A short study of Iolo Morganwg's geological writings about Brandon Hill, Bristol, the reaction of contemporaries to his comments and valuable explanatory notes. 1 black-and-white illustration.

Astudiaeth fer o sylwadau daearegol Iolo Morganwg am Brandon Hill, Bryste, ymateb cyfoeswyr i'w sylwadau a nodiadau eglurhaol gwerthfawr. 1 llun du-a-gwyn.

The Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies in Aberystwyth is currently working on a complete edition of the writings of Iolo Morganwg, the Vale of Glamorgan stonemason who in the early 19th century virtually reinvented the Welsh literary tradition, whether by research or forgery, and caused later scholars many a headache in trying to work out what was what.

While this massive project is underway, members of staff are encouraged to publish monographs and lectures on subjects which are in some way connected with the main work. Mary-Ann Constantine’s booklet is one such, a soupçon of the delights to come.

It concerns a visit Iolo paid to Brandon Hill, near Bristol, in 1791 and the notes he made about the geology he had observed on the hill and in the vicinity. A mixture of geological science and antiquarian bally-hoo, the notes were typical of his method but are not without interest for our understanding of the great man’s contribution to a study of the Welsh or British past.

In what he wrote about Brandon Hill, the autodidact Iolo was under the influence of the Bristol poet Thomas Chatterton, another brilliant forger, whose own ‘cursory observations’ had been published earlier in the same year. It was Chatterton who had made the point that the ‘combustible matter’ found near Bristol was also to be seen in ‘hot springs’ at Taff’s Well, just across the Channel, ‘to which poor people, that cannot go to Bath, repair’. The mention of his beloved Glamorgan must have excited Iolo’s imagination, for he too thought he had observed the remains of a volcano on Brandon Hill.

Iolo’s knowledge of geology was profound and rooted in practical observation, and he had spent many long hours in the field collecting specimens and reading all the current books on the subject. His notes show a thorough acquaintance with the terms of geology and, true to form, he makes strenuous efforts to understand what he has seen, imbuing it with the ‘marvelosity’ that was his trademark.

The subject of this booklet must be only a shaving from the lathe of what is now progressing at the Centre, but it demonstrates what a lively mind Iolo had and how his scientific knowledge was kept abreast of contemporary thinking. He must have been a very remarkable man and, for all his outlandish theories, he made a major contribution to Welsh life at a time when it needed such a genius as his.

Meic Stephens

It is possible to use this review for promotional purposes, but the following acknowledgement should be included: A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council.

Gellir defnyddio’r adolygiad hwn at bwrpas hybu, ond gofynnir i chi gynnwys y gydnabyddiaeth ganlynol: Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiatâd Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru.