There’s gold in them thar’ hills

Graham Loveluck-Edwards

We seem to be inundated here in south Wales with folklore about buried treasure. So much in fact, it seems like something of an obsession. What is more, they are so varied and diverse. 

We have a story of two spinsters in Cowbridge who discovered a haul in their garden and never wanted for anything, ever again.

There is also a slightly mad account of a phenomenon known as “treasure-throwers”. This occurred when people were literally transported through the air by supernatural forces to a place where treasure was hidden.

We have just such a story about people from Pontypridd being whisked from their beds to a stretch of the Taff where they dug and found priceless gems.

These stories date back to a time when the life of your average peasant was a very precarious thing. When the ability to live was subject to the whim of the local landowner.

They would have given ordinary people hope. That there was always that distant chance that they might find some long-forgotten horde and their fortunes would be made. In much the same way as people do today when they buy a lottery ticket.

The curse

The Ogmore river is also associated with many examples. 

There was one story about a recurring apparition on Newton Burrows near Porthcawl. A witness to this phenomenon plucked up the courage to ask the ghost why he frequented that place so regularly. The ghost replied that he had once found and removed treasure which had been left as an offering in the Ogmore River.

He had hidden it in a dune and had suffered a terrible curse as a result. He now wanted the treasure to be returned so he could be freed of the curse once and for all.

The man agreed to help. He dug where instructed, exhumed the treasure, then returned it to the river. No sooner than he had done it than the apparition started to fade before eyes and was never seen again.

There is another story that there is buried treasure somewhere at Ogmore Castle. But before you grab your metal detector and spade, heed this warning. It is meant to be guarded by a white lady with talons instead of hands who will tear you to shreds if you ever find it. So may be best leave it.

Going underground

Another reason for the perseverance of these stories of course, is that people genuinely did used to bury their treasure. Taking the story of the ghost of Newton Burrows for example.

From the Iron Age to the medieval period, it was quite commonplace for the dead to be interred on islands. Maybe because they appeared to be “beyond the world”. As they crossed waterways to get them, mourners would generally leave offerings in the water. Initially to the water spirits and then in later history, to God.

Also, in the days before high street banks, if you had something of value, burying it was the by far the best way of keeping it safe. Anything left lying around the house was always at risk of being stolen by scurrilous criminals and if that happened, there were no police to apprehend them and no insurance you could claim on.

One of the most famous local stories we have about a genuine, verifiable example of treasure being buried comes from the ancient hilltop village of Llangynwyd. Between Maesteg and Bridgend.

The parish was gifted a silver chalice by Queen Elizabeth I and as you can imagine, it was greatly coveted.

Then 150 years later we had the English Civil War and for just over a decade the period known as “the commonwealth”. When England and Wales was a republic, run by puritans. And they took a bit of a dim view of churches having priceless artefacts and gems.

So, they confiscated them and, in many cases, melted them down.

Determined not to let their chalice suffer that fate, the people of Llangynwyd buried it. No one ever gave up the secret of its location. Not even with the application of some pretty persuasive, Seventeenth Century, questioning techniques.

Once the Restoration came along in 1660, the chalice was retrieved, and it still belongs to the church to this day. Though given its value, it is no longer kept there. It is hidden away under lock and key at a secret location off site. 

No doubt, underground.

Graham Loveluck-Edwards is an author and historian. This summer he is leading a series of guided walks to places of historic interest called The Glamorgan History Walks. He and his team of experts bring the history and folklore of the places they visit to life. It is a unique and exciting way to engage with your local history. More information available at www.grahamloveluckedwards.com.