Welsh Newspapers

Search 15 million Welsh newspaper articles

Hide Articles List

18 articles on this Page

VALE OF CLWYD TOYS. I

News
Cite
Share

VALE OF CLWYD TOYS. A PROGRESSIVE VILLAGE INDUSTRY. I EXHIBITION AND SALE AT BAGOR. A fitting a-dj unct to the National Eisteddfod at Bangor this week is the exhibition and sale of Vale of Clwyd toys, held in the Town Hall, under the direction of Miss Mary He-at-on, of Trefnant, the honorary secretary of the move- ment which has made remarkable progress einoe f rts initiation. Among the numerous ir.terc-jtinj specimens of handiwork was a model of tiio Gor- sodd, which was much admired by ail who visi- 1 ted the exhibition. Misa Heaton, whose bardic ULme is "Mair Hettwn," was assisted by Miss M?ta Jones, both ladies appearing in Welsh costumes. So much has been done of iato years both in jrc- L tiving the old home industries and creating new I jnei-s, that it may interest our readers to hear of the i Trefnant Cottage Industry. The making of toys uas been in fashion ever since children came to tho world, and in the old days, in the playtime of the world (before machinery did away with much originality and individuality) men would express themselves and their quaint and fanciful ideas in the making of toys for their children. In January, of 1909, the idea of reviving the old tinted toys occurred to Mi-a Mary Htsaton, as a moans of giving employment and interest to the w orking men of Treinant, in the winter evenmg3, Hid sho applied to the County Technical Com- mittee, who gave her a grant to pay a teacher. Edward Jones, the wood carver of Trefnant, ea- V-red enthusiastically into all her plans, ajid gave i-Ir valuable help in time and work. Edward one-i held classes in the village, which created a; -t-at interest, and Miss Heaton was able to sell lAe toys for £ 3 15s, which sum was divided imongst the workers. As the toys had proved saleable Mies Heaton < lought, if properly developed, the industry would I rove a permanent beneht to the unemployed, particularly in oases where they were incapaci- tated from l hard work bv ill-health and fr(yrlii other causes. During the winter of 1910 classes •vere held at Trefnant, St. Asaph, and Cefn, and i/ore men learnt the craft; up to this time, the tvys had been I)altited bv the men, but this art vas beyond their powers; and in April, 1910, iliss Mcta Jones came to Trefnant to superin- tend the painting and to design new toys. A new era now began; her primitive studio was in the tiny two-roomed cottage vued by Edward Jones as a workshop; and there, in the midest of L;,s stores of timber and wood, she had her chair -ii-Li table. As the work increased, cupboards were needed to hold the toys, and the whe-te room ivaa taken, and later on the other room was iecurcd for a workshop for the men, and more ady artiats were enlisted to work under Miea fcteta Jones; and now the little cottage, repaired lad improved, became the busy centre of an in- dustry. In the winter of 1911-1912 classes were held at J'refnant, Cefn, Llandyrnog, and Henllan, and tcvnty men learnt toy-making. Between Octo- ber and April, 6358 toys were made in the oot- tages. In four or five cases men were able to .tarn enough to support their families during tem- I-orary unemployment. The Countesi of Dundonald in its early days fcad consented to be president of the Industry, ind she, with other kind friends, provided a workin.g capital of 9205, and others gave help in iime and work. Some of the toy makers' wives nave told Mies Heaton what a boon the industry 'A and that soinetimes their husbands will set Snide the money for the children's boots. Since f012 about J6577 worth of toys have been bold, .ad £ 292 paid in wages. TOYS SOLD IN DISTANT LANDS. The toys have found their way to all parts of the world!; to Canada, the United States, Pata- •onia, the Stra.its Settlements, India (the Ddraig »«och has been used .for menu sta-nds at the St. I .)avid's Day dinner in Calcutta), China, Australia, South Africa, Egypt, and to many European sountrie?, even to Germany! They are gold on board the "Celtic," where one of their purchasers was Princess David of Kawanakoa, Honolulu. The toys were also sold at the Welsh industry depots, in London, LLandrindod, and Cardiff (where the Queen bought some); also at shops in Bettwsyooed, Llandudno, Rhyl, Bala, Carnarvon, Abergavenny, and Towyn, in Shrewsbury, Ches- ter, Manchester, Folkestone, and Nottingham. A vinall depot has been etarted at Buenos Ayres, td requests have come from Brazil and Dur- in to know if it would be possible to supply toys Dut there. The London and Wiliesdcn County Councils have placed them on their requisition lieta am prizes and models in their