the village's only retail premises, which stands by the building that was the Rhôs Inn . There are various small businesses, including holiday lets, located in and around the village. Blaenffos is surrounded by farmland supporting sheep- and cattle-rearing. Housing
570-546: A number of communities that share parts of the Preseli range. Dyfed Archaeological Trust has produced extensive notes on the mountain range and surrounding features and villages. Some of the more notable are: Others include: Slate quarrying was once an important industry in the Preselis; the former quarries, worked for much of the 19th century, can still be seen in a number of locations such as Rosebush . Preseli slate
665-408: A number of other minor roads and lanes, provide scenic routes popular with motoring, cycling and walking tourists. The A487 road skirts the western end of the range, near Newport. Cattle grids prevent egress of grazing stock from unenclosed areas of the hills. The Preselis are popular with walkers wishing to follow prehistoric trails, with walks varying from easy to long-distance. The larger part of
760-479: A single discourse (known in linguistics as code-switching ). Welsh speakers are largely concentrated in the north and west of Wales, principally Gwynedd , Conwy County Borough , Denbighshire , Anglesey , Carmarthenshire , north Pembrokeshire , Ceredigion , parts of Glamorgan , and north-west and extreme south-west Powys . However, first-language and other fluent speakers can be found throughout Wales. Welsh-speaking communities persisted well into
855-567: Is a brown trout fishery located on the southern slopes of the range near the village of Rosebush. To the south is Llys y Fran reservoir. There are no natural lakes in the hills, but a number of rivers, including the Gwaun , Nevern , Syfynwy and Tâf have their sources in the range. The principal peak at 1,759 feet (536 m) above sea level is Foel Cwmcerwyn . There are 14 other peaks over 980 feet (300 m) of which three exceed 1,300 feet (400 m). Villages and other settlements within
950-557: Is a major glacial meltwater channel which divides the northern tops such as Mynydd Carningli from the main mass of the hills. The hills, much of which are unenclosed moorland or low-grade grazing with areas of bog , are surrounded by farmland and active or deserted farms. Field boundaries tend to be earth banks topped with fencing and stock-resistant plants such as gorse . Rosebush Reservoir, one of only two reservoirs in Pembrokeshire, supplies water to southern Pembrokeshire and
1045-572: Is a mixture of older brick or stone dwellings and newer timber-framed houses and bungalows. The Cardigan to Narberth Richards Bros. 430 bus service runs through the village. Blaenffos retains a strong Welsh identity with 64 per cent of the population being able to speak Welsh , compared with 19 per cent of the population of Wales as a whole. 68 per cent of Blaenffos's population were born in Wales, with 29 per cent having been born in England. 68 per cent of residents claimed some Welsh identity according to
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#17327724264531140-436: Is a small village of around 200 inhabitants in the north of Pembrokeshire , Wales, in the community of Boncath . It sits on the boundary between the former parishes of Llanfihangel Penbedw and Castellan Chapelry (part of Penrydd parish). Lying one mile to the north of Crymych , Blaenffos has an average elevation of 200 metres (660 ft), lying on the western slopes of Y Frenni which at 395 metres (1,296 ft)
1235-602: Is available throughout Europe on satellite and online throughout the UK. Since the digital switchover was completed in South Wales on 31 March 2010, S4C Digidol became the main broadcasting channel and fully in Welsh. The main evening television news provided by the BBC in Welsh is available for download. There is also a Welsh-language radio station, BBC Radio Cymru , which was launched in 1977. Blaenffos Blaenffos
1330-688: Is considered to have lasted from then until the 14th century, when the Modern Welsh period began, which in turn is divided into Early and Late Modern Welsh. The word Welsh is a descendant, via Old English wealh, wielisc , of the Proto-Germanic word * Walhaz , which was derived from the name of the Celtic people known to the Romans as Volcae and which came to refer to speakers of Celtic languages, and then indiscriminately to
1425-877: Is native to the Welsh people . Welsh is spoken natively in Wales , by some in England , and in Y Wladfa (the Welsh colony in Chubut Province , Argentina ). It is spoken by smaller numbers of people in Canada and the United States descended from Welsh immigrants, within their households (especially in Nova Scotia ). Historically, it has also been known in English as "British", "Cambrian", "Cambric" and "Cymric". The Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 gave
