Welsh history brought to life at the National Eisteddfod

One of the most famous events of the nineteenth century in Wales was recreated at the National Eisteddfod on Friday.

The Merched Beca (literally Rebecca’s Girls) campaign began in the Preselau area when farmers and peasants were enraged by the intention to erect a tollgate in Efail-wen in 1839.

Dozens joined in a parade around the Maes on Friday afternoon in a new production, Beca’n Galw!, by Theatr Arad Goch. re-imagining the history and mythology of Merched Beca in a lively and powerful way.

Eurfyl Lewis, who is familiar with the history of the riot in Efail-wen, collaborated with the theatre company and recruited around 50 men to dress as Merched Beca. They rushed through the Maes and a gate was broken down on the Maes in a dramatic reconstruction.

Thomas Rees, or Twm Carnabwth, played a key role in the campaign that saw the peasants rebel against the unfair system of the tollgates.

At the beginning of the century, many tollgates in Wales were run by trusts which were supposed to maintain and improve the roads, funding this from the tolls.

However, many of them charged very high tolls, and then spent the money on other things.

With the erection of the tollgate in Efailwen, the farmers’ patience ran out and following a number of heated meetings on a farm near Mynachlog-ddu, it was decided to destroy the tollgate.

Under cover of darkness they proceeded to smash it with hammers and axes.

The large crowd was heard referring to each other by the names of the women who had lent their clothes to the men. The name most often heard was ‘Beca’, who was Twm Carnabwth.

The men had blackened their faces and placed horsehair and ferns under their bonnets.

Although a price was placed on Twm’s head if he was handed over to the authorities, he was never betrayed.

---

Get more trusted Welsh news

Choose Nation.Cymru as a preferred source in Google News to see more of our journalism.