News Archive
Here below you'll find all the archived entries that were transferred from our regular News page. Older entries on the News page are moved into this archive every month.
- Latest BLFHS Committee Meeting Minutes now on line – [news item dated 31 Mar 2013]
The minutes of the Management Committee meeting held on 14th February 2013 were approved at the meeting on 28th March 2013. Society members may access the minutes via the About Us drop-down menu on the Members' homepage. Minutes of the 28th March meeting will be available after approval at the next meeting. - BLFHS March Meeting – [news item dated 18 Mar 2013]
We have added a report on the Society meeting held at Brecon Library on 6th March 2013. Certified genealogist Helen Whyte gave the fourth in her popular series of short illustrated presentations on Family History Sources. The main talk, on The Ayrton Family, was given by Deanna Leboff. Sound files and slides shows of all the talks are now available to members. - BLFHS Newsletter No 20 – [news item dated 18 Mar 2013]
Members Only — Newsletter No 20 is now available in the Members' section of our website. - BLFHS Newsletter Back-numbers – [news item dated 18 Mar 2013]
Newsletter No 9 is now available to non-members of the BLFHS via the Newsletters button at the top of this page. - BLFHS Annual Sunday Lunch – [news item dated 22 Feb 2013]
Our second Annual Lunch, open to non-members as well as members, will be held on Sunday 24th March at Bishops Meadow Restaurant, Brecon; see Booking Form (PDF document) for details. - BLFHS Newsletter Back-numbers released to non-members – [news item dated 19 Feb 2013]
Back-numbers of our Newsletters, from No 1 to No 8, are now available to non-members of the BLFHS via the Newsletters button at the top of this page. In future, as each Newsletter becomes 12 months old we will transfer it to the public section of our website. - Latest BLFHS Committee Meeting Minutes now on line – [news item dated 15 Feb 2013]
The minutes of the Management Committee meeting held on 10th January 2013 were approved at the meeting on 14th February 2013. Society members may access the minutes via the About Us drop-down menu on the Members' homepage. Minutes of the 14th February meeting will be available after the next meeting. - BLFHS Newsletter No 19 – [news item dated 13 Feb 2013]
Members Only — Newsletter No 19 is now available in the Members' section of our website. - BLFHS Family History Drop-in Session: Saturday, 15th February – [news item dated 13 Feb 2013]
Our next regular monthly 'drop-in' session will be held at Brecon Library on Saturday, 15th February from 11:00 am to 12:00 noon. Bring your family history problems and we'll see if we can help. We hold our drop-in sessions throughout the year on the third Saturday of each month at the library in Ship Street, Brecon. - BLFHS February Meeting – [news item dated 13 Feb 2013]
We have added a report on the Society meeting held at Brecon Library on 6th February 2013. Certified genealogist Helen Whyte gave the third in her popular series of short illustrated presentations on Family History Sources. The main talk, on The Brinore (Bryn Oer) Tramroad, was given by John Jones. Sound files and slides shows of all the talks are now available to members. - New Feature: Aids to Research – [news item dated 4 Feb 2013]
This new feature in the Members' Section of our website will provide a series of practical guides on various aspects of local and family history research. The first guide is now available, focusing on Theophilus Jones's seminal work: A History of the County of Brecknock. The guide provides a useful searching aid for those using online versions of the 'Glanusk Edition' of Jones's work. Members may access the guide by logging onto the Members' Homepage and selecting Aids to Research from the Resources drop-down menu. Further guides will follow in due course. - Monumental Inscriptions available: Libanus Chapel – [news item dated 1 Feb 2013]
The results of a four-year project to survey the burial yard of Libanus Congregational Chapel, Libanus are now available in the Members' Section of our website. BLFHS Members may study the detailed MIs, a surnames index, a place-names index, an illustrated history of the chapel (all as PDF documents), together with a detailed plan of the graveyard plots. Members can also access high quality colour photographs of each of the individual graves. - BLFHS Family History Drop-in Session: Saturday, 19th January – [news item dated 14 Jan 2013]
Our next regular monthly 'drop-in' session will be held at Brecon Library on Saturday, 19th January from 11:00 am to 12:00 noon. Bring your family history problems and we'll see if we can help. We hold our drop-in sessions throughout the year on the third Saturday of each month at the library in Ship Street, Brecon. - Minutes of BLFHS Committee Meeting held on 8 Nov now on line – [news item dated 11 Jan 2013]
The minutes of the Management Committee meeting held on 8th November 2012 were approved at the meeting on 10th January 2013. Society members may access the minutes via the About Us drop-down menu on the Members' homepage. Minutes of the 10th January meeting will be available after the next meeting (on 14 Feb). - New booklet online: Ebenezer Chapel: A Short History – [news item dated 9 Jan 2013]
This unique account of the history of Ebenezer Chapel, Upper Chapel, Breconshire, is the work of BLFHS member Vivian Parry. It was published as an A5-size, 20-page booklet in 2005 to mark the bicentenary of the chapel. The booklet is now out of print, but the author has kindly given permission for the Society to digitise his booklet and make it available online as a PDF document. Members may access the booklet by logging onto the Members' Homepage and selecting Booklets from the Resources drop-down menu. - BLFHS Newsletter No 18 – [news item dated 8 Jan 2013]
Members Only — Newsletter No 18, our New Year issue, is now available in the Members' section of our website. - BLFHS January Meeting – [news item dated 7 Jan 2013]
We have added a report on the Society meeting held at Brecon Library on 2nd January 2013. Certified genealogist Helen Whyte gave the second in her popular series of short illustrated presentations on Family History Sources. The main talks, on Starting Your Family History, were given by Hilary Williams and John Ball. Sound files and slides shows of all the talks are now available to members. - Brecon Railways Exhibition – [news item dated 4 Jan 2013]
Railway passenger services in Brecon ended in December 1962. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the closure of Brecon's passenger railways the BLFHS is running an exhibition of 'then and now' photographs and maps in Brecon Library, Ship Street, Brecon. The exhibition will be on show in the library throughout January. It is curated by BLFHS Committee Member Robert Eckley (right), who provided many of the photographs. BLFHS Member Steve Morris also contributed a number of the old photos included in the display. Please drop in and explore the photographs for yourself. We hope they will evoke happy memories of the railways in and around Brecon.