1520-404: Is not named as a village. Distinctive among the almost exclusively Welsh names in the village is Clover Hill where the main road climbs southwards out of the village. The name existed as early as the 1850s but the origin of this English name is unknown. It may refer to a quarry ( cloddfa ); there were small examples in the vicinity. It does not appear on the first Ordnance Survey of 1805. In 1889
1615-480: Is not permitted without the consent of the land owners, who in 2014 collectively agreed not to allow it. Castell Henllys , on the A487 road between Eglwyswrw and Felindre Farchog is a reconstructed Iron Age settlement, illustrating what life may have been like in those times. The Preselis are dotted with prehistoric remains, including evidence of Neolithic settlement. More were revealed in an aerial survey during
1710-567: Is now thought that the bluestones at Stonehenge and fragments of bluestone found in the Stonehenge " debitage " have come from multiple sources on the northern flanks of the hills, such as at Craig Rhos-y-felin . Advanced details of a recent contribution to the puzzle of the precise origin of the Stonehenge bluestones were published by the BBC in November 2013. Others theorise that bluestone from
1805-580: Is rumoured that there were at one time five public houses in the village but by 1900 only three remained: The Rhôs Inn (run in 1911 by Benjamin James, a grocer and dealer), New House and New Inn . New House was closed in 1914 under the Defence of the Realm Act , with compensation of £400 paid and New Inn existed at least until 1918; these three pubs subsequently became private dwellings. As well as
1900-423: Is some forestry. As well as features of interest to geologists and archaeologists, the hills have a wide variety of bird, insect and plant life. There are three sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) : Carn Ingli and Waun Fawr (biological), and Cwm Dewi (geological). The Preseli transmitting station mast, erected in 1962, stands on Crugiau Dwy near the hamlet of Pentre Galar. To the south of Crugiau Dwy
1995-734: Is the dolerite tors of Carnmenyn which have been postulated, amongst other localities, as the source of the Stonehenge ‘bluestones’. In contrast Foel Drygarn towards the eastern end of the range is formed from tuffs and lavas of the Fishguard Volcanic Group . Further east is Frenni Fawr which is formed from mudstones and sandstones of the Nantmel Mudstone Formation of late Ordovician Ashgill age . The sedimentary rocks dip generally northwards and are cut by numerous geological faults . Cwm Gwaun
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#17327724264532090-401: Is the extensively quarried hill Carn Wen (Garnwen Quarry) which was still actively extracting igneous rock in 2018. The Preselis have Special Area of Conservation status; the citation states that the area is "... exceptional in Wales for the combination of upland and lowland features..." Numerous scarce plant and insect species exist in the hills. For example, they are an important UK site for
2185-511: Is the label attached to the Welsh of the 12th to 14th centuries, of which much more remains than for any earlier period. This is the language of nearly all surviving early manuscripts of the Mabinogion , although the tales themselves are certainly much older. It is also the language of the existing Welsh law manuscripts. Middle Welsh is reasonably intelligible to a modern-day Welsh speaker. The Bible translations into Welsh helped maintain
2280-514: Is the most easterly peak in the Preseli Hills . The village straddles the A478 former drovers' road which runs from Cardigan in Ceredigion south to Tenby , is surrounded by farmland, and is in the heart of Welsh-speaking Pembrokeshire with a rich history and associated folklore. According to Thomas Morgan (1912), Blaenffos takes its name "from a farmhouse so called, signifying the head of
2375-732: The Cynfeirdd or "Early Poets" – is generally considered to date to the Primitive Welsh period. However, much of this poetry was supposedly composed in the Hen Ogledd , raising further questions about the dating of the material and language in which it was originally composed. This discretion stems from the fact that Cumbric was widely believed to have been the language used in Hen Ogledd. An 8th-century inscription in Tywyn shows
2470-500: The 2016 Australian census , 1,688 people noted that they spoke Welsh. In the 2011 Canadian census , 3,885 people reported Welsh as their first language . According to the 2021 Canadian census , 1,130 people noted that Welsh was their mother tongue. The 2018 New Zealand census noted that 1,083 people in New Zealand spoke Welsh. The American Community Survey 2009–2013 noted that 2,235 people aged five years and over in
2565-466: The 2021 census , 7,349 people in England recorded Welsh to be their "main language". In the 2011 census, 1,189 people aged three and over in Scotland noted that Welsh was a language (other than English) that they used at home. It is believed that there are as many as 5,000 speakers of Patagonian Welsh . In response to the question 'Does the person speak a language other than English at home?' in
