A corner of England that is forever Wales

Jun 9 2008 by Peter Elson, Liverpool Daily Post

THERE’S a great saying that “Wales kept Liverpool dry” – thanks to all the slate on the roofs of not only the city, but across Birkenhead and Wirral, too.

While Liverpool is regarded as England’s great Irish Roman Catholic city, it was once equally well known as the unofficial capital of Wales. Presumably, because the Welsh are a more quietly disposed, brooding race (I can write this courtesy of being half Welsh) their claim is less apparent these days.

Yet the evidence is clearly there that, before the potato famine and the Irish diaspora, the Welsh influence on Liverpool and Birkenhead was huge. This has been studiously recorded by leading lights like Rev D Ben Rees, who have now burst into the electronic age with the internet website: www. liverpool-welsh.co.uk

But, from around the mid-18th century, for example, in Vauxhall, there was an area known as “over the bridge” (as in the Leeds & Liverpool Canal bridge) inhabited by the Welsh. Later, this became the St Albans RC parish.

“In advance of that residency, the Welsh left their mark on Liverpool around Vauxhall, with obvious street names such as Barmouth, Snowdon, Menai, Cemaes and Newport,” says Ron Formby, editor of The Scottie Press.

Ron was instrumental in erecting a plaque to the Liverpool Welsh population in Pall Mall, whose homes spread to Crosshall Street, in this long-lost Cambrian era.

“It was known as Little Wales, and one in 10 of Liverpool’s population at that time spoke Welsh and the town hosted several eisteddfodau. Much of Liverpool was constructed by Welsh builders. There was a set of street names whose initial letters spelt out the names of the house builders Williams and Owens and a son, Elias.”

The Welsh later migrated up the hill to Anfield and built Presbyterian chapels along roads such as Spillers Lane. Dr Arthur Edwards, of Thingwall, who was born in North Wales, had a great uncle John who donated the marble pulpit to the Welsh Presbyterian Chapel in Anfield Road.

Exploring this rich social history is BBC Wales’s Look Up Your Genes, now into its 12th series, which has turned its attention to Merseyside for Capital of Culture.

The programme will be visiting the city on Wednesday, for the show broadcast on Sunday, June 22, at 12.30pm. Producer Louise Booker would like to meet people and hear about their Welsh links and any interesting stories.

“We want to get a feel for the city and follow up their connections. For example, one of the most surprising contacts I had was an email from Eryl Aynsley (nee Davies), now living in Belmont, California, but born in Denbigh.”

Ms Aynsley writes: “Both my grandmothers were in service in Liverpool before they married, one was from Holyhead, and the other from Abergynolwyn, Merionethshire.ŠŠ

“I have a lovely photo my father's mother (Annie) with her mother (Jane Williams) standing in Abergynolwyn in later years and my grandmother is wearing an amazing hat (looks like a birthday cake on top of her head!) which apparently was given to her as a gift by the lady for whom she worked in Liverpool.ŠShe was clearly very proud of this. I also have a photo of her taken at a studio in Liverpool and she's in her maid's outfit, looking very smart.ŠShe was about 21 then and returned to Wales soon after that to marry my grandfather.”

Over the water, Birkenhead first hosted an eisteddfod in 1864. In 1917, Birkenhead hosted the Welsh National Eisteddfod, attended by Lloyd George, and awarded the Eisteddfod Chair to poet Hedd Wyn, who was killed in the First World War.

Bet Davies, of Cardiff, told Louise that her great- grandfather, Robert William Jones, set up a butchery business, eventually owning Stanley Abattoir. John Lennon and Paul McCartney played at the abattoir social club in 1957.

LOUISE BOOKER, BBC Radio Wales producer of Look Up Your Genes would be delighted to hear from anyone on Merseyside with an interesting tale to tell about their Welsh antecedents; she can be contacted on 0774 085 6373

peter.elson@dailypost.co.uk