Easily missed, the ruin of the farm known as Parcau stands just below the old track that winds through fields and woods east of Newport. A stream runs close by and in the spring there is a profusion of snowdrops.
Not much remains of the building now but 30 years ago this ruin and a few others in the vicinity were partially excavated by a team of archaeologists (led by Harold Mytum of the University of York) looking at broken pottery as a way to throw light upon social history. They described Parcau as a 'ty singl', a two-story cottage with rooms arranged in a row, in contrast the older building style of 'ty dau ben', a single-storey longhouse with people at one end, animals at the other. The report notes that the pottery fragments at Parcau date from the late 18th century onwards. It suggests that the preponderance of 19th century cups, saucers and plates represented a move away from the traditional vessel - a bowl for eating soup or stew (cawl)- in favour of higher-status, mass-produced crockery that would to impress the neighbours when displayed on a dresser. See
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In 1803 this cottage was the birthplace of Welsh bard, Joseph Hughes, who merits an entry in the Welsh DNB. Despite his humble origins here he benefited from a grammar school education and went to college, was ordained a priest and eventually became Perpetual Curate of Meltham in Yorkshire. Like many Welsh clerics at the time he championed the literary culture of Wales and competed each year in the national eisteddfod under the Bardic name Carn Ingli, appropriately enough for one born on its lower slopes. However he is buried in Yorkshire where he died in 1863. (Curiously, it seems Harold Mytum was unaware of this since no mention is made in the excavation report.)