2660-624: The Baptist Chapel (see below) two post-mediaeval buildings in Blaenffos were noted by the 2008 Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales - Hafod , a two-roomed stone cottage standing by the main road and Rafel , a substantial house with a (modern) plaque stating "1784". Rafel was listed Grade II by Cadw in 1987. Another Grade II listed building is Llain-ddu , an early 19th century single-storey cottage to
2755-482: The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages in respect of Welsh. The language has greatly increased its prominence since the creation of the television channel S4C in November 1982, which until digital switchover in 2010 broadcast 70 per cent of Channel 4's programming along with a majority of Welsh language shows during peak viewing hours. The all-Welsh-language digital station S4C Digidol
2850-756: The Polish name for Italians) have a similar etymology. The Welsh term for the language, Cymraeg , descends from the Brythonic word combrogi , meaning 'compatriots' or 'fellow countrymen'. Welsh evolved from Common Brittonic , the Celtic language spoken by the ancient Celtic Britons . Classified as Insular Celtic , the British language probably arrived in Britain during the Bronze Age or Iron Age and
2945-640: The United States spoke Welsh at home. The highest number of those (255) lived in Florida . Sources: Calls for the Welsh language to be granted official status grew with the establishment of the nationalist political party Plaid Cymru in 1925, the establishment of the Welsh Language Society in 1962 and the rise of Welsh nationalism in the later 20th century. Of the six living Celtic languages (including two revived), Welsh has
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3040-508: The "compact and valuable" Clover Hill Farm, comprising house, shop, outbuildings and 13 acres, 3 roods , 19 poles of land (5.6 hectares) was sold at auction for £515. Blaenffos was relatively remote even towards the end of the 19th century: resident Dan Evans froze to death after losing his way in the snow trying to get home after dark in January 1887. The Whitland and Cardigan Railway , nicknamed Cardi Bach (Little Cardi), passed through
3135-542: The "hugely important role", adding, "I look forward to working with the Welsh Government and organisations in Wales in developing the new system of standards. I will look to build on the good work that has been done by the Welsh Language Board and others to strengthen the Welsh language and ensure that it continues to thrive." First Minister Carwyn Jones said that Huws would act as a champion for
3230-596: The 1880s identified a small part of Shropshire as still then speaking Welsh, with the "Celtic Border" passing from Llanymynech through Oswestry to Chirk . The number of Welsh-speaking people in the rest of Britain has not yet been counted for statistical purposes. In 1993, the Welsh-language television channel S4C published the results of a survey into the numbers of people who spoke or understood Welsh, which estimated that there were around 133,000 Welsh-speaking people living in England, about 50,000 of them in
3325-536: The 1993 Act nor secondary legislation made under it covers the private sector, although some organisations, notably banks and some railway companies, provide some of their information in Welsh. On 7 December 2010, the Welsh Assembly unanimously approved a set of measures to develop the use of the Welsh language within Wales. On 9 February 2011 this measure, the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 ,
3420-475: The 2018 heatwave. Samuel Lewis's A Topographical Dictionary of Wales published in 1833 said of Maenclochog parish: Part of the Precelly mountain, which is the highest in South Wales... the ancient Welsh name of this mountain is Preswylva, signifying "a place of residence," and is derived from its having been the resort of the natives, as a place of security, in the intestine [sic] wars by which this part of
3515-486: The Assembly which confirms the official status of the Welsh language; which creates a strong advocate for Welsh speakers and will improve the quality and quantity of services available through the medium of Welsh. I believe that everyone who wants to access services in the Welsh language should be able to do so, and that is what this government has worked towards. This legislation is an important and historic step forward for
3610-663: The Baptist Chapel. The first headteacher was Mr W Hughes (tenure 1879-1913). After local education authorities were established under the Education Act 1902 the school became a county primary. In 1935 Waldo Williams taught at the school for a week while the head teacher was away. The school closed in 2004 and the 28 pupils transferred to Ysgol y Frenni Community Primary School in Crymych. The buildings were converted to domestic dwellings in 2012/13. Lon Vaughan,
