Modern Period

View digital versions of manuscripts from the modern period.

Take a walk through Dylan Thomas' fictional village of Llareggub, or share the highs and lows of Welsh emigrants who left Wales for a better life. A snapshot of modern Welsh history online.

Ann Griffiths

A letter in the hand of Ann Griffiths (1776-1805), hymnwriter.

Smuggler's Autobiography

Remarkable life of William Owen of Nevern, Pembrokeshire, executed in 1747 for murder.

The Autobiography of Private Thomas Jeremiah

A Short Account of the Life and Adventures of Private Thomas Jeremiah, 23rd or Royal Welch Fusiliers 1812-1837, Including His Experiences at the Battle of Waterloo

Dyddgoviant William Owen Pughe

The diary of the lexicographer and antiquarian, William Owen Pughe (1759-1835), for the period 1811-1835.

John Harries' Book of Incantations

A manuscript volume from the library of John Harries (d. 1839), of Pantcoy, Cwrtycadno, Carmarthenshire, astrologer and medical practitioner, containing many illustrated spells and astrological signs.

Temperence

Minute book and other records of Aberystwyth Auxiliary Temperance Society which was formed in 1835.

Sir William Edmond Logan Journals

Compelling observations by the geologist from Canada, 1843-44.

Emigrants Letters

Letters by Henry Jones (1824-52) who emigrated to New York, and his sister, Mary Jones (1831-61) who migrated to New South Wales.

Manuscripts relating to Patagonia

A selection of 25 manuscripts relating to Patagonia.

Letters from the American Civil War

A collection of letters from the battlefield by a Welsh soldier, John Griffith Jones (d.1864).

Sarah Jacob, the "Welsh fasting girl"

Brief for the defence in the case against Evan and Hannah Jacob of Llethr-neuadd, Llanfihangel-ar-arth, Carmarthenshire, for the manslaughter of their daughter, Sarah Jacob on 17 December 1869.

Alcwyn C Evans Pedigree Books

Manuscripts containing pedigrees of ancient families of south-west Wales compiled by Alcwyn C. Evans, an antiquary from Carmarthen.

Criminals

Register of criminals apprehended Cardiganshire Constabulary between 1897 and 1933.

Yr Arwr, Hedd Wyn

One of the final drafts of the ode Yr Arwr in the hand of the bard Hedd Wyn, which won him the chair at the Eisteddfod following his death in 1917.

War diary of Edward Thomas

The war diary of the poet and writer Edward Thomas, 1 January - 8 April 1917.

Welsh National Book of Remembrance

The Welsh National Book of Remembrance for the First World War contains the names of 35,000 servicemen and women who lost their lives in the First World War.

John Cowper Powys

A diary by one of the greatest novelists of the 20th century.

T E Nicholas

A volume of sonnets written by ‘Niclas y Glais’ when he was a prisoner at Swansea and Brixton in 1940.

Dylan Thomas and the map of Llareggub

Map of Llareggub drawn by Dylan Thomas (1914-1953) while drafting Under Milk Wood.

Prisoner of War Camp Magazines

Magazines created by Welsh prisoners of war in camp Stalag IVB, Germany during the Second World War.