Cymraeg

Dewch i ddarganfod hanes William Smith a’i fapiau rhyfeddol yn Oriel y Parc

Published

9 years ago

September 30, 2016

‘A Delineation of the Strata of England and Wales, with part of Scotland’: Created in 1815

Y DDAEAREG ARBENNIG ac amrywiol yw un o’r rhesymau pam y rhoddwyd statws Parc Cenedlaethol i Arfordir Sir Benfro yn 1952. Ond sut y gwyddom beth sydd o dan ein traed wrth inni gerdded ar hyd y dirwedd anhygoel hon?

Yr hydref hwn, dewch i ddarganfod hanes William Smith yn Oriel a Chanolfan Ymwelwyr Oriel y Parc. Dyma’r gŵr a ddatblygodd yr hyn sy’n cael ei ystyried y map daearegol go iawn cyntaf o unrhyw wlad.

Bydd Cofnodi’r Creigiau: Mapiau Rhyfeddol William Smith yn cael ei arddangos yn Oriel y Parc tan 26 Mawrth 2017.

Dywedodd Rheolwr Oriel y Parc, Jenn Jones: “Dangosodd mapiau trawiadol Smith y wlad mewn ffordd na welwyd mo’i thebyg o’r blaen. Oherwydd eu bod wedi’u lliwio’n ofalus â llaw, maent heddiw’n cael eu gweld fel gweithiau celf yn eu rhinwedd eu hunain.

“Mae’r mapiau’n dangos daeareg amrywiol Sir Benfro yn glir ac yn taflu rhywfaint o oleuni ar yr hyn sy’n gorwedd o dan y dirwedd a welwn ni yn y Parc Cenedlaethol heddiw.

“Gan sefyll ochr yn ochr ag arddangosfeydd modern, mae’r casgliad hwn yn pontio’r bwlch rhwng y byd celf a’r byd daeareg, gan ddangos sut y mae’r ddau fyd wedi dylanwadu ar ei gilydd.

Dros 200 mlynedd ar ôl cyhoeddi ei waith aruthrol ‘A Delineation of the Strata of England and Wales, with part of Scotland’, mae mapiau Smith, a gafodd eu lliwio’n hyfryd â llaw, yn eiconau yn y byd daeareg.

Mae dau argraffiad gwahanol yn cael eu dangos yn llawn yn yr arddangosfa hon ynghyd â dogfennau unigryw a mapiau llai, i gyd yn portreadu hanes bywyd a gwaith Smith.

Gweddnewidiodd Smith ddealltwriaeth pobl o strata creigiau a chanfod y gellid defnyddio ffosiliau i nodi dilyniannau creigiau. Bu ei waith o yn ddefnyddiol iawn ar gyfer dod o hyd i lo a deunyddiau crai eraill, ar adeg pan oedd y chwyldro diwydiannol yn ei anterth.

Dangoswyd yr arddangosfa hon yn wreiddiol yn yr Arddangosfa Genedlaethol yng Nghaerdydd yn 2015, fel rhan o ddathliadau deucanmlwyddiant William Smith. Diolch i SRK Consulting am ariannu’r gweithgareddau Dysgu.

I gyd-fynd â Cofnodi’r Creigiau, bydd Oriel y Parc hefyd yn arddangos Gwir Liw’r Graig: Celf a Daeareg yn y Brif Oriel.

Bydd yr elfen hon o’r arddangosfa yn cynnwys map wedi ei greu gan Rodney Harris yn ystod ei gyfnod preswyl yn Ysgol Gwyddorau Daear Prifysgol Bryste. Ailgreadigaeth o fap 1815 William Smith yw hwn, a defnyddiodd Harris bigmentau daearegol a gafwyd o samplau cyfatebol o greigiau wedi’u malu’n fân o bob ardal o’r DU. Mae’r map graddfa-lawn hwn yn ddehongliad unigryw ac annisgwyl o wir liwiau tirwedd Prydain.

Bydd map Harris yn cael ei arddangos yn Oriel y Parc, ynghyd â gwaith pedwar artist sydd wedi’u hysbrydoli gan ddeunydd neu natur ddaearegol Arfordir Sir Benfro – Adam Buick, Brendan Stuart Burns, Mike Perry a Graham Sutherland.

Bydd yr arddangosfa hefyd yn cynnwys astudiaeth golchiad inc cynnar a phwysig o Carn Llwyd gan Graham Sutherland. Derbyniodd Amgueddfa Cymru y llun hwn yn ddiweddar fel rhodd gan y Gronfa Gelf er cof am Dennis Farr.

Mae’r gweithiau sy’n cael eu harddangos yn rhoi persbectif newydd, wedi’u hysbrydoli nid gan olygfeydd ond gan ffurfiau a gweadau arwyneb ffisegol y dirwedd – sef lliw y ddaear ei hun.

Parc Cenedlaethol Arfordir Penfro sy’n berchen ar Oriel y Parc, a dyma gartref Amgueddfa Cymru yn Sir Benfro.