3705-620: The Crymych War Memorial. There was a Blaenffos branch of the Cardigan and District temperance movement ; the Pembrokeshire Records Office holds the singing festival minute book of 1925-1969 (document reference number HDX/1729). A temperance meeting on Y Frenni in 1875 was attended by an estimated 2,000 people. With the conversion of civil parishes to communities in 1974, Blaenffos became part of
3800-550: The Greater London area. The Welsh Language Board , on the basis of an analysis of the Office for National Statistics Longitudinal Study, estimated there were 110,000 Welsh-speaking people in England, and another thousand in Scotland and Northern Ireland. In the 2011 census , 8,248 people in England gave Welsh in answer to the question "What is your main language?" The Office for National Statistics subsequently published
3895-645: The Mabinogi tale "Breuddwyd Macsen" ( The Dream of Maxen ), the Roman Emperor Magnus Maximus is said to have made camp on the Frenni Fawr. The hill was apparently known locally as Cadair Macsen until relatively recent times . PLANED also quotes the myth that: The Tylwyth Teg or Fairy Folk were believed to frequent the Frenni Fawr in the past. There is a local tale of a shepherd boy who was taken by them to their own country, where he
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3990-533: The Reverend Aaron Morgan celebrated 25 years as pastor of the chapel. The chapel was Grade II listed by Cadw (ID:15382) in 1995 and was completely renovated in 2005, retaining the original outdoor baptismal pool . Bwrdd Ysgol Blaenffos (English: Blaenffos Board School ) opened in March 1879, an event attended by several hundred people. Before this, the school had been held in the vestry of
4085-496: The Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011, all new signs have Welsh displayed first. There have been incidents of one of the languages being vandalised, which may be considered a hate crime . Since 2000, the teaching of Welsh has been compulsory in all schools in Wales up to age 16; this has had an effect in stabilising and reversing the decline in the language. Text on UK coins tends to be in English and Latin. However,
4180-704: The Welsh Language Scheme. The list of other public bodies which have to prepare Schemes could be added to by initially the Secretary of State for Wales, from 1993 to 1997, by way of statutory instrument . Subsequent to the forming of the National Assembly for Wales in 1997, the Government Minister responsible for the Welsh language can and has passed statutory instruments naming public bodies who have to prepare Schemes. Neither
4275-667: The Welsh language official status in Wales. Welsh and English are de jure official languages of the Welsh Parliament, the Senedd , with Welsh being the only de jure official language in any part of the United Kingdom, with English being merely de facto official. According to the 2021 census , the Welsh-speaking population of Wales aged three or older was 538,300 (17.8%) and nearly three quarters of
4370-526: The Welsh language, though some had concerns over her appointment: Plaid Cymru spokeswoman Bethan Jenkins said, "I have concerns about the transition from Meri Huws's role from the Welsh Language Board to the language commissioner, and I will be asking the Welsh government how this will be successfully managed. We must be sure that there is no conflict of interest, and that the Welsh Language Commissioner can demonstrate how she will offer
4465-487: The Welsh of the 16th century, but they are similar enough for a fluent Welsh speaker to have little trouble understanding it. During the Modern Welsh period, there has been a decline in the popularity of the Welsh language: the number of Welsh speakers declined to the point at which there was concern that the language would become extinct. During industrialisation in the late 19th century, immigrants from England led to
4560-572: The Welsh-speaking heartlands, with the number dropping to under 50 per cent in Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire for the first time. However, according to the Welsh Language Use Survey in 2019–20, 22 per cent of people aged three and over were able to speak Welsh. The Annual Population Survey (APS) by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimated that as of March 2024, approximately 862,700, or 28.0 per cent of
4655-634: The area was deposited close to Stonehenge by glaciation . More detailed discussions on the bluestone topic can be found in the Stonehenge , Theories about Stonehenge and Carn Menyn articles. Investigations published in 2021 suggested a link between Waun Mawn (see below) and the Stonehenge bluestones, but this was disputed in a 2024 study. The Preselis are rich in sacred and prehistoric sites, many of which are marked on Ordnance Survey maps. They include burial chambers , tumuli , hill forts , hut circles , stone circles , henges , standing stones and other prehistoric remains. These sites are spread across
