The Blaenycwm Murder Welsh unsolved murder mystery 1851 Cilrhedyn West Wales

[@ednahague8559]

This is a really interesting account, and extremely well researched. I loved the pictures and scenes that accompanied it. congratulations on a detailed piece of history.

[@branymor]

very interesting. In 1987 S4C made 5 or 6 programmes about murders in Carmarthenshire, Cardiganshire and Pembrokeshire in a series known as Dihirod Dyfed (rogues of Dyfed). The murder of Ruth Jones was featured in an episode called John Cloff (lame John). Another series was later made in 1991 and until very recently all two series were available again on S4C clic. The second series had a book to accompany it but I'm not sure about the first. However, the episodes including that of John Cloff can be viewed at the National Library in Aberystwyth

[@bethena1855]

I did know about this but haven't seen it, I believe it was fictionalized with added characters not based on reality. Do you know if this was the case?

[@barbarabrooks6423]

Very commendable research .They are enhanced by your illustrations .I think the solution begins worth the bread loaves...

[@drdavehowell]

An interesting narrative, in particular the publication of the ballad - the folkloring of the murder is a fascinating cultural response.

[@bethena1855]

Not a unique one either, or at least not unique to this murder. The balladeers seem to have been inspired by popular newspaper reports - in this case the balladeer was from Merthyr so not a local.

[@drdavehowell]

@@bethena1855 that is an interesting distinction. The period was rife for popular tellings of gruesome tales, with a significant economy in London was grisly story telling at the time, so perhaps not so surprising.

[@wylldflower5628]

In part there’s the very early reporter’s idea of “the people want to know”, paired with human nature - when something very out of the ordinary happens, we want a lot of detail so we can understand, commiserate, or, like our recent Covid outlet of uplifting or funny videos, feel better or have a laugh. Another thought I had is that fairy tales tend to have dark themes and often, were they filmed as told, would be fairly graphic. Psychologists talk about how these were used to teach children about the dangers of the world, and are often cautionary tales. I think both ballads and some of the detailed descriptions of many of the deaths and inquests of the 1800s filled a combination of both of these.

[@drdavehowell]

@@wylldflower5628 be interesting to see how long it takes for folksy Covid-19 songs to emerge!

[@wylldflower5628]

@@drdavehowell Have you seen them on KZbin? The new wandering minstrels!

[@rexgeorg7324]

One highly Intresting Story. one who was jealous.. and violently dangerous

[@juliadia007]

What a sad little story

[@branymor]

Bethan Phillips thoroughly researched the Dihirod Dyfed series and yet there are obvious discrepancies with this particular programme. For example, John James (aka John Cloff), the main protagonist and lay preacher, is not mentioned as far as I know in the newspaper reports of 1851. In the programme he takes his own life as he is unable to live with his conscience. So Many unanswered questions.

[@bethena1855]

That's the element I thought was fiction. As far as I know there was no such person involved and no suicide. Dramatic license I think, but happy to be proved wrong if there is any evidence to the contrary!

[@branymor]

@@bethena1855 yes there are discrepancies. Interestingly, in his book Ar Lwybr Llofrudd (1970), an account of the unsolved murder in 1869 of 21 year old Esther Davies at the remote Blaenduad Farm in the parish of Conwil Elfed, the Reverend J Towyn Jones says that the local community, despite the heinous crime, were unwilling to help the police with the their enquiries. On page 15 he says that this was also the case surrounding the murder of Ruth Jones. At the time the Reverend Benjamin Lewis of Dyffryn (rector of Cilrhedyn 1823-1855 and magistrate) was castigated by the parishioners for endeavouring to uncover the identity of the murderer. The police complained that the locals were also uncooperative. The reverend Benjamin Jones was a long serving magistrate for Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Cardiganshire and no doubt incurred the wrath of the local populace. On one occasion J Towyn Jones mentioned that on a particular night a 'ceffyl Pren', a rowdy vigilante mob disguised in womens clothing and blackened faces firing gunshots, encircled Dyffryn, the rectors home with the aim, no doubt, of intimidating him.

[@bethena1855]

@@branymor Interesting! Thanks for that. Benjamin Lewis certainly did attract local ill feeling for his attempts to find the evidence needed to convict. There's a little about him in my next video.

[@wylldflower5628]

@@branymor That’s a community really avoiding the scrutiny of questions! This would be so difficult in such a small community where you have to trust your neighbors so you can depend on them. And no matter who killed poor Ruth I think in light of the level of gossip there was probably a lot of collective guilt. I wonder how much was this and how much was community judgement since so many people moved not that long after?

[@wylldflower5628]

@@branymor do you know if that book is still in print?