- Meetings Programme for 2013 – [news item dated 15 Dec 2012]
The programme of monthly meetings for 2013 is now finalised. Full details are set out on the Meetings webpage. - BLFHS Newsletter No 17 – 20 Nov 2012
Members Only — Newsletter No 17, our Christmas Issue, is now available in the Members' section of our website. - BLFHS November Meeting – 14 Nov 2012
We have added to the members' section a report on the Society meeting held at Brecon Library on 7th November 2012. Certified genealogist Helen Whyte gave the first in her new series of short illustrated presentations on the Family History resources. The main talk, on Abercamlais House, was given by Mrs Susan Ballance. Sound files of both talks, plus Helen Whyte's slide show, are now available to members. - New Webhost – 11 Nov 2012
We have just switched our entire website over to a new webhosting company, in order to acquire more space for developing the site. We hope the changeover was relatively seamless and our site is now operating normally again. - Newspaper Clippings – 31 Oct 2012
We have added another item to the Newspaper Clippings feature in the members' section of our website. The report, from the County Times, describes a "Complimentary Concert and Testimonial to 'Llew Buallt'" in 1895. - Merthyr Cynog Tithe Records online – 24 Oct 2012
We have just added a transcription and adaptation of the mid 19th century Tithe Survey records to our Merthyr Cynog parish pages in the Members' Section of our website. The records were transcribed and generously made available to us by BLFHS member Viv Parry. To view the tithe records, members should log in to the Members' Section and go to Parish Pages, select Merthyr Cynog, and click the Local History button. The Tithes section is at the bottom of the page. - BLFHS Newsletter No 16 – 20 Oct 2012
Members Only — Newsletter No 16 is now available in the Members' section of our website. - BLFHS October Meeting – 18 Oct 2012
We have added to the members' section of our website a report on the Society meeting held at Brecon Library on 10th October 2012. Certified genealogist Helen Whyte gave the fourth and final talk in her popular series of short illustrated presentations on the new FamilySearch.org website. The main talk, on Using Tithe Survey Records in Local and Family History Research, was given by John Ball. Sound files and slides shows of both talks are now available to members. - Minutes of BLFHS Committee Meeting held on 11 Oct now on line – 18 Oct 2012
The minutes of the Management Committee meeting held on 11th October 2012 are now online. Society members may access the minutes via the About Us drop-down menu on the Members' homepage. - New Feature: list of Members' Interests – 10 Oct 2012
We have just added a valuable new feature to our website. In August 2012 we contacted all our members and asked them to participate in a new project for the website where a member's family and general history interests could be shared with other members. The result is a Member's Interests list, which is now available to all members online. Society members may access the Members' Interests via the About Us drop-down menu on the Members' homepage. - Minutes of BLFHS Committee Meeting held on 13 Sep now on line – 30 Sep 2012
The minutes of the Management Committee meeting held on 13th September 2012 are now online. Society members may access the minutes via the About Us drop-down menu on the Members' homepage. - BLFHS Newsletter No 15 – 17 Sep 2012
Members Only — Newsletter No 15 is now available in the Members' section of our website. - Message from Hilary Williams, Chair of BLFHS – 17 Sep 2012
In order to provide space for new items on our website, we are having to remove some of the older material from the website. At its last meeting, the Committee, with the guidance of the webmasters, decided we should remove the archived monthly meetings on the Members' section up to and including October 2011. With effect from today (17 Sep), only the meetings held in the most recent 12 months will appear on our website. Reports, sound files, and slides of the older meetings will be stored off the website. - Powys County Archives Newsletter – 12 Sep 2012
Powys Archives have notified us that their latest newsletter is now online. - BLFHS September Meeting – 11 Sep 2012