4750-417: The barrows recorded the tradition of a treasure-chest hidden on the hill, guarded by a horrible spectre. It was said that the spectre would rise and protect the treasure if any attempt was made to remove it. The Roman Empire reached West Wales in about 70 AD, though no Roman archaeology is known to exist in the village. Pembrokeshire Local Action Network for Enterprise and Development ( PLANED ) quotes: In
4845-408: The census. In terms of usage, ONS also reported that 14.4 per cent (443,800) of people aged three or older in Wales reported that they spoke Welsh daily in March 2024, with 5.4 per cent (165,500) speaking it weekly and 6.5 per cent (201,200) less often. Approximately 1.7 per cent (51,700) reported that they never spoke Welsh despite being able to speak the language, with the remaining 72.0 per cent of
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#17327724264534940-601: The community of Boncath . The village saw a building boom in the 21st century from the old centre southwards along the main road on Clover Hill. Blaenffos Baptist Chapel ( Capel y Bedyddwyr Blaenffos ) in the ancient chapelry of Castellan in Penrhydd (also spelled Penrith, Penrieth, Pen-Rydd and Penrhudd) parish in the Hundred of Kilgerran was originally built in 1765 or 1785. The noted preacher Christmas Evans recorded that 20 people had been baptised in 1791. The chapel
5035-414: The course of the 20th century this monolingual population all but disappeared, but a small percentage remained at the time of the 1981 census. Most Welsh-speaking people in Wales also speak English. However, many Welsh-speaking people are more comfortable expressing themselves in Welsh than in English. A speaker's choice of language can vary according to the subject domain and the social context, even within
5130-489: The creation of Old Welsh, Davies suggests it may be more appropriate to refer to this derivative language as Lingua Britannica rather than characterising it as a new language altogether. The argued dates for the period of "Primitive Welsh" are widely debated, with some historians' suggestions differing by hundreds of years. The next main period is Old Welsh ( Hen Gymraeg , 9th to 11th centuries); poetry from both Wales and Scotland has been preserved in this form of
5225-589: The cuttings can still be seen, but there was no halt at Blaenffos. People of Blaenffos did not escape the First World War ; a regional newspaper carried an advertisement and photograph placed by a mother appealing for news of her son who was missing while serving with the Welsh Regiment. He had died six months earlier at the Battle of Gaza and his name appears with those of other local servicemen on
5320-408: The decline in Welsh speakers particularly in the South Wales Valleys. Welsh government processes and legislation have worked to increase the proliferation of the Welsh language, for example through education. Welsh has been spoken continuously in Wales throughout history; however, by 1911, it had become a minority language, spoken by 43.5 per cent of the population. While this decline continued over
5415-415: The ditch" (Welsh: blaen ffôs ). A farm bearing this name still exists to the west of the village. Local evidence indicates that the area that is now Blaenffos would have been farmed at least as far back as the Bronze Age over 3,000 years ago, and possibly earlier. Bronze Age barrows are still visible on nearby Frenni Fawr. Richard Fenton , who visited Frenni Fawr in the early 19th century to excavate
5510-437: The east of the village. Blaenffos was recorded on an early 20th-century Ordnance Survey map as Blaen-ffôs but was inhabited at least as early as 1785 when the Baptist Chapel was built. At least 10 properties are marked on the Ordnance Survey's first series of maps (1805), one building being annotated Blaenyffoes-isa (English: Lower Blaenffos) in approximately the position of what was later called New House, though Blaenffos
5605-431: The following decades, the language did not die out. The smallest number of speakers was recorded in 1981 with 503,000 although the lowest percentage was recorded in the most recent census in 2021 at 17.8 per cent. By the start of the 21st century, numbers began to increase once more, at least partly as a result of the increase in Welsh-medium education . The 2004 Welsh Language Use Survey showed that 21.7 per cent of
5700-411: The highest number of native speakers who use the language on a daily basis, and it is the Celtic language which is considered the least endangered by UNESCO . The Welsh Language Act 1993 and the Government of Wales Act 1998 provide that the Welsh and English languages be treated equally in the public sector, as far as is reasonable and practicable. Each public body is required to prepare for approval
5795-413: The highest percentage of residents giving Welsh as their main language. The census also revealed that 3,528 wards in England, or 46% of the total number, contained at least one resident whose main language is Welsh. In terms of the regions of England , North West England (1,945), London (1,310) and the West Midlands (1,265) had the highest number of people noting Welsh as their main language. According to
