What will YOU make?
Writers, artists, knitters and cooks, composers, ceramicists, photographers… everyone who makes! We’re inviting you to create something in response to the collections at Ceredigion Archives.
Click on the thumbnails below to see the pictures and find out more about them. Once on the next page, you can enlarge each image further; see bottom right of the screen (you might need to scroll down the page a little)
Bonaparte is defeated and taken prisoner by Russian Cossacks! Owen Williams writes from Hounslow to his brother John near Cardigan. The Duke (‘Duck’) of York, riding to Windsor stopped briefly to change his horse and told the inn-keeper the exciting news – which he shared with everyone, it seems! How much was true and how much was wishful thinking? More Williams family letters here:
http://llantoodletters.wordpress.com/ 
Motoring in style – this car was registered to Miss Ena Parry of Llidiardau, Llanilar, in 1915. Ref. ADX/710.
An early engraving of St. David’s College, with a huntsman and his hounds in the foreground.
A beautiful hand-dawn map of Cardigan showing the holdings of the Priory Estate. Ref. PE/1/1.
ACM/4: Cardygan Shyre, Mountgomery Shyre, Radnor Shyre, in ‘Polyolbion: Great Britaine’ (1612), a topographical poem by Michael Drayton. This hand-coloured copy of his map shows rivers, forests, and hills, personified as water nymphs, huntresses, and shepherds. This is a poet’s map. More about our maps here:
http://wp.me/P4TwS5-aK 
Shrub (from Arabic sharab, ‘drink’, the same word which gives us syrup and sherbet) was a popular drink in the 19th century and is referred to in the works of Jane Austen and Laura Ingalls Wilder. This version is from the Webley-Parry recipe book, ref. WP/2/1. More recipes here:
https://archifdyceredigionarchives.wordpress.com/tag/recipe/ 
This poster incites the public to commit a criminal offence – or that’s what the Edwardian police force decided. 60,000 people gathered in Parliament Square on 13th October 1908 as suffragettes tried to break their way through a cordon of 5000 police constables to rush the House of Commons. They were unsuccessful in the attempt but what a spectacle it must have been. From the Margot James collection (MJ)
This early 20th century photograph of Henblas (literally “Old Place”) captured a moment in time on a summer’s day. We know nothing of the context in which this photograph was taken.
Some excited, some curious, some anxious and one clutching teacher’s hand, these children from 90 years ago wore best clothes and (borrowed?) necklaces for the school photograph. But their boots were still muddy from the trek to school.
A ‘cure’ for rabies, collected in Capel Seion area for the Rural Lore project in the 1920s. Ref. MUS/103/2.
The Cardiganshire Antiquarian Society were an educated and inquisitive band of folk. But when it came to storing fragile archaeological remains it seems that an old cheese box was first choice. This page comes from the scrapbook of the Society’s meetings, ref. DSO/100.
Private Thomas Rees Warrington of Aberystwyth. He was only 20 when he fell on the field of battle in France on 22 February 1916. Our WW1 blog is here:
https://ww1ceredigion.wordpress.com/ 
This map by Lewis Morris shows Aberystwyth as a walled town with Pen Dinas looming over it, volcano-like. Ref. ACM/83
Cartouche depicting Cardigan town on John Speed’s map of Cardiganshire. 1620s.
Many women but only three hats. This page of pictures reveals that women of the 1860s attending Mr. John Turnor Mathias’ photographic establishment in Cardigan used the studio’s props to make them look at once industrious and emphatically Welsh. Hat, shawl, basket, knitting was apparently the recipe for the perfect portrait.
Miniature painting of a wasp (the original image is approximately life-size). Webley-Parry collection, ref. WP/4
A day at the beach : Aberystwyth 1796. Hours of innocent fun may be had in working out how this view might fit into the Aberystwyth of today. (ref. LIB/59/3/1)
In 1898 no-one had a “washing machine” and clothes were proportionately more expensive than they are today. This advert shows there was a market for ‘Washing Classes’ in Lampeter where for a shilling you could learn all the correct ways to hand-wash different types of clothing – a useful accomplishment for the young wife or a girl who thought of going into service, or having a laundry business. From the Caxton Hall Printers collection.
At Ceredigion Archives we have five hundred years’ of Ceredigion’s history. So many lives, so many places, so many events, recorded in words and images. We want to celebrate this year’s Explore Your Archive week with people from all over the county and beyond, who have explored, enjoyed and reacted to the collections by creating something of their own.
This is a non-competitive enterprise, and submissions from all ages and levels of expertise are welcome. Whether you are a professional maker or whether this is your first attempt we really want you to join in. You might find that a poem or a short story emerges from your research, something you read might turn into a song in your head, perhaps the re-creation of a recipe from long ago will fascinate you into action?
We’ve put some documents and pictures up on our blog to show you some of the range that might inspire you – but don’t be restricted to just these, wondrous though we think they are. Have a look at our catalogue online or our brilliant blogs – this one, or Reporting the Great War, or Llantood Letters, come along to the Archives to look at the documents you’ve chosen, get inspired and get making!
Your deadline is 18th November, the start of Explore Your Archives Week. During the following week you’ll be invited to an event at Ceredigion Archives (on the 23rd of November) to exhibit and/or perform your work to an audience. There will be tea and (Cardiganshire heritage) buns, of course.
For more information about the archives look here.
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