We have added a brief report on the Society meeting held at Brecon Library on 5th September 2012. Certified genealogist Helen Whyte gave the third in her series of short illustrated talks on the new FamilySearch.org website. The main talk on Railways into Brecon by Tudor Watkins was cancelled as the speaker failed to turn up. Instead, Hilary Williams chaired a discussion on the topic of railways in which a number of members of the audience recounted their memories and experiences of the railways in and around Brecon. Sound files of the discussion plus Helen Whytes slide presentation are now available to members. - New item added to Help pages – 4 Sep 2012
We have just added a new item to the 'Help' section in the Resources feature on the public section of our website. The latest item is a request for information about the persons named on four memorial cards. - New item added to Help pages – 21 Aug 2012
We have just added a new item to the 'Help' section in the Resources feature on the public section of our website. The latest item is a request for information on a Bruntnell family from Talgarth. - BLFHS Newsletter No 14 – 20 Aug 2012
Members Only — Newsletter No 14 is now available in the Members' section of our website. - BLFHS August Meeting – 16 Aug 2012
In the Members' Section of our website, we have added a brief report on the Society meeting held at Brecon Library on 6th August 2012. Certified genealogist Helen Whyte gave the second in her series of short illustrated talks on the new FamilySearch.org website. The main talk was by Sister Bonaventure Kelleher of the Ursuline Convent in Brecon, and Ken Jones of the Brecknock Society and Museum Friends, who discussed the life of Capt Thomas Phillips, a controversial 17th century Brecon character. Sound files and slide presentations of both talks are now available to members. - BLFHS Committee Meeting, 9 Aug: Minutes now on line – 15 Aug 2012
The minutes of the Management Committee meeting held on 9th August 2012 are now online. Society members may access the minutes via the About Us drop-down menu on the Members' homepage. - BLFHS Newsletter No 13 – 19 July 2012
Members Only — Newsletter No 13 is now available in the Members' section of our website. - BLFHS Committee Meeting Minutes now on line – 14 Jul 2012
At its meeting on 12 July, the Management Committee decided that in the interests of transparency, Society members should have access to the minutes of all its meetings. Consequently, members can now study the minutes of all the monthly meetings of the BLFHS Management Committee. Members can access the minutes via the About Us drop-down menu on the Members' homepage. - BLFHS July Meeting – 10 Jul 2012
In the Members' Section of our website, we have added a brief report on the Society meeting held at Brecon Library on 4th July 2012. Certified genealogist Helen Whyte gave a short illustrated talk on the background to the new FamilySearch.org website. The main speaker was local historian Len Ley, who discussed 18th century Farming in the Swansea Valley. Sound files of both talks, plus Helen's slide presentation, are now available to members. - Canal History Exhibition – 10 July 2012
The 200 years of the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal exhibition will be hosted by Brecon Library from 20th July to 29th August. Click here for a PDF copy of the latest Press Release about the exhibition. - Item updated in the Help pages – 5 July 2012
The item about the LANE family of Pipton, submitted last October by Kevin Lane, has been updated with new details. - Troedrhiwdalar Chapel: Register of Members – 2 July 2012
A transcript of the Register of Members 1781-1848 is now available to members as a searchable PDF document. This is in addition to the detailed MIs, photographs of the individual graves, surnames and place-names indexes, detailed plans of the three graveyard plots, and history of the chapel. - Breconshire Parish Records on FindMyPast – 26 June 2012
FindMyPast announced today that it had added two million Welsh records to the nearly four million Welsh parish registers entries it placed online earlier this year. The records now cover all the Welsh counties, including Breconshire.
Full details are available on the FindMyPast website.