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#17327724264535890-432: The hills is designated under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 as 'open country' thereby enabling walkers the ' freedom to roam ' across unenclosed land, subject to certain restrictions. An east-west bridleway which runs the length of the main massif (known as Flemings' Way or the Golden Road), together with spurs to north and south, gives access to mountain bikers and horseriders. There are cycle trails. Paragliding
5985-426: The hills were once forested but the forests had been cleared by the late Bronze Age . In 1923 the petrologist Herbert Henry Thomas proposed that bluestone from the hills corresponded to that used to build the inner circle of Stonehenge , and later geologists suggested that Carn Menyn (formerly called Carn Meini) was one of the bluestone sources. Recent geological work has shown this theory to be incorrect. It
6080-400: The history of Welsh, with rather indistinct boundaries: Primitive Welsh, Old Welsh, Middle Welsh, and Modern Welsh. The period immediately following the language's emergence is sometimes referred to as Primitive Welsh, followed by the Old Welsh period – which is generally considered to stretch from the beginning of the 9th century to sometime during the 12th century. The Middle Welsh period
6175-527: The language already dropping inflections in the declension of nouns. Janet Davies proposed that the origins of the Welsh language were much less definite; in The Welsh Language: A History , she proposes that Welsh may have been around even earlier than 600 AD. This is evidenced by the dropping of final syllables from Brittonic: * bardos 'poet' became bardd , and * abona 'river' became afon . Though both Davies and Jackson cite minor changes in syllable structure and sounds as evidence for
6270-431: The language, its speakers and for the nation." The measure was not welcomed warmly by all supporters: Bethan Williams, chairman of the Welsh Language Society, gave a mixed response to the move, saying, "Through this measure we have won official status for the language and that has been warmly welcomed. But there was a core principle missing in the law passed by the Assembly before Christmas. It doesn't give language rights to
6365-449: The language. As Germanic and Gaelic colonisation of Britain proceeded, the Brittonic speakers in Wales were split off from those in northern England, speaking Cumbric, and those in the southwest, speaking what would become Cornish , so the languages diverged. Both the works of Aneirin ( Canu Aneirin , c. 600 ) and the Book of Taliesin ( Canu Taliesin ) were written during this era. Middle Welsh ( Cymraeg Canol )
6460-468: The modern period across the border in England. Archenfield was still Welsh enough in the time of Elizabeth I for the Bishop of Hereford to be made responsible, together with the four Welsh bishops, for the translation of the Bible and the Book of Common Prayer into Welsh. Welsh was still commonly spoken there in the first half of the 19th century, and churchwardens' notices were put up in both Welsh and English until about 1860. Alexander John Ellis in
6555-448: The number of Welsh-language speakers to one million by 2050. Since 1980, the number of children attending Welsh-medium schools has increased, while the number going to Welsh bilingual and dual-medium schools has decreased. Welsh is considered the least endangered Celtic language by UNESCO . The language of the Welsh developed from the language of Britons . The emergence of Welsh was not instantaneous and clearly identifiable. Instead,
6650-402: The people of Wales in every aspect of their lives. Despite that, an amendment to that effect was supported by 18 Assembly Members from three different parties, and that was a significant step forward." On 5 October 2011, Meri Huws , Chair of the Welsh Language Board , was appointed the new Welsh Language Commissioner. She released a statement that she was "delighted" to have been appointed to
6745-412: The people of the Western Roman Empire . In Old English the term went through semantic narrowing , coming to refer to either Britons in particular or, in some contexts, slaves. The plural form Wēalas evolved into the name for their territory, Wales. The modern names for various Romance-speaking people in Continental Europe (e.g. Walloons , Valaisans , Vlachs / Wallachians , and Włosi ,
6840-436: The population in Wales said they had no Welsh language skills. Other estimates suggest that 862,700 people (28.0%) aged three or older in Wales could speak Welsh in March 2024. Almost half of all Welsh speakers consider themselves fluent, while 20 per cent are able to speak a fair amount. 56 per cent of Welsh speakers speak the language daily, and 19 per cent speak the language weekly. The Welsh Government plans to increase
