Can you help unlock the ‘Language of Peat’?
May, Local and Community History Month, sees the culmination of a pilot ‘Language of Peat’ heritage project at the Tywi forest area in mid-Wales. Writer and environmentalist Elinor Gwynn set about to explore communities’ historical links to their peatland and to respond to this creatively. The project is now keen to hear from others with information about the heritage and language of the peatlands in the Tywi forest area.
Language can help us understand landscapes and people’s diverse, shifting relationships with places over time. Among the treasures discovered during this project were several fine-grained, long-forgotten names of streams that seep and tumble through the Tywi Forest uplands. Old recordings also yielded wonderful tales, such as the local tradition of pocketing white stones and placing them on the mountain path between Pontrhydfendigaid and Rhaeadr to help travellers navigate their way in the mist.
Mannon Lewis, Natural Resources Wales’s strategic projects lead for the National Peatland Action Programme (NPAP) explained:
“NPAP is restoring previously afforested peatland in the Tywi forest which involves uncovering land that in the past was worked, traversed and described by the local community.
"This raises questions for the restoration professionals, such as the names and historical significance of the topography, as well as the availability of historic records about previous land use.
"Understanding the human history of our landscape helps us move forward collaboratively in restoring peatland for the wellbeing of future generations. Besides benefiting from Elinor Gwynn’s impressive research experience, it is also exciting that a National Eisteddfod crowned poet has been inspired to compose various creative works in response to her initial exploration of the peaty uplands in mid-Wales.”
Writer and environmentalist, Elinor Gwynn added:
“This has been a fantastic opportunity to focus on an area and uncover the language of the landscape through place names and the fascinating socio-ecological histories associated with this part of rural mid-Wales.
"I’ve thoroughly enjoyed rummaging through the National Library’s archives and visiting the peatland restoration sites with NRW staff over the past few months. There is so much yet to be discovered about this part of Wales.
"This pilot project showed the potential to unlock more stories within the Tywi Forest area and work creatively with language in order to deepen people’s connection with peatlands. In addition to the material that I’ve been uncovering in the archives, there’s probably a wealth of fascinating information that members of the public could share as part of this ongoing activity.”
Those with histories relating to the people who lived, worked, or were sustained by the peatlands of the Tywi area, or other parts of Wales, are invited to send information, pictures, maps, or links and references to npap@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk.
The Wales Peatland Data Map is an easy to use resource to find the peatlands of Wales. The National Peatland Action Programme, which coordinates the peatland restoration by partners across Wales, is funded by the Welsh Government and managed by Natural Resources Wales.
Picture caption: Elinor Gwynn at the National Library researching the peatlands in the Tywi area and inviting others to share their local history of peatlands.