This summer, August 2013, we had the pleasure of going back in time. On our family trip to Wales (for a family wedding) Terry booked us 5 days in Northern Wales to explore and discover the beginnings of our Cottage. To visit where Johnny G. Bolt grew up, the original Brynmorwydd, which was part of a big Estate in Llanrhaedr Wales, was like completing the “Circle” that John G. Bolt began many years ago.
Here is Terry’s photo story of our day we named “Johnny Bolt’s Day”
Tracing the history of Johnny Bolt who left Llanrhaedr, Wales and eventually emigrated to Canada in 1912 where he built a cottage. He named the cottage Brynmorwydd after the estate where he grew up. Nearly 100 years later while renovating our cottage on Wood Bay in Ontario we found that wooden sign that named our cottage Brynmorwydd!
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- Our first stop the local pub…where we met the owner of the estate where Johnny Bolts father was games keeper.
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- A local map shows the location of Brynmorwydd… changed slightly to Bryn Morfydd…probably English influence.
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- Brynmorwydd became a Golf Club and Hotel, The “In” place to be!
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- Capturing a moment in time. Before we set out to explore the estate we visited the church…this is the 13th Century Tower.
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- The Church was founded by St Dyfnog in the 6th Century
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- Dating from 1533 this window depicts the descent of Christ from Jesse (father of King David) who lies asleep in a walled garden at its base. From him springs a many-branched family tree inhabited by Christ’s kingly ancestors, with King David holding his harp in the central position. The figures rather resemble ‘court’ playing cards, which took their present form at about the time the window was made in 1533, the date inscribed in Latin in the bottom right corner. Near the top, in pride of place, stand the Virgin and Christ-child in a blaze of sunrays.
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- We had hoped to find Bolt family graves in the churchyard, but alas a previous vicar had removed most of the gravestones because he deemed them unsafe! The current Vicar was not all impressed with that act!
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- Johnny Bolt’s father J.G. Bolt Senior. was the Games Keeper at Brynmorwydd on Charles Bamford’s estate.
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- Little has change here in 800 years. Except maybe the wires.
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- The Lloyd family were an important part of the history locally, could they be the same Lloyd family from whom Johnny Bolt bought the land to built his cottage? David Lloyd is my friend and neighbour at the cottage.
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- A photograph of the wooden sign we discovered at the cottage. We showed the picture to the current owner and then went to the gates of the original Brynmorwydd.
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- Jessica takes in the moment
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- And this says it all…the current owner of the estate Arthur Williams told us he “had to foreclose”.
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- Not much remains of the original Brynmorwydd, or for that matter’ the renovated golf club, which was once THE place to hold an event in North Wales
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- Signs that a golf course did once exist.
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- Sixties style, poor quality renovations hide the original and have fallen with the passing of time.
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- Daniel takes in the view that our Johnny Bolt would have seen as an 8 year old boy.
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- You can imagine the beauty of years ago
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- Today, the cows enjoy the pasture of what used to be the 8th and 9th Holes
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- We walked the roads where Johnny played. The circle of that boy leaving Wales and us coming back is complete.
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- And this is the original Llanrhaeadr Hall, today a nursing home, but originally the main home of the estate.
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- We were welcomed in to sit and read the history of the manor. Charles Bamford owner of the estate (see the marker in the church) lived here for 11 years till his death in 1890, when Johnny Bolt lived on the estate.
Brynmorwydd 