Am ragor o wybodaeth ewch i www.orielyparc.co.uk neu ffoniwch 01437 720392.

Cymraeg

Welsh Language and Education Bill becomes law

Published

19 hours ago

July 7, 2025

Tom Sinclair

New Act aims to ensure all pupils become confident Welsh speakers

LANDMARK legislation designed to give every child in Wales the opportunity to become a confident Welsh speaker has officially become law today (Monday, July 7).

The Welsh Language and Education (Wales) Act received Royal Assent this afternoon, marking a major step forward in the Welsh Government’s ambition to reach one million Welsh speakers by 2050.

The Act places a renewed emphasis on the role of the Welsh language in education, with the long-term goal of ensuring that all pupils attending maintained schools in Wales leave as independent Welsh language users.

Speaking at the Bill’s sealing ceremony, First Minister Eluned Morgan said: “The Welsh language belongs to us all. This Act builds on the excellent work already happening across Wales. It gives children and young people a better chance to become Welsh speakers, bringing us closer to our aim of one million Welsh speakers in Wales.”

The legislation sets out a clear framework to strengthen Welsh-medium education and embed the language more deeply across all school settings.

Cymraeg

New research finds strong trends towards Welsh language place names

Published

3 weeks ago

June 18, 2025

Tom Sinclair

RESEARCH on how property, street, and business names are changing across Wales shows a clear shift towards using Welsh language place names.

The report commissioned by the Welsh Government collected a wide range of valuable evidence, including:

Local authorities received three times more applications for Welsh language street names than English language names between 2018-2023.
Most changes to property names do not involve a change in the language of the property name.
When they do change language, properties are at least three more likely to be renamed from English to Welsh than from Welsh to English.
In all regions of Wales, more house names are changed from English to Welsh than Welsh to English.
People report that Welsh house names give them “a sense of pride, place or nostalgia”.
Welsh Language Secretary Mark Drakeford said: “Place names help tell the story of who we are as a nation, and this new research helps us understand our linguistic landscape. I’m encouraged to see more people embracing Welsh property names, regardless of their background.”

The research focused primarily on property names, business names, and street names, with the need for further investigation into names for topographical features in the natural environment also highlighted.

As part of the Welsh Government’s wider work to promote and celebrate Cymraeg and our culture, it has established a network of Cultural Ambassadors to support the language in their communities. The Cultural Ambassadors will be able to draw upon the List of Historic Place Names of Wales, which includes over 700,000 names and is funded by the Welsh Government.

Mark Drakeford said: “I’m proud to launch the gold level of our cultural ambassadors course, where people can learn more about the language and our culture online. The course includes modules on a range of topics including place names. If you want to support the Welsh language in your area, or know somebody who would be an ideal ambassador, then go for it.”

Cymraeg

Welsh Language Commissioner publishes bold manifesto ahead of 2026 election

Published

3 weeks ago

June 18, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Parties urged to adopt key Welsh language priorities

THE WELSH LANGUAGE COMMISSIONER, Efa Gruffudd Jones, has published an ambitious manifesto setting out five key priorities for the future of the Welsh language—calling on all political parties to adopt the proposals ahead of the Senedd Cymru elections in 2026.

While acknowledging the financial pressures faced by public bodies, the Commissioner has identified areas where meaningful progress can still be made in strengthening the use of the Welsh language during the next Senedd term.

The proposals include extending statutory Welsh language duties to more public services, creating a new specialist unit to promote the use of Welsh in the workplace, and ensuring mandatory language training for all education professionals.

“My ambition as Commissioner goes beyond a narrow interpretation of my statutory role,” said Ms Gruffudd Jones. “This manifesto calls for action and leadership from the Welsh Government—regardless of its political makeup—and for wider support to enable key partners, including my own office, to help make a lasting difference.”

She emphasised the critical timing of the manifesto, with the forthcoming implementation of the Welsh Language and Education Bill and the recommendations of the Commission for Welsh-speaking Communities set to shape the language landscape in Wales.

“I am fully aware of the pressures on our public bodies. That is why we are focusing on five clear, practical priorities which follow the path outlined in our strategic plan. I am confident these areas can deliver measurable improvements in the use of the Welsh language.”

The Commissioner’s office now intends to meet with political parties to present the proposals in more detail and press for their inclusion in party manifestos ahead of the election.

The five priorities are:

Language duties – Extend Welsh language standards to more public services to increase the availability of Welsh-medium provision.
Community language planning – Strengthen the promotion standards to support coordinated, place-based language planning in Welsh-speaking communities.
Workplaces – Create a dedicated unit within the Commissioner’s office to support and increase the use of Welsh in the workplace.
Health and clinical care – Improve access to Welsh-language clinical care through targeted investment and policy intervention.
Education workforce – Introduce a five-year compulsory Welsh language training framework for all teachers and education staff in Wales.

The full manifesto is available to view via the attached document. Please note the embargo details contained within.