22nd February 2024 - A bit of History and a bit of Rain

Thought for the day :"I have a reluctant potato. I think it is a hesitator"

Rain 37 : Dry 15

Bag 12.

A real mixture of a day. Raining in the morning - that constant stuff, then some really strong hail storms, and then Nan popped up with Ziggy who is to be a house guest for a few days and the sun popped out for a while. 

Later the skies opened again 

But things are growing 

In other news - some influence form Oliver Cromwell

On 22nd February 1650, during the Commonwealth government of Oliver Cromwell introduced 'The Act for the better propagation and preaching of the Gospel in Wales'.

During the Commonwealth, the enforced use of the liturgy of the Book of Common Prayer and the episcopal government of the Anglican Church were both suspended and the introduction of the act encouraged Puritan dissatisfaction with the Church of England and ultimately resulted in widespread nonconformism in Wales and the establishing of many chapels.

Much of the development of Dissent revolved around the Church of England's perceived toleration of certain practices associated with the Roman Catholic Church and a desire to recover a purer form of Christian belief and organisation based firmly on the teaching of the Bible. Charles I's religious policies, and his marriage to a Roman Catholic, made him mistrusted by dissenters, who thought his views were too Catholic.

The two most significance dissenting movements in Wales at the time were the Independents, also known as Congregationalists, and the Baptists. They were both Calvinist in doctrine and embraced the idea that a congregation of believers constituted an autonomous church which could appoint its own ministers and officers.

Dissenting activity in Wales was mainly associated with the border counties of Denbighshire, Radnorshire and Monmouthshire, and the ports and trading centres with good communications between areas of Dissent in England. The first Baptist congregation in Wales was established at Ilston near Swansea in 1649. As a result of the act, the radical Puritan Vavassor Powell of Knucklas in Radnorshire, acted as a principal adviser for the commission, actively employed in removing from their parishes those Welsh ministers he regarded as incompetent, replacing them with a band of itinerant Puritan evangelists led by himself. These Dissenting preachers were encouraged to occupy the pulpits of the parish churches and to organise worship according to their own convictions

The restoration of the monarchy in 1660 saw the return of Charles II as king who declared all acts of worship that did not conform to the practices of the established Church of England to be illegal. 'The Act of Uniformity in 1662' saw the beginning of a period of reduced civil rights and persecution of dissenters, who defiantly adhered to their beliefs. All clergy were required to be ordained according to the rites of the Anglican Church and those who refused to conform were ejected, resulting in the origin of the term ‘Nonconformist’. Many of the Nonconformist ministers set up schools as a means of income and to continue preaching their beliefs and this resulted in an increase in literacy in parishioners. Vavassor Powell was arrested for illegal preaching and served two terms of imprisonment before his death in London’s Fleet Prison in 1670.

In 1688, Charles' brother James II was ousted by William of Orange and 'The Toleration Act of 1689' allowed religious freedom for dissenters and allowed them to build their own places of worship, which resulted in the building of many Independent and Baptist chapels. By the end of the seventeenth century, there were four main denominations of Noncormists in Wales Presbyterians, Independents, Baptists and Quakers.

Also today was the date of the last invasion of UK at Carregwasteg - and Jemima Nicholls

On 22nd February 1797, 1,400 members of the French Legion Noire of the French Revolutionary Army landed in Carregwasted bay near Fishguard, which remains the last time Britain was invaded a foreign military force.

Irish revolutionary leader, Wolfe Tone had received support from France to help end British rule in Ireland. Part of the plan was to organise French invasions of Britain to divert and weaken the British forces, with the overall aim of sending a much larger force to Ireland to overthrow the British there. However, bad weather and poor organisation resulted in only the invasion through Wales, to target Bristol and the west of England, going ahead.

The invasion force was led by an Irish American colonel, William Tate and consisted of 1,400 men, nearly half of whom however were deserters and convicts. An initial attempt to land was unsuccessful due to the defensive cannons at Fishguard fort, so the fleet landed 3 miles away in the bay at Carregwasted under the cover of darkness. They moved inland and established their headquarters at a nearby farmhouse, but the convicts and pressed men deserted, got drunk and ran away. The next morning the French moved inland and occupied strong defensive positions on high rocky ground. Meanwhile, the British, although outnumbered, decided to attack, with many Fishguard locals volunteering to fight, notable among whom was Jemima Nicholas, who single-handedly took twelve French soldiers prisoner in St Mary's Church armed only with a pitchfork.

These actions convinced Tate that although he had much the superior forces, he had to accept an unconditional surrender and the following afternoon the French laid down their weapons on Goodwick sands.

(Also see Feb 23rd 2023 )

Cheers !