Marjoire Lovell

Atgofion o ardal Trefin am   ymweliadau’r sipsiwn yn ystod y 1950au – 1970au.  (Recordiwyd ym Mehefin 2012)

(This is a transcription of a North Pembrokeshire dialect interview, from 2012, where the Romany ‘Lovell’ family is recalled, 1950-1970, particularly, Marjoire Lovell. An English synopsis is below the Welsh transcription. )

We lot o’r sipswn yn dod heibo slawer dy’. We teulu’r Lovell’s yn amal yn dod heibo.  We Marjoire Lovell yn ffrind jogel da Mam, a wedd hi’n dwad, bob blwyddyn, i alw yn y tý yn Caerau.  Wedd hi’n ddu da’r houl, ac we pib glai yn i phen hi, ac wedd hi’n gofyn am rhwbeth o hyd. We hanner i hofan’i arna i, wath wen i’n ifanc pyrni.  Wedd hi’n gofyn am gawl, neu os na we hwnnw, wedd hi’n gofyn am bishyn o facwn i weitho cawl i’r plant. We lot o blant ‘da’i – plant pert â cwrle duon.  Os rosech chi fasned o lâth neu gawl iddi, nethe’i ddarllen y’ch llaw chi wedyn, chwel.  Ddath hi ddim heibo’r byngilo da fi lawer, dim ond unweth.  Wedd hi’n gofyn am barsli.

Wedd hi’n dda iawn at weitho moddion, ac wedd hi’n whilio in i claw o hyd am rwbeth.  Wedd hi’n gweud wrth M L, yn Nhyddewi, am ferwi winwns yn llâth a hifed y dwr i wella gwddwg tost.  Ac wedd hi’n galw in i’r efel yng Nghroesgoch, da teulu R, pan wedd e’n un bach (mynd â racs glân i’r gof, glei) ac wedd hi’n gweud wrth mam R. at ferwi draenog, a defniddio gresh y draenog i wella clust tost.  We sôn bo merch Marjoire wedi câl niwmonia rhywbryd, ac we Marjoire wedi gweitho i moddion i hinan i wella’r roces, ond senai’n gwbod beth wedd inddo.  Lawr ar i comins yn Aberfelin we nhw’n campo, ac we’r roces fel y boi, a’i thrad yn hongian dros imil y garafan,  mewn dwyrnod neu ddou.

A’th Maggie i de at Marjoire Lovell, unweth, yn y garafan. Wedd ‘i wedi câl ‘infiteshon’, chi.  We Marjoire wedi bod yn galw gida mam Maggie ariod, ac we Marjoire yn ishte ar y steire yn’i tý nhw i gâl te.  We Marjoire wedi leico Maggie am bod hi wedi bod yn nabod nwi mor hir, a gofino Marjoire iddi ddod i de ati yn y garafan. Wel! We Maggie ddim whant mynd arni!- i’r garafan, o bobman!  We sôn bo’r shipshwn yn frwnt, a we ddim dal arnin nwi!  Ond we ddim iws pallu, wedd e? So, bant a hi.  A wel! Na sioc! We’r cifan mor loiwedd, gas ‘i sindod penna. We’r cifan yn biwtifwl. Gas ‘i de in i  cwpan tseina mwya glân, a we’r garafan yn sbotless! Sbotless!

We plant Marjoire yn cleimo’r llwyn o flan y bwthyn, ac we D’n wherw wrthyn nhwi.  Ond dâth ir hen fenyw, a gweud ‘Look here my good man, the tree will be there when you and I will be in our grave.’ Ac wedd ’i’n iawn.

We nhw’n galw ‘da I. yng Ngharnachenlwyd ‘fyd.  Wedd hi wedi câl llosgeira (chilblains) ac we Marjoire yn gweud wrthi am find i gered mas i’r eira  in’i thrad nŵeth pan ddese hwnnw, i wella’r llosg. Wel, wedd’in rhy wer i I. i fynd mas, ond ddath i a badell o eira i’r ty, a miwn a’i thrad. A wir, gas ‘i ddim llosg ‘to.

Pan wen nhw’n aros ar y comins ar bwys Goodwill, we’r plant yn dod i’r Isgol Sul Methodis.  Wedd ‘in ano’i câl nhw i ddod i’r isgol bob dy’, ond ddesen nhw i’r Isgol Sul ac i’r Cwrdd.  Ac we res o’i wynebe nhw ar hyd i balconi ar lofft i gyd.