schools. The Eisteddfod Committee allowed stalls at their ex- hibition, and to show their appreciation of Mies Heaton's enterprise they made her in 1912 an uonorary bird. Much of the success of the industry is due to "he energy and ent-huslasiii of its foundress, which gains the devotion of her fellow workers; her boundless hopefulness hag so far carried them through all their difficulties. The president of the induetry, the (Jounteag of Dundonald, has done much to encourage and help it on. She has given prizes to the different clasecs, thus foster- Lng amongst the men a healrhy competition which makes for good workmanship and the pro- gress of the enterprise. WELSH IN CHARACTER. As it is a Welsh industry the toys are mostly of » Welsh character, and represent events in the national life. A notable example of this is the model of the Gorsedd, or assembly of the Bards and Druide. The model is a miniature produc- tion of extraordinary fidelity and ooauty of this nost ancient ceremony. Ail the chief figures ore portraits, and all have been painted by Misa fcleta Jones, as was also the excellent model of lite choir which sang at the Investiture of the "rinoe of Wales at Carnarvon. Miss Heaton dopes in time to illustrate many of the old Welsh legends, fairy tales, and nursery rhymes in this way. Since the winter of 1911-1912 there have been no classes, and the work has been done by the men who had learnt during the previous winters. The discontinuance of the classes, d-ue to the inability of the education authority to give a grant to a class which is industrial and not efka- cational, was a disappointment to many. Mis3 Mary Heaton hopes this resolution may be over- come. In the meantime, the industry grows a.nd ".irospers more than ever. Fourteen lady artists are painting, the work being in many cases sent by poet. NEW WORKSHOP. It now became necessary to build a new work- shop. A site was generously given by Mr Jones, of Llannerch, an,J the new buildings were com- pleted by Easter, 1914. The cost of this was originally intended to be defrayed by a bazaar, which, owing to unforeseen circumstance*, unfor- tunately bad to be abandoned. This failure to clear off the debt, together with the absence of exhibitions, and loss of summer sa Ie;, owing to the war, placed the industry in great financial difficulties, and if it had not been for the unsel- fish and loyal help of the staff at this critical junc- ture the industry could never have survived. However, by October things began to improve, a i-, to iml)rove, owing to the strenuous efforts of Miss Mary Heaton, who visited and procured orders from various large firms in London, Manchester and Liverpool. The secretarial d-tities at this time were extremely heavy. Innumerable urgent ap- peals came from all parts requesting help and ad- vice in starting- and organising similar enterprises. ShortJy before Christmas the industry was greatly encouraged by a visit from Messrs D-erry and Toms' buyer, who placed a large order (returning again in the Spring to give another), and. from that time till Christmas orders were so numerous it was difficult to cope with them. But in the background loomed the debt on the new workshop, for as yet only a portion had been pfiid for. However, in February "The Rural League," hearing of the enterprise, showed their sympathy a.nd approval of it by generously clear- ing the remainder of the debt, presenting- machin- cry, and offering further help in the future de- velopment of the industry, which now worka un- der their auspices, and the toy? are now on view at the Rural League Offices, 21, Surrey, Strand, where buyers and others can inspect them. HEKTNG DISABLED SOLDIERS AND I SAILORS. Miss Ma.ry Heaton's great wish to help dis- abled soldiers and sailors is likely to be speedily fulfilled, owing to the generosity of Captain Tate, Poof Park, Ruthin, who has patriotically offered his hunting lodge in Trefnant village until the end'of the war for the use of disabled eokliers and sailors, furnishing and preparing it for their use. It now depends on the public to show their patriotic eympathy by purchasing toys from tne Vale of Clwyd indiu-stry, and so not only encour- age "home handicrafts/' but also help those who have made such noble and great sacrifice for their oountry.

[No title]

THE WELSH GUARDS. 1

CARNARVON HARBOUR TRUST. I

IWELSH LANGUAGE SCHOOL.I

LLEYN RURAL COUNCIL. I

HOSPITAL SATURDAY AT BEAUMARIS.

I LLANFAIRFECHAN COUNCIL.…

CARNARVON CIRCUITi WESLEYANS.

CAMBRIAN COAST JOTTINGS.

IOUR "PUNCH" CARTOON.

Advertising

AMLWCH HORSE, DOG AND POULTRY…

[No title]

Advertising

SOUTH CARNARVONSHlfl® I FISIIERY…

I LONDON T!ME TABLE AND K?…

LLEYN RURAL COUNCIL. I