FindMyPast is a pay-to-view or subscriptions service, but you can access FindMyPast, without charge, at branches of the Powys Library Service. - BLFHS Newsletter No 12 – 26 June 2012
Members Only — Newsletter No 12 is now available in the Members' section of our website. - BLFHS June Meeting – Sound files – 24 June 2012
Following the business meeting (AGM) on 13 June, at Brecon Library, the audience enjoyed three short talks on the theme of 'Family Skeletons'. The talks are now available to members as sound recordings in the Members' section of our website. To listen to the talks, members should log on to the Members' pages, then go to 'Meetings' in the 'Resources' drop-down menu. - New item added to Articles pages – 23 June 2012
We have added a new item to the 'Articles' features in 'Resources' on the Members' section of our website. The latest article, by Hilary Williams tells the story of The last female in Brecon to be hanged, cut down and burnt at the stake. - New item added to Help pages – 21 June 2012
We have just added a new item to the 'Help' section in the Resources feature on the public section of our website. The latest item requests information about a group of Indian soldiers, buried in Brecon, and the whereabouts of burials of members of Watergate Church, Brecon. - BLFHS AGM – 16 June 2012
Our first AGM was held at 2:00 pm on Wednesday, 13 June, at Brecon Library. A full account of the meeting, including copies of the Agenda, Chair's Report, and the Financial Report, is available in the Members' Section of our website. - Merthyr Tydfil Chapels Heritage Day – 30 May 2012
Anyone interested in Welsh chapels, or in the history of Methyr Tydfil may wish to attend the forthcoming Merthyr Chapels Heritage Day to be held on 21st July at Canolfan Soar, Pontmorlais, Merthyr Tydfil. Further details are provided in the bilingual poster available here (PDF document). - BLFHS Newsletter No 11 – 16 May 2012
Members Only — Newsletter No 11 is now available in the Members' section of our website. - New item added to Help pages – 15 May 2012
We have just added a new item to the 'Help' section in the Resources feature on the public section of our website. The latest item requests information about an Edwards family who lived on The Watton, Brecon in the late 19th century. - Monumental Inscriptions: Troedrhiwdalar Congregational Chapel, Llanafanfawr – 14 May 2012
We are pleased to announce that the Troedrhiwdalar Chapel project is now complete. Members may now access photographs of the individual graves, transcribed MIs, surnames and place-names indexes, a history of the chapel, and detailed plans of the three graveyard plots. - Management Committee Elections – Nominations closed – 10 May 2012
Nominations for the election of officers and other members of the BLFHS Management Committee closed yesterday (9 May). The full agenda and voting papers (if required) will be made available to all members of the Society by 22nd May. A further announcement will be made on the Members' Section of our website when these documents are available. - Welsh Journals Online – 3 May 2012
Did you know that the National Library of Wales website includes a section on Welsh Journals Online, enabling visitors to the website to browse a large selection journal back-numbers, including Brycheiniog, the journal of the Brecknock Society? The NLW states that: Welsh Journals Online provides free access to scholarship from Wales. Back-numbers of up to 50 titles are available here, ranging from academic and scientific publications to literary and popular magazines. The presentation of the journals on the web has been undertaken by the National Library of Wales with support from JISC and Welsh Assembly Government and the cooperation of publishers and authors. Complete runs of each title have been included; the most recent issue available depends on the publisher, and will vary from title to title. Occasional papers, Index volumes and Monographs are sometimes included. Newspapers, and publications from outside the UK, have not been included in the resource at present, and nor have the 70 publications whose publishers have not yet given permission. Electronic publications are not included. Some pages have been blanked out for copyright reasons on the website. - Merthyr Cynog Parish Pages online – 27 Apr 2012
Merthyr Cynog parish, the second in our series on Breconshire Parishes is now online in the Members' Section of our website. Our parish pages include sections on Local History, Parish Records, Community Places, Photos, Books, and Websites. Developing the Breconshire Parishes series is a major long-term project. Over the coming months and years, more Breconshire parishes will be added as they are completed. The first featured parish (Llanafanfawr) is available for public access, but Merthyr Cynog is accessible only to members, as will all subsequent parish features. - Management Committee Elections – Call for Nominations – 20 Apr 2012
The officers and other members of the BLFHS Management Committee are due for election (or re-election) at the Society AGM to be held at 2:00 pm on 13th June at Brecon Library.
If you are a member of the Society, you may nominate yourself or any other willing member(s) to stand for election to the Committee. All nominations must be made using a Society Nominations Paper, downloadable from the Members' Section of our website.
Whether or not you are a member, you may wish to download our 11-page PDF document containing detailed Job Descriptions of the officers and members of the Committee.
- Monumental Inscriptions Available: Troedrhiwdalar Chapel – 20 Apr 2012
At long last, the results of our two-year project to survey the burial yard of Troedrhiwdalar Congregational Chapel, Llanafan Fawr, are now available in the Members' Section of our website. Currently, the detailed MIs themselves, a surnames index and a place-names index are available (as PDF documents) together with detailed plans of the three graveyard plots. Photographs of the individual graves, plus a history of the chapel will follow soon. - BLFHS Newsletter No 10 – 20 Apr 2012
Members Only — Newsletter No 10 is now available in the Members' section of our website. - BLFHS April Meeting – 5 Apr 2012
In the Members' Section of our website, we have added a brief report on the Society meeting held at Brecon Library on 4th April 2012. The speaker was Mrs Penny Platts, who discussed Market Towns in Herefordshire. - BLFHS Newsletter No 9 – 20 Mar 2012
Members Only — Newsletter No 9 is now available in the Members' section of our website. - New item added to Help pages – report updated 18 Mar 2012
We have just expanded the latest item in the 'Help' section in the Resources feature on the public section of our website. A BLFHS member requests help in confirming or refuting a story about the origins of a Penry family from Gwenddwr, Breconshire, and in clarifying connections between the Maddy family and the Gwernyfed Estate. - BLFHS Annual Sunday Lunch – 14 Mar 2012
Our first Annual Lunch was enjoyed by 24 members and friends on Sunday 11th March at Bishops Meadow Restaurant, Brecon. Click here for full report and pictures. - Welsh Parish Records on FindMyPast – 4 Mar 2012
On St David's Day, FindMyPast put nearly four million new Welsh parish registers entries online. At present, the records cover Cardiganshire, Carmarthenshire, Denbighshire, Flintshire and Glamorgan. The remaining counties, including Breconshire, will follow "soon".
