A trip to Carmarthen Museum

We are often guilty of ignoring what's on our doorstep, and it's been a while since I was last in Carmarthen Museum (where I used to volunteer, when mum was still alive.)  Anyway, I wanted to take photos of the Sculptured Stones again, so popped down on Thursday morning,  I ended up taking dozens of photos, so will share a few over the next couple of posts.

This cross-carved stone was first noted in 1809 at Cefn Cethin standing near the old road and N-W of Cefn Cethin Farm.  In 1932 it was taken to the Carmarthenshire Antiquarian Society Museum.  It may well have been a later Neolithic or early Bronze Age standing stone which was later Christianized by the addition of the cross.  It is possible that it functioned as a boundary stone during the Medieval period.  The "cross-bow" carving is believed to be the top half of a ring cross.  (A Corpus of Early Medieval Inscribed Stones and Stone Sculpture in Wales - Nancy Edwards).

A glass fronted cabinet showing a clog-makers' workshop.  Below: photograph of a huge pile of clog soles, often made from Alder.

A Welsh "room" from the 1800s.  The lady is wearing a "mamgu" shawl, made from wool homespun and woven.  There is a Big Wheel behind her, a smaller spinning wheel at her side and a wonderfully-patterned Welsh blanket behind her, with a deep border.  The harp is a good one too . . .

Here are the gorgeous hand-knitted socks in dramatic colours. 

That picture of the old Welsh lady (Salem chapel) turns up regularly.

This room was devoted to Dairy work on the farms.  All the equipment that was needed and used was here.

Churns and butter-dashers below.

We had the top part of one of these for quite a while before we decided to sell it.  It is for separating the butter from the whey.

Various things used on the farm.  In the centre to the right of the rake is a bee smoker.  Would you believe I've not seen one for YEARS, but then saw FOUR this past week!!

Frame of an old pack saddle from the 1800s.

Branding irons (left); wool carder; pointy thing goes around a calf's neck when you are weaning it (mum cow does NOT care to have herself pricked with THAT); lastly these went over the end of the cow's horns to shape the way they grew - keeping them straight rather than curving (think I've got that right).

Back with some more tomorrow.