Adroddiad ar yr Iaith Gymraeg yn ôl Y Cyfrifiad 1891

Penawd Y Cyrifiad 1891: ‘Roedd agos at un filiwn o siaradwyr Cymraeg yng Nghymru, gan gynwys 508,036 uniaith Gymraeg (30.4% o boblogaeth Cymru gyfan)

Mae rhai haneswyr yn amau’r rhifau uniaith. Mae’n bosib fod ymwybyddiaeth genedlaethol newydd, a brwdfryder rhai i fanteisio ar y cyfle i dynnu sylw at y Gymraeg, wedi gwyrdroi’r cyfanswm yn uwch na’r gwir. Er nad yw’n gyhuddiad deg yn ôl rhai eraill. Ond ni allwn fod yn hollol sicr o’r ffigyrau, yn arbennig mewn ardaloedd lle ‘roedd cynghorwyr yn galw’n gyhoeddus am i bawb nodi “Cymraeg yn unig” ar y ffurflen.

I raddau mawr ‘roedd ysgolion uniaith Saesneg yn gyfrifol am Seisneigio nifer o ardaloedd Cymru. Ffactor arall o bwys oedd anfodlondeb gyffredinol mewnfudwyr di-Gymraeg i ddysgu’r iaith.

Welsh Language Census 1891/ Adroddiad ar yr iaith Gymraeg Cyfrifiad 1891

 Headline of 1891 Census - Best part of a million spoke Welsh, of that 508,036 people (or 30.4% of the total Welsh population) claimed to be able to speak Welsh only (monoglots).

However some historians question the monoglot Welsh only figures. They claim numbers were over reported due to the rise of national consciousness and a desire to enhance the statistics and popularity of the language. Others claim this is an unfair critique.

English only schools were one of the major factors of anglicisation in many parts of Wales, not necessarily English speaking migrants. However, non-Welsh speakers were generally resistant to a reciprocal process of linguistic change (i.e. learning Welsh) in many majority Welsh speaking areas.

Welsh Place names (Corruptions)

Corruption of Welsh Place-names
Corruptions are not necessarily bad, as they are part of the process of language evolution. However some place names shown below, have been needlessly changed due to lack of respect for local culture/ colonialism.
Google maps uses only the English versions.

Key: *important please read*

-> Anglicised to (Welsh name corrupted to English)
-   Possibly co-evolved
<- Welsh corruption of Old English name (Saxon etc)

Flintshire/Sir Fflint

1. Bwlch y Clai - Buckley
2. Yr Wyddgrug -> Mold
3. Brychdyn <- Broughton
4. Pen ar lag -> Hawarden
5. Treffynnon -> Holywell
6. Yr Hob - Hope
7. Ewlo -> Ewloe
8. Glannau Dyfrdwy - Deeside
9. Coed y Llai -. Leeswood
10. Pentre Helygain -> Pentre Halkyn
11. Y Fflint -> Flint
12. Chwitffordd -> Whitford
13. Pentre Catherall -> New Brighton
    (changed by an English industry owner to accommodate workers imported from Wirral)

The Monarchy (the other side to the tale)

The  Monarchy  

(the other side to the tale)

From the Middle Ages onwards, it was 'royal' dynasties that created unions of nations for the sake of collecting land, wealth and power. The UK, Spain, Russia and Austria-Hungary were nothing but the nation-collections of dynasties who used acquisitive marriages when conquest failed.

The rise of Nationalism in the 19th century was a manifestation of the rights of distinctive peoples to use their own language and culture to control their own domain and destiny. It is not by accident that the nations that won back their sovereignty usually opted for an elected head of state rather than a grasping hereditary family of nation-collectors.

Let's begin our tale by looking at a counter argument to a popular pro monarchy video below:

 

- and here is a quick government estimate of the cost of the recent jubilee events.

• The estimate for the jubilee's cost to the UK are between about 1bn to 3.5bn in this government assessment 2010. Assessment can be found here