Full details are available on the FindMyPast website.
FindMyPast is a pay-to-view or subscriptions service, but you can access FindMyPast, without charge, at branches of the Powys Library Service. - Penderyn Community Historical Society – 21 Feb 2012
Celia Morgan of Penderyn, a village on the boundary of Breconshire and Glamorganshire, tells us she has formed a Historical Society for that village and the surrounding area. Members meet on the third Wednesday of every month at 7:00pm (except for August and December). The venue is the Penderyn Community Centre.
The Society's project at the moment is to compile a scrapbook about the village. If you have any connection with Penderyn, or have any photos and stories which you would like to share with the Penderyn Community Historical Society then please contact Celia at her e-mail address: celia.morgan8@btinternet.com. - BLFHS Newsletter No 8 – 20 Feb 2012
Members Only — Newsletter No 8 is now available in the Members' section of our website. - Monthly Meetings: All Talks and Slides now online! – report updated 17 Feb 2012
All of the talks and slideshows presented at the BLFHS monthly meetings are now available online in the members' section of our website. They can be accessed through the Meetings link under the Resources button on the members' homepage. - Canal 200 Festival – 10 Feb 2012
Click here for a PDF copy of the Winter/Spring issue of the Canal 200 events programme. - Newspaper Clippings – 4 Feb 2012
We have added another item to the Newspaper Clippings feature in the Members' Section of our website. The report, from the Merthyr Express, describes a coroner's inquest into the accidental electrocution of a man in Rhymney during the WW2 blackout. - BLFHS Annual Sunday Lunch – 2 Feb 2012
Our first Annual Lunch, open to non-members as well as members, will be held on Sunday 11th March at Bishops Meadow Restaurant, Brecon. - Newspaper Clippings – 31 Jan 2012
We have added an extract from an early 20th century local newspaper to our Newspaper Clippings feature in the Members' Section of our website. The latest addition describes the reminiscences of a 100-year-old resident of Llanfihangel Talyllyn, born in 1814. - AGM – Revised Date – 28 Jan 2012
Because of a clash with another event, the date of the 2012 AGM has been put back by one week to Wednesday 13th June. See Meetings Programme for confirmation. - New Article – 24 Jan 2012
We have just added another new item to the collection of Articles on the Members' Section of our website. The item, submitted by BLFHS member Alison Skipper, is in the form of a three page letter describing a Pembrokeshireman's Christmas visit to London in the late Victorian era. - New item added to Help pages – 23 Jan 2012
We have just added a new item to the 'Help' section in the Resources feature on the public section of our website. The latest item includes information of a Jones family who occupied Trefan Farm, Llanafan Fawr in the 19th century. - New Article – 23 Jan 2012
We have just added a new article to the Members' Section of our website. The article, submitted by BLFHS member Colvin Parry describes how his home in Somerset has strong links with Breconshire. - Canal 200 Festival – 22 Jan 2012
Click here for a PDF copy of a bilingual flier for the Canal History exhibition. The flier urges local residents to bring along canal-related material for copying, scanning or photographing by museum staff. Selected items will be exhibited at Theatr Brycheiniog from 20th to 30th July. - Powys Archives on Facebook – 12 Jan 2012
Since last August, Powys Archives at Llandrindod Wells has been developing a presence on Facebook. Although still in its early days, the page already includes some interesting entries. The Archive's Facebook page is at www.facebook.com/powysarchives. - BLFHS Newsletter No 7 – 10 Jan 2012
Members Only — Newsletter No 7 is now available in the Members' section of our website. - BLFHS January Meeting – 6 Jan 2012
The first Society meeting of 2012 was held at Brecon Library on 4th January. The speakers, John Ball and Hilary Williams, spoke to a packed audience of 33 members and friends on the topic of "Using the Census Records". We have just added a report on the meeting, together with a list of recommended books and websites, to the Members' Section of this website. - New BLFHS Website Launched! – report updated 4 Jan 2012
This, our new website, was launched today. All of the features of the old website are accessible, with the exception of the pages devoted to reports on our monthly meetings at Brecon Library. These will follow later. - Message from Hilary Williams – updated 22 Dec 2011
I now have my new computer, and am back online. I have over 400 e-mails to deal with, so please be patient if you are waiting for a response from me.
Hilary Williams, Chairperson, BLFHS - Brecon Cathedral Christmas Tree Festival – 10 Dec 2011
The BLFHS is taking part in Brecon Cathedral's first Christmas Tree Festival from the 9th to the 12th December. The BLFHS is one of nearly 50 groups taking part. Our tree was set up and decorated by Eirwen Jones, Hilary Williams and Rob Eckley (see photo, right). The tree (see close-up below) is decorated with laminated photos of many of Brecon's shops and businesses and with golden garlands showing the forenames of the ancestors of some of the committee members. The tree is topped with our Society logo.