6935-471: The population not being able to speak it. The National Survey for Wales, conducted by Welsh Government, has also tended to report a higher percentage of Welsh speakers than the census, with the most recent results for 2022–2023 suggesting that 18 per cent of the population aged 3 and over were able to speak Welsh, with an additional 16 per cent noting that they had some Welsh-speaking ability. Historically, large numbers of Welsh people spoke only Welsh. Over
7030-502: The population of Wales aged 3 and over, were able to speak the language. Children and young people aged three to 15 years old were more likely to report that they could speak Welsh than any other age group (48.4 per cent, 241,300). Around 1,001,500 people, or 32.5 per cent, reported that they could understand spoken Welsh. 24.7 per cent (759,200) could read and 22.2 per cent (684,500) could write in Welsh. The APS estimates of Welsh language ability are historically higher than those produced by
7125-407: The population of Wales spoke Welsh, compared with 20.8 per cent in the 2001 census , and 18.5 per cent in the 1991 census . Since 2001, however, the number of Welsh speakers has declined in both the 2011 and 2021 censuses to about 538,300 or 17.8 per cent in 2021, lower than 1991, although it is still higher in absolute terms. The 2011 census also showed a "big drop" in the number of speakers in
7220-405: The principality was agitated during the earlier periods of its history. This mountain was anciently well clothed with forest timber, affording shelter to such as took refuge in its recesses, but now presents a bare and sterile aspect, dreary in its appearance, and exhibiting some small vestiges of ancient encampments, which were probably those constructed by the natives. Pollen analysis suggests that
7315-610: The range as Mynydd Preseli . The hills are formed largely from the Ordovician age marine mudstones and siltstones of the Penmaen Dewi Shales and Aber Mawr Shale formations which have been intruded by microgabbro (otherwise known as dolerite or diabase ) of Ordovician age. The former slate quarries at Rosebush on the southern edge of the hills worked the Aber Mawr Formation rocks whilst it
7410-495: The range as Presely or Mynydd Prescelly. The etymology is unknown, but is likely to involve Welsh prys , meaning "wood, bush, copse". A number of other peaks are shown on the 1578 map, but the only other named peak is Wrennyvaur (now Frenni Fawr). An 1819 Ordnance Survey Map refers to the range as Precelly Mountain (singular). An 1833 publication stated: the ancient Welsh name...is Preswylva, signifying "a place of residence" , but does not cite any evidence. 21st century maps show
7505-469: The range include Blaenffos , Brynberian , Crosswell , Crymych , Cwm Gwaun , Dinas Cross , Glandy Cross , Mynachlog-ddu , New Inn , Pentre Galar , Puncheston , Maenclochog , Rosebush and Tafarn-y-Bwlch. The only town in the Preseli area is Newport , at the foot of the Carningli-Dinas upland in the northwest of the range. The Preselis provide hill grazing for much of the year and there
7600-616: The rare Southern damselfly, Coenagrion mercuriale , where efforts to restore habitat were underway in 2015 and reported in 2020 to have been a success. One major road, the A478 , crosses the eastern end of the range, reaching a height of 248 metres (814 ft). Two B-class roads, intersecting at New Inn , cross the hills: the B4313 NW-SE, reaching 278 metres (912 ft) and the B4329 NE-SW, reaching 404 metres (1,325 ft) at Bwlch-gwynt (translation: windy gap ). These, and
7695-409: The required fresh approach to this new role." Huws started her role as the Welsh Language Commissioner on 1 April 2012. Local councils and the Senedd use Welsh, issuing Welsh versions of their literature, to varying degrees. Road signs in Wales are in Welsh and English. Prior to 2016, the choice of which language to display first was the responsibility of the local council. Since then, as part of
7790-464: The rock star Elvis Presley's ancestors came from the Preselis and may have had links to a chapel at St Elvis . 51°56′48″N 4°46′25″W / 51.94667°N 4.77361°W / 51.94667; -4.77361 Welsh language Welsh ( Cymraeg [kəmˈraːiɡ] or y Gymraeg [ə ɡəmˈraːiɡ] ) is a Celtic language of the Brittonic subgroup that
7885-651: The shift occurred over a long period, with some historians claiming that it had happened by as late as the 9th century , with a watershed moment being that proposed by linguist Kenneth H. Jackson , the Battle of Dyrham , a military battle between the West Saxons and the Britons in 577 AD, which split the South Western British from direct overland contact with the Welsh. Four periods are identified in
7980-399: The uplands provide extensive unenclosed grazing, and the lower slopes are mainly enclosed pasture. Slate quarrying was once an important industry. More recently, igneous rock is being extracted. The Preselis have Special Area of Conservation status, and there are three sites of special scientific interest ( SSSIs ). A peak is spelt Percelye on a 1578 parish map, and more recent maps show
