Forest of Dean FHT Forum - Cirque Corrie, and Cwm

Cirque Corrie, and Cwm (reply)

slowhands — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 06:49:03 +0000

Cirque, also called a corrie ( Scotland and Ireland) or a cwm (Wales), is a terrain feature created by glaciation in high mountains

These are bowl shaped hollows found at the start of a U-shaped valley.
It's like half a breakfast bowl with some milk at the bottom, as they often have little lakes (tarns) in them.

The steepwall at their back is called the headwall

Letter from Lane End 1868 on a Sunday Evening at 4.00 p.m. (reply)

10noyrum — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 21:25:25 +0000

The Welsh for lake is Llyn as in Llyn Idwal and Llyn Ogwen in Snowdonia. However, lakes often occur in glacial valleys blocked by terminal morrains. The Welsh word for valley is Cwm and thus the valley in which Llyn Idwal lies is Cwm Idwal. Hence the confusion in English useage.

Chris Morgan.

Letter from Lane End 1868 on a Sunday Evening at 4.00 p.m. (reply)

rookancestrybest — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 10:51:05 +0000

I'm glad I am not in touch with my old geography teacher who was convinced it meant a tarn or lake created by a glacier!!! She wasn't Welsh!

Coombes, Upper Comb, Coleford (reply)

rookancestrybest — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 10:48:35 +0000

Now I'm intreagued as I'm finding there are so many alternatives which could have been The Comb or Cwm. Or perhaps they had relatives at Cwm but also visited The Comb? They have referred to Cwm in other letters so perhaps they had connections with both places.

Locations (reply)

rookancestrybest — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 10:46:10 +0000

I thought the cheesehordage was a place for storing cheese?!

Letter from Lane End 1868 on a Sunday Evening at 4.00 p.m. (reply)

rookancestrybest — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 10:42:48 +0000

Thanks for this, the relatives there are likely to have been called Prosser but there could have been some Morgans from there too in my family. I'm interested to learn that it is the Cwm at Ebbw Vale but that's further away from Coleford than I envisaged the Cwm they are writing about to have been.

Letter from Lane End 1868 on a Sunday Evening at 4.00 p.m. (reply)

andrew walford — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 05:26:51 +0000

Cwm means Valley

Coombes, Upper Comb, Coleford (reply)

slowhands — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 22:05:36 +0000

Isaiah Trotter, born in 1818, became one of the most wealthy, influential, benevolent and well-known residents of Coleford throughout most of the nineteenth century. In 1857 he purchased an area of about 3 acres of land called Upper Comb in the north of Coleford alongside the road to Berry Hill. Here he built The Coombs, a mansion, and lived there by 1859 or 1860.

Isaiah was a staunch supporter of the Baptist Church, and a great benefactor to it in particular, and to Coleford in general. His wife, Jane, died in 1887 and by 1889 he was having built ten almshouses just above The Coombs at The Gorse. On 21st December 1892 he conveyed these almshouses to the Baptist Church "to provide homes for such aged or infirm poor persons… who would otherwise probably be compelled to end their days in the Union Workhouse". "Trotters Charity" still exists today.

a mile or so from Coalway Lane End

The Coombs
The Gorse
Coleford
Gloucestershire
GL16 8QE

Locations (reply)

alison2 — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 22:03:41 +0000

There is also a Large Old House called THE COOMBES in Coleford, which is now a Nursing Home for the Elderly.

Locations (reply)

slowhands — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 11:53:13 +0000

Cheesehordage. I walked quietly to Wite[??]lft,

I suspect that is Cherry Orchard, on the road from Redbrook up to Coleford before heading over to Newland, and Whitecliff and then on to Coalway Lane End

Letter from Lane End 1868 on a Sunday Evening at 4.00 p.m. (reply)

Liz Bennett — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 11:24:45 +0000

I found your letter most charming, I was born in 1942 in CWM, Ebbw Vale, Monmouthshire, and spent many a happy time there visiting my grandmother.
I am researching my Morgan family.
There is a Cwm Home Page - hope this helps.

Regards,

Liz.

Letter from Lane End 1868 on a Sunday Evening at 4.00 p.m.

rookancestrybest — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 10:12:20 +0000

I thought this might give some people an insight into life in 1868 in Coleford/Lane End:
"My Dear Wife! Just arrived. I was at Monmouth at half past 12 0'clock. Mr. Stones of Scatterford over took me at Wye Bridge and gave me a lift to the Cheesehordage. I walked quietly to Wite[??]lft, had 2 pints of ale. Walked quietly home. Wounde up the clock and started it. The poor cat was glad to see me and the pig was all right..." He goes on to talk about a place called "The Cwmb" I don't know where that is? In other letters a place called Cwm is referred to but there are so many places in Monmouthshire which could fit the bill. Can anyone throw light onto it? It's interesting to see that they kept a pig. The lift he is talking about must have been in some sort of horse drawn vehicle as it is way before the days of cars and lorries. Does the cheesehordage still exist? Wite[??]lft is only how I have attempted to transcribe a word which has become faded and stained by the folds of the envelope. I don't know where his wife was at the time as he's written it from where they lived but I know she had some relatives in the mysterious place called Cwm so I am wondering if she was staying there. I am aware that Cwm is the Welsh word for a lake or tarn (learnt it in geography many moons ago!!)