(Photography by Robert Eckley & John Ball)
- BLFHS Newsletter No 6 – 8 Dec 2011
Members Only — Newsletter No 6 (the combined November and Christmas issue) is now available in the Members' section of our website. - Meetings Programme for 2012 – 4 Dec 2011
The programme of monthly meetings for 2012 is now finalised. Full details are set out on the Meetings webpage. - New feature: 2012 Canal Bicentenary Celebrations – 25 Nov 2011
The Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal is celebrating its 200th anniversary in 2012 and to commemorate its bicentennial year, a wide range of activities and events is planned on and along the canal. The BLFHS is playing a leading role in the planning of the celebrations, and is liaising with other interested groups to organise a number of joint and individual Canal Festival projects. Full details are set out on our new Canal Festival webpage. - Problem updated on the Help pages – 24 Nov 2011
We're pleased to report a happy outcome to the request for help in identifying the origins of Roger William PRYTHERCH from Llandeilo'r fân, living in Brecon in 1911. Another member of the same PRYTHERCH family has contacted us with a great deal of new information, which we have now passed on to the original enquirer. - Problem updated on the Help pages – 22 Nov 2011
We have just added more material to the Betts – Gwernyfed Hall (Glasbury) item in the 'Help' pages of the Resources feature on the public section of our website. The additional material includes two fascinating contemporary newspaper clippings. 
Llanddew MIs Project – 13 Nov 2011
On Friday 4th November, three members of the BLFHS committee met with a group from the Llanddew community to begin a project to survey, transcribe and record the inscriptions on memorial stones and gravestones at St David's Church, Llanddewi. Eirwen Jones, Alison Noble and Robert Eckley, provided expert help and guidance to members of the local community, most of whom had not tackled a project of this kind before. Further visits to the churchyard will be needed before the survey is complete. In Rob Eckley's photograph, Eirwen Jones (far left) and Alison Noble (far right) are advising the Llanddew group on how to identify gravestones prior to recording the inscriptions.- New Article online – 10 Nov 2011
We have just added another new item to our pages of Articles in the Members' Only section of our website. In the article, Jacqueline Williams reminiscences about growing up in Camden Road, Brecon, in the 1940s and '50s, in close proximity to the railway station. - New problem added to Help pages – 9 Nov 2011
We have just added a new item to the 'Help' section in the Resources feature on the public section of our website. The latest item is a request for help in identifying the origins of Roger William PRYTHERCH from Llandeilo'r fân, living in Brecon in 1911. - New problem added to Help pages – 8 Nov 2011
We have just added a new item to the 'Help' section in the Resources feature on the public section of our website. The latest item is a request for help in identifying some old photographs, possibly linking a BETTS family to Gwernyfed Hall, Glasbury (BRE). - New: Pentre Dolau Honddu booklet online – 2 Nov 2011
Fascinating and detailed research into an Epynt community in the first half of the 19th century was conducted by BLFHS member Vivian Parry and published in 1997 in the form of an A5-size, 20-page booklet. The booklet is now out of print, but the author has kindly given his permission for the Society to digitise his booklet and make it available online in the Members' Only section of our website. - New Article online – 31 Oct 2011
We have just added another new item to our pages of Articles in the Members' Only section of our website. The article, by Eira Tomlinson, recounts a tragic death in the Masser family of Aberllynfi. - New Article online – 30 Oct 2011
We have just added a new item to our pages of Articles in the Members' Only section of our website. The article, submitted by Robert Eckley, outlines the development of the Brecon Railway. - BLFHS October Meeting: Talk now online! – report updated 29 Oct 2011
For a limited period, Society members have access to a sound file of Richard Rees's talk, in which he revealed to the audience the latest results of his four year investigation into an extraordinary late 19th century plan to provide London with water, at the expense of large parts of Breconshire, Cardiganshire and Radnorshire. The sound file of the talk is available to BLFHS members only. - News Archive created – 28 Oct 2011
In order to keep this News page to a manageable length, we have moved a batch of older news items into a newly created News Archive. We will repeat the transfer process every month. - New problem added to Help pages – 26 Oct 2011
We have just added a new item to the 'Help' section in the Resources feature on the public section of our website. The latest item is a request for help in researching a LANE family from Pipton (BRE). - Local History Book Fair – 26 Oct 2011
The Royal Institution of South Wales’s annual Local History Book Fair will be held on Saturday 29 October 2011 at Swansea Museum (originally 'The Royal Institution of South Wales') from 10am to 4 pm. The day will offer the opportunity to buy new local history books, second-hand and antiquarian books, historical maps and paintings, postcards and more. Authors, publishers and bookshops, representatives of local history societies including staff from the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales will be on-hand throughout the day to answer enquiries and chat to visitors. - New problem added to Help pages – 25 Oct 2011