We sôn bo gida Marjoire sawl tý, lan ffor’ Lanelli, ‘co. Ac we rei’n gweud bo Tom Jones yn perthyn iddin nwi? We M.F. yn gweud bo nwi’n galw o hyd yn Rehoboth, a we byth trwbwl da nwi,………. ond bennodd’i da nwi ar ôl iddyn nhw golli pishyn o ham……… We Marjoire a rhei o’r plant wedi galw, ac wedd hi ishe dŵr ‘da Mam. A’th Mam i mofyn dŵr, a wedyn, bant a nwi. Ond wedi rhai orie, welon nhw bo ham, we’n hongian in gegin, yn missin’.  Pwy arall nath e?  Falle bo Marjoire in ‘deperate’? Pwy sy’n gwbo’?

Nes mla’n, ‘mhen blinidde, we sôn bod un o grwts Marjoire wedi dod miwn i stashon Wdig ar y train a’i lagen newi ‘dag e.  Wedd e’n mynd i briodi hon. A we’r teulu gyd wedi dod lawr i gwrdd â’i am y tro cinta.  Wel, fe welodd y roces Marjoire, a gweld ir haid in aros a pipo arni, ac fe droiodd’i rown pyrni, a nôl a hi i’r train!  Wedd’i ‘di gâl ofan trist!

It was common to see travelling families years ago, and the Lovell family, particularly Marjorie Lovell was a regular local visitor. She would call by our home. Because I was young, and she looked so different to the ladies I knew, I was almost afraid of her. She was as brown as a nut because she spent all her time outside, and smoked a clay pipe. She had lots of dark, curly haired, dark skinned children who were very pretty. She would always ask for ‘cawl’ or a ham bone to make cawl for her children. If you gave her a bowl of cawl or milk she would read your palm.

She once asked me for some parsley, and she searched the hedgerows for plants with which to make remedies. She told my friend in St Davids that boiling onions in milk and drinking the brew was excellent for curing a sore throat. She would call at the blacksmith’s forge at Croesgoch, taking him clean rags, and she would suggest that roasting a hedgehog and using the hedgehog grease was a sure cure for earache.

When the Lovells caravan was seen once, down on the common land, near Aberfelin, word went round that Marjorie’s daughter was very poorly with influenza. Marjorie made up a potion, though goodness known what was in it! Within a day or two, the girl was better, and to be seen seated at the door of the caravan with her toes swinging in the breeze as the horse clip-clopped it’s way up the hill.

A local lady, Maggie, had a surprise invitation  from Marjorie one day. Maggie’s family had been known to the Lovells for many years. They always had a friendly reception and a cup of tea from Maggie. While sitting, with her tea, at the bottom of the stairs in Maggie’s house, Marjorie said, that to return the favour, Maggie should come to the caravan for tea. At first, Maggie was reluctant. People talked of the travellers as being untrustworthy and dirty. Maggie wondered if she herself might become ‘talked about’ if she accepted the invitation. Throwing caution to the wind, she went. Finding the caravan spick and span, Maggie was delighted, and so pleased that she hadn’t given way to her misgivings.  She had tea in a lovely china cup, and returned home triumphant.

Marjorie’s many children were eager tree climbers. This didn’t go down well with everyone. A man who tried to stop them was rebuked by Marjorie who said. “Look here my good man, the tree will be there when you and I will be in our grave.” Of course, Marjorie was right.

One winter, Marjorie gave advise to a lady at Carnachenwen Farm. She was suffering from chilblains. Marjorie told her to walk out in the snow in bare feet when the snow arrived. Well, the snow came, but the lady in question feared following Marjorie’s advise. In stead, she fetched a basin of snow to the house and stood in that. To her amazement, the discomfort eased and ceased, never to return.

The Lovell children seldom appeared in the classroom at Trefin school, but when they were camping on the common land by Goodwill, at Trefin, they would attend Sunday School at the Methodist Chapel. They would attend the service also, appearing as a row of brown faces, peering over the edge of the balcony, studying the worshippers below.

Some said that Marjorie owned a house, or maybe more, up in the direction of Llanelli. Some said that the singer, Tom Jones, was related to the Lovells.  Many of the family would call at Rehoboth near Square and Compass….. asking for this and that. Marjorie would ask for water often. One day, when the caravan had been see leaving, it was later discovered that a ham was missing from a hook in the kitchen ceiling. This was very upsetting, but it may have been that the family had been desperate and there was no other option. Who knows.

On another occasion, it was said that one of Marjorie’s sons came by train, from away with his new fiancee on his arm. He didn’t really keep with the old Romany ways, so, his fiancee had quite a shock when all of the Lovells turned up at the station in Goodwick to give her the ‘once over’! She had such a fright that she turned on her heel and returned the way she had come.