I have a little book project focused on Cardiff archaeology, legend and folklore. It is going more slowly than originally planned but working on the sections is giving me a chance to re-explore all sorts of archaeological legends and the odd corners of Cardiff folklore run into since first moving here in 1978. Some of them I used in teaching, or in working on other projects in interpretation, but I never wrote any of it up formally.
I have now established about 30 stories to explore in this book. In reviewing what I knew, I found I had about 60 pretty quickly. So the initial problem was to sift through everything and reject half my original ideas and then to begin to locate sources and illustrations for the rest. Now I am going to be a bit more inclusive. Still, the sifting involves having to think about the way a reader might use the book. Probably as the basis for some trips of exploration around town with friends or family. Possibly on a visit to Cardiff from other places, but maybe a resident looking for local information.
An interesting aspect of researching the book is also having an excuse to sit down with folklorists, archaeologists, historians and archivists of my acquaintance who might have interesting insights, contacts and sources for me. This has been great fun so far, and I am enjoying the views from the eyrie of the local history collections at Cardiff City Library which is high above the city centre and has big view windows.
At the top left of the map where you see the Blackfriar’s monastery, and the river Taff flowing is quite near our old house. Began by working on the chapters for legends, sites and history west of the Taff first. Gotta start somewhere!
Figuring out the boundaries I want to establish is harder. Cardiff was a very small place until the industrial revolution, and then it began to grow rather rapidly. There is plenty of interesting and much older archaeology in the area, and older buildings such as the occasional farmhouse, church and cathedral which dotted an inhabited pre-urban rural landscape along the shifting river banks of the Taff in the center of town, the Ely River on the western flank and the Rhymney on the eastern flank.
Well, these rivers are not boundaries to the modern city, but if I include their drainages out of the surrounding hills, that gets us close and makes some sense. The southern boundary of my concerns could simply be the Bristol Channel, but as Cardiff Council has owned the island of Flatholm in the Channel for many years, maybe I need a trip out there too?