We have just added a new item to the 'Help' section in the Resources feature on the public section of our website. The latest item is a request for help in identifying individuals named MADDY in Llanigon (BRE) and Clyro (RAD). - BLFHS Newsletter No 5 – 22 Oct 2011
Members Only — Newsletter No 5 is now available in the Members' section of our website. - New Church/Chapel MIs webpage added – 21 Oct 2011
We have just added an 'MIs' (monumental inscriptions) item to the Resources feature in the public section of our website. This webpage lists all the church and chapel graveyard surveys and transcripts recorded by BLFHS member Gareth Jones, and explains how to order copies from him. - Newspaper Clippings – 4 Oct 2011
We have added an extract from a 20th century local newspaper to our Newspaper Clippings feature in the Members' Section of our website. The latest addition describes the accidental detonation of 3½ tons of TNT carried by a lorry passing through Scethrog in 1957. - Additions to our Booklist – 24 Sep 2011
We have added two books to the bottom of the Breconshire category of the Booklist on the public section of our website. - New Help pages launched – 22 Sep 2011
We have just added a 'Help' item to the Resources feature in the public section of our website. The Help pages will display requests for help with Breconshire-related local or family history problems sent in by members and non-members of the BLFHS. The first request for help is now online. - BLFHS Newsletter No 4 – 22 Sep 2011
Members Only — Newsletter No 4 is now available in the Members' section of our website. - New Article online – 20 Sep 2011
We have just added an Articles feature to our collection of Resources. Read Pam Hussin's idyllic account of her childhood in Llanfaes (Brecon) in the 1940s. This is the first in a series of articles that Pam is kindly sharing with us. - BLFHS September Meeting: Talks and Slide Shows now online! – report updated 19 Sep 2011
For a limited period, sound files and slide shows from the launch of the "Shops & Businesses in 20th Century Brecon" project's Public Exhibition are available in the Members' Only section of our website. The meeting comprised illustrated talks by Alison Noble, Project Leader, and Robert Eckley, Project Photographer. Sound files of both talks plus extracts from the subsequent discussion, together with slide shows of the photographs used are available to BLFHS members. - Dyfed FHS Open Day – report updated 2 Oct 2011
The BLFHS was represented at the Dyfed Family History Society Open Day on Saturday 17 September (10am to 4pm) at the Castle Hotel, Llandovery. Committee members Hilary Williams and Eirwen Jones manned our stall, assisted by BLFHS member David James. Hilary reports: "We had a great day in Llandovery, and enrolled two or three new members on the spot." - Open Doors, Talybont-on-Usk – 17 Sep 2011
John Ball represented the BLFHS at an Open Doors Wales event in the Tal-y-bont area today. Local churches and chapels opened their doors to the public, and facsimiles of the parish registers were on display at Henderson Hall, Tal-y-bont village. John joined a small team of local volunteers to help visitors look up their ancestors in the old registers for Cross Oak, Glyncollwyn, Llanddetty, Llanfeugan, and Llansantffraed. - Newspaper Clippings – 13 Sep 2011
We have added five more extracts from 19th and early 20th century local newspapers to the Newspaper Clippings feature in the Members' Section of our website. - Public Exhibition: Brecon Shops & Businesses Project – 13 Sep 2011
This highly successful exhibition, staged at Brecon Library from 8th to 10th September, illustrated the current state of our research into the shops and businesses in the town of Brecon over the past 100 years. Many visitors to the exhibition were able to contribute their memories of old Brecon to the project. Project leaders Alison Noble and Rob Eckley are now cataloguing and organising all the contributions recorded during the exhibition. - Glamorgan FHS Open Day – 11 Sep 2011
The BLFHS participated in the Glamorgan Family History Society Open Day yesterday (10 Sep) at Merthyr Tydfil Leisure Centre, Rhyd-y-car. Committee members Hilary Williams, Eirwen Jones, Jennie Williams, and John Ball manned our stall during the day, joined by BLFHS member David James. The event was well attended, and we attracted a considerable number of visitors through the day, many of whom we were able to help with their family history problems. It was good to see so many familiar faces there, and catch up with the gossip. We also gained three new members as a result of our presence at the Open Day. - BLFHS September Meeting: Shops & Businesses Exhibition Launch – 8 Sep 2011
On 7th September at Brecon Library, BLFHS Secretary Alison Noble welcomed a large gathering of members to our September meeting, whose purpose was to launch the Public Exhibition of the current findings of our "Shops & Businesses in 20th Century Brecon" project (details above). The meeting comprised illustrated talks by Alison Noble, Project Leader, and Robert Eckley, Project Photographer. Alison described the way Brecon's commercial life and premises have changed over the past 100 years, and she urged us to look afresh at Brecon's familar buildings from the perspective of the historian. Rob treated us to a selection of "Then and Now" photographs of the buildings in the town, adding his own comments and anecdotes to the stories his photographs portrayed. Both speakers encouraged the audience to contribute their own memories of the shops and businesses in Brecon.
BLFHS Chairman Hilary Williams ended the formal part of the meeting by thanking both speakers for their excellent presentations. Members of the audience then had chance to examine more closely some of the display material Alison and Rob had brought with them.
