The Parish of Llanwynno (extracts)

DEDICATION To my inspiring parents, I want to dedicate this book to you, as a token of my gratitude, and of the great debt that I owe you for the care, tenderness, love and wisdom that you have shown me from the day I was born right up to today, together with your example of pious and religious living, that you have always placed before me. I have not been able to repay you, nor ever will, because the tenderness of good parents such as you are, is greater than any weight of gold or silver, or all the wealth of the world. Some things are of this world, but others are spiritual, but even the worldly things should be imbued with spiritual values that are everlasting and will be there when you have left this world, whose values are only monetary. I wrote the letters that make up this book whilst being in the middle of a lot of other work; as I turned to recount the ancient happenings in my home parish, and lingered in the company of the old residents, my spirits were raised, which, had been weary with the care of work and responsibility, a weakness familiar to everyone. I had intended to publish a lot more in this book, but could see that it would grow to be too much for an eighteen"pence book. Perhaps, if it sells well, I will publish the rest later. I ask you, and the public, not to scrutinise it too closely for its errors and weaknesses; I have not had the leisure to rearrange the letters, nor fine- tune errors. It is fair to say that the friendly and supportive letters that I have received from time to time, and the enthusiastic reception that they had when they first appeared in the Darian,1 have been of no small benefit to me. I am now sending it out to you and the public, hoping it will be of interest and be beneficial by bringing things before you some of the things that have happened in one of the most remarkable parishes in Glamorgan. To you, my dear Father and Mother, I wish you a fair afternoon sun, and a cloudless sky when your hour comes. Yours, sincerely, and faithfully, GLANFFRWD March l7th, 1888.