Solve a mystery - can you help?

We'd love to tell you who the people in the photos below are are - but we don't know. Can you help us name them? Other mysteries also posted here!

Where is "Mathebrwd / Maethebrwd"?

Mathebrwd covers 2 districts on census, Llanrwst N04 and N05, The area in 4 is. 'Dyffryn Aur hamlet of Tafarn y Fedw, 8 houses, Tynycauau,Cerniach, Tai Candryll, Rhydlechog, Ty'n y Ffordd Bach Ty Capel Carmel, Rhydloyw, 2 house, Brynsyllty, Coed y Brain, Garthyrhwylbren, Poethfoel, Gwern Rhisgl - 2 house -Ty Newydd, Bryn Dyffryn, Coed Bryn Dyffryn, Coed Llydan Isa, Pont y Clwt, Garth y Foel and Gwyllt Isa.' District 5: 'Part of the Township of Mathebrwd' lies to the east of Pennant, Rhydlechog, Henblas and Cefn Coch and that part of the township of Mathebrwd that lies to the east of the road leading from Bethel Chapel to Farmyard Tollgate.'

(Information first received from Patricia Williams, Llanrwst Historical Society)

QUERY APRIL 2007

Martin from Mold has been in touch with a query - does anyone know of any clay pits in the Maethebrwd / Carmel / Melin y Coed area where potters might have obtained clay for making pots? Martin did a search for Maethebrwd, which brough him to the Melin-y-Coed site.

There is a reference from 1696 to "Robert y Pottiwr Pridd" in Maethebrwd (which includes Carmel), and Martin is hoping to find reference to a local source of clay for making pots.

Martin says:

I have been interested in the potteries of the Buckley [Flintshire} area for some years and have found a number of pottery sites there by searching through documents and field walking. In more recent years I have been looking for the existence of other potteries in North Wales and have found references to a number of possible locations. I believe that I am the first to look for evidence of post medieval potteries in North Wales so there is little to guide me and unfortunately a reference to “a potter” is not sufficient as the term potter may also imply a hawker. However, there are occasionally references which have no ambiguity and at Maethebrwd we have a reference to a “Robt y pottiwr pridd” in 1696. I’m afraid that I am not a Welsh speaker but I understand that this can be translated to “earth potter”- this title is fairly common for potters in the late 17th century.

I now have a number of references to seventeenth century potters in North Wales but this is probably the most westerly, it would be very interesting to discover what was being made and how it differed from other products. A comparison with Buckley pottery of about the same date would be extremely interesting..

I have found one medieval site and three 17th century sites at Buckley and in each case it was possible to locate these by simply walking over the area and identifying the remains. Luckily potteries, even small ones, seemed to have produced a lot of waste and this can often be seen if you know what you are looking for. Might local farmers be willing to have me walking over their land?

We don’t know how long this Robert was in the area or for how long he potted. To operate a pottery you need clay, lead for glazing and a suitable fuel which is normally coal or wood. It would be most economic if Robert didn’t have to carry the heavy clay too far, so his pottery should be in the area of a clay deposit. The amount he would have used may not have left any permanent signs on the landscape.

Could there be any significance in the name “Pennant-y-priddbwll”? Doesn’t priddbwll suggest earth/clay extraction?

Can anyone help with the above information?

 

These young men were photographed in 1930 and the photo sent to "Miss Katie Evans". It might even have been taken in Fronwen.

 

This photo of local young men was taken in 1928. At least one of them moved to Anglesey. It looks rather like a wedding.

 

These two young woodcutters are believed to be of the Roberts family in Siloam, possibly descendants of William Roberts of Cefn Cestyll, but we can't name them as yet.

 

Is this Olive May of Llanrwst? And can you name her family below?

 

 

We thought we knew this one, but we had it wrong. Do you know who he is?

 

We also thought we knew who this old couple was, but "their" daughter said, "That's not my father!" So we have another mystery.

 

Here's a very hard one - we even have a head missing. Taken in upland country, with sheep in a pen to the left. So old, our only hope is if someone has the same or similar pictures in their collection - with names attached.

 

We thought this lady's name was Phoebe, but nobody has confirmed it. Do you know her?

 

If you don't know the lady, maybe you'll have more luck with the car!