In the next week or two we hope to upload onto the Members Section of our website, sound files of both talks, together with a selection of the photographs used. - West Breconshire Farmers' Association (WBFA) – updated 2 Sep 2011
We have added a new webpage to this popular Members Only feature. The new page displays notes and images kindly sent in by a BLFHS member whose father became a WBFA shareholder in the 1930s. - BLFHS presence at Talgarth Black Mountains Festival – 30 Aug 2011
Last weekend (27, 28 August) Eirwen Jones and Hilary Williams, aided by other members of the committee, manned a BLFHS stall in St Gwendoline's Church, Talgarth. The BLFHS representatives were able to assist visitors to find their ancestors' entries in the parish registers which were on display nearby. Several new members were recruited and a number of donations to the Society were received. The BLFHS is grateful to Canon Rowland Edwards, vicar of Talgarth, for enabling us to set up a stall in the church.
Right: Eirwen Jones at the BLFHS stall (photo by Hilary Williams)
- First Parish Pages online – 23 Aug 2011
The first of our series on Breconshire Parishes is now online. We have chosen Llanafanfawr in the north of the county as our first featured parish. Currently, our parish pages include sections on Local History, Parish Records, Community Places, Photos, Books, and Websites. Developing the Breconshire Parishes series is a major long-term project. Over the coming months and years, more Breconshire parishes will be added as they are completed. The Llanafanfawr feature is available for public access, but all the remaining parish features will be accessible only to members. - BLFHS Newsletter No 3 – 20 Aug 2011
Members Only — Newsletter No 3 is now available in the Members' section of our website. - Sarah Siddons article – 16 Aug 2011
We have added a new item to the Articles feature on the Members' Section of our website. The article, entitled "Sarah Siddons and the Theatre in Georgian Brecon", is by Hilary Williams - Internet Links – 15 Aug 2011
Two new items have been added to the General and All Wales section of our Links webpage. The new additions link to The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales website, and the Historic Wales website. See here for details - BLFHS August Meeting: A Visit to Talgarth Mill – report updated 11 Aug 2011
Those who were unable to join us on our recent visit Talgarth Mill may be interested to know that the BBC filmed the restoration of the Mill for its Village SOS documentary series. The hour-long programme featuring Talgarth Mill was broadcast on BBC1 on 10 August at 8:00 pm. For a limited time, the programme can be viewed again on the BBC Website (UK residents only). - Newspaper Clippings – 10 Aug 2011
We have added two new extracts to the Newspaper Clippings feature on the Members' Section of our website. - BLFHS August Meeting: A Visit to Talgarth Mill – 7 Aug 2011
Our second regular monthy meeting took the form of a visit to a restored 18th century flour mill in Talgarth. About two dozen members were given guided tours of the old mill, learning about the history of the mill, its method of operation, and the restoration project.
Members Only — For a limited period, further details are available in the Members' Section of our website, together with a gallery of photographs of the mill, kindly supplied by Rob Eckley. - Newspaper Clippings – 2 Aug 2011
We have added a new batch of reports (on incidents involving steam rollers) to the Newspaper Clippings feature on the Members' Section of our website. - BLFHS Newsletter No 2 – 18 Jul 2011
Members Only — Newsletter No 2 is now available in the Members' section of our website. - BLFHS July Meeting – 13 Jul 2011
BLFHS Chairperson Hilary Williams welcomed over 40 members to our first regular monthy meeting, held in Brecon Public Library. Glyn Powell presented an illustrated talk entitled 'The Castell Du Iron Foundry, Sennybridge' – about the industrial development at Castell Du, the Sennybridge depot on the Brecon Forest Tramroad. Mr Powell gave a lively and fascinating talk, supplemented by numerous slides.
Members Only — For a limited period. a brief biography of Glyn Powell, a sound file of his talk, and a gallery of his slides are available in the Members' Section of our website. - Newspaper Clippings – 4 Jul 2011
Members Only — We have added a collection of items from 19th and early 20th century local newspapers to the Other Resources feature. - 1950s Farming Booklet – 27 Jun 2011
Members Only — We have added a transcript of a 1950s farming booklet as the first of our Other Resources feature. - BLFHS Newsletter No 1 – 21 Jun 2011
Members Only — The first BLFHS Newsletter is now available in the Members' section of our website. - Maps of Brecon(shire) – 21 Jun 2011
Members Only — New text has been added to accompany John Speed's 1610 map of Brecon Town. - Gwent FHS Open Day – 15 Jun 2011
Two of our committee members, Eirwen Jones and Sue Snook, manned the Society stall at the Open Day of Gwent Family History Society last Saturday (11 June) at Cwmbran. Eirwen Jones reports:Sue and I had a fantastic day on Saturday. Our "stall" was right in front of the double doors at the entrance to the hall. We made a few sales but, more importantly, made our presence felt. We gave out a lot of Society "business cards" that Hilary had designed, and a lot of membership application forms. We even enrolled one member on the day taking our membership up to 67.
- BLFHS Inaugural meeting – 1 Jun 2011
The inaugural meeting, held at Brecon Library on 1st June, was a great success. See here for details
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