8075-526: The use of Welsh in daily life, and standardised spelling. The New Testament was translated by William Salesbury in 1567, and the complete Bible by William Morgan in 1588. Modern Welsh is subdivided into Early Modern Welsh and Late Modern Welsh. Early Modern Welsh ran from the 15th century through to the end of the 16th century, and the Late Modern Welsh period roughly dates from the 16th century onwards. Contemporary Welsh differs greatly from
8170-473: The village at the bottom of the hill. From the 17th century, land began to be enclosed and road networks, including the Tenby-Cardigan turnpike running through the village, were improved in the 18th century. The road running through Blaenffos formed part of a drovers' road moving local and Irish livestock as far away as England, a practice driven by demand for centuries. To service this industry it
8265-428: The village between the stations at Crymych and Boncath ; this part of the line was laid in 1886. In February 1886 the press reported that Mr Samuel, Railway Cashier at Boncath, had given the children of Blaenffos School (see Education, below) a magic lantern entertainment. Boncath railway station did not open until September that year. The line was closed in 1963 and the track lifted by the end of 1964. The remains of
8360-521: The war was the subject of a two-year ultimately successful protest by local leaders. The success of the protest was commemorated 60 years on, in 2009, with a plaque at each end of the Golden Road: one at the foot of Foel Drygarn near Mynachlog-ddu, and another near the B4329 at Bwlch-gwynt. In 2000, Terry Breverton , a lecturer at Cardiff University, in promoting a book he had published, suggested that
8455-468: The west to Crymych in the east, some 13 miles (21 km) in extent. The highest point at 1,759 feet (536 m) above sea level is Foel Cwmcerwyn . The ancient 8 miles (13 km) of track along the top of the range is known as the Golden Road. The Preselis have a diverse ecosystem, many prehistoric sites, and are a popular tourist destination. There are scattered settlements and small villages;
8550-407: Was allowed to stay providing that he did not drink from a particular well. Curiosity eventually got the better of him and upon drinking the water he found himself back on the slopes of the Frenni Fawr . Christianity grew in the area from about the 5th century. The boundary between the former parishes of Llanfihangel Penbedw and Castellan Chapelry (part of Penrydd ) runs through the old centre of
8645-622: Was complete by around AD 550, and labelled the period between then and about AD 800 "Primitive Welsh". This Primitive Welsh may have been spoken in both Wales and the Hen Ogledd ('Old North') – the Brittonic-speaking areas of what are now northern England and southern Scotland – and therefore may have been the ancestor of Cumbric as well as Welsh. Jackson, however, believed that the two varieties were already distinct by that time. The earliest Welsh poetry – that attributed to
8740-541: Was not of roofing quality, but its density made it ideal for machining for building and crafts. Most quarries had closed by the 1930s but there is a workshop at Llangolman where slate is still used to make a variety of craft items. During the Second World War , the War Office used the Preselis extensively for training exercises by British and American air and ground forces. Its proposed continued use after
8835-518: Was passed and received Royal Assent, thus making the Welsh language an officially recognised language within Wales. The measure: The measure required public bodies and some private companies to provide services in Welsh. The Welsh government's Minister for Heritage at the time, Alun Ffred Jones , said, "The Welsh language is a source of great pride for the people of Wales, whether they speak it or not, and I am delighted that this measure has now become law. I am very proud to have steered legislation through
8930-517: Was probably spoken throughout the island south of the Firth of Forth . During the Early Middle Ages the British language began to fragment due to increased dialect differentiation, thus evolving into Welsh and the other Brittonic languages. It is not clear when Welsh became distinct. Linguist Kenneth H. Jackson has suggested that the evolution in syllabic structure and sound pattern
9025-641: Was renovated and rebuilt in 1807. In 1831 a petition for the abolition of slavery was presented to the House of Lords signed by ministers and members of the congregation of the chapel in common with hundreds of other nonconformist bodies throughout Great Britain, helping to pave the way to the Abolition of Slavery Act two years later. In 1851 the Religious Census listed the minister as James David Thomas. The present chapel dates from